Stream Biofilms NDS in Cibolo Creek, Boerne, TX. Stream Biofilms

Wastewater discharge is a global threat to freshwater resources. Streams, in particular, are receiving waterbodies which are directly impacted chemically and biologically due to effluent discharge. However, it is largely unknown how wastewater serves as a subsidy or a stressor to aquatic biodiversity, in particularly aquatic microbiota, over space. We deployed nutrient diffusing substrata (NDS), which release nutrients through diffusion into the water column into a wastewater dependent stream across 3 reaches. We used N, P, N + P treatments for measurement of single nutrient and co-nutrient limitation, and a no-nutrient control.