Periphytic Algal Succession with Temperature and Light Treatments

Periphytic algae are part of algal periphyton that are important in the microorganism community in the aquatic systems as they play an essential role as producers in the trophic and aquatic levels. The aim of this study serves to determine the structural differences of periphytic algae communities in both Cipeles River and Cisudajaya River, Sumedang, West Java. Accumulation of periphytic algae colonisation was performed with a number of temperature and light treatments using a square-shaped stone sized 2 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm for 28 days. Experiments were carried out with the temperatures set to 30°C and 33°C, as well as light intensities of 1000 lux and 2000 lux. Water as the medium is taken from the Cipeles River and Cisudajaya River. A number of different commercial hydroponic fertilisers as the growth nutrients for the periphytic algae were then added to the media. Once the experiments were fully performed, the results showed structural differences in the periphytic algae community from both Cipeles River and Cisudajaya River water media, where 25 types of periphytic algae from 10 classes were obtained from Cipeles River while the Cisudajaya River had 30 types of periphytic algae from 9 classes. In addition, an increase of colonisation was found in the periphytic algae samples taken from Cipeles River and Cisudajaya River, where they experienced biomass accumulation on Day 14 and Day 28. The optimal temperature for the periphytic algae colonisation in both samples is 30 °C, with the optimal light ranging betwen 1000 lux and 2000 lux