Author(s)

R. Godillot, B. Caussade & T. Ameziane

Abstract

Periphytic communities have been for a long time considered as useful indicators of water quality in rivers and lakes. This fact is due to their fixing, rapid growth and ability to easily integrate in a very short time the physical and chemical changes in the environment. However, recent studies on the mutual influences of periphyton-flow have produced conflicting conclusions which underline the particular complexity of these interactions. An experimental flume was built to show, in hydrodynamically controlled conditions, that the near-bed regime (which depends on water discharge, the nature and form of the substrate, the presence or absence of blowing, ...) can interact with the development of the periphyton. Several experiments were performed with different velocities (between 8 a

Keywords