Diversity and structure of Periphyton and Metaphyton diatom communities in a tropical wetland in Mexico

Abstract

We investigated the structure and diversity of diatoms in communities of metaphyton and periphyton from the wetland of El Eden Ecological Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico. In spite of the close association and communication between these communities, our comparisons reveal that the 2 communities have distinct species assemblages, with the periphyton being more diverse overall. We fit abundance curves for periphyton and metaphyton, and argue that Our results are consistent with Communities where environmental conditions play a more important role than competition in structuring diatom species assemblages.