Sampling, Biomass Estimation and Counts of Freshwater Algae - Freshwater Algae: Identification, Enumeration and Use as Bioindicators - page 76

Table 2.4 Typical Unit Biovolumes for Some Common Planktonic Algae.

Class Species Colony/Cell/Filament Biovolume (μm 3 ) Reference

5040 ∗ Bacillariophyta Asterionella formosa 1

8500 ∗ Aulacoseira granulata var.

angustissima

1

Cyclotella sp. (large) 1000 1

Cyclotella sp. (small) 160 1

Melosira sp. 16,000 ∗ 1

Nitzschia spp. 300 1

Synedra sp. 600 1

Stephanodiscus sp. 380 1

Stephanodiscus rotula 25,000 1

Tabellaria fenestrata 950 1

Tabellaria fenestrata var.
asterionelloides

7125 ∗ 1

Chlorophyta Actinastrum sp. 1050 ∗ 1

Ankyra sp. 40 1

Chlamydomonas sp. 100 2

Chlorella sp. 30 3

Coelastrum sp. 6500 3

1500 ∗

Dictyosphaerium sp. 1

Elakatothrix gelatinosa 170 1

Monoraphidium sp. 45 1

1440 ∗ Micractinium sp. 3

5600 ∗ Eudorina sp. 3

16,000 ∗

Pediastrum duplex 3

160 ∗ Scenedesmus obliquus 1

160 ∗

Scenedesmus quadricauda 1

160 ∗

1

Sphaerocystis sp.

Staurastrum sp. 3100 (2 semicells) 2

Cryptophyta Cryptomonas sp. 1050 1

Rhodomonas minuta 140 1

Cyanophyta Anabaena sp. 2165 ∗ 2

Aphanizomenon
flos-aquae

1520 ∗ 1

Aphanocapsa sp. 6000 ∗ 4

Gloeocapsa sp. 500 1

Gomphosphaeria 55,000 ∗ 1

Microcystis sp. 77,120 ∗ 2

Oscillatoria sp. 800 1

Synechococcus sp. 20 1

Dinophyta Ceratium hirundinella 41,400 2

Peridinium cinctum 48,000 1

Biovolumes are for single cells unless indicated ( ∗ ), when they are for a 'typical' colony or filament. Values are from the following sources:
1 Dean (2004); The Gomphosphaeria biovolume was obtained by multiplying cell volume by the number of cells in an average colony.
2 Reynolds and Bellinger (1992).
3 Bellinger (1974).
4 Stephen (1997).