QUANTIFICATION OF EPIPHYTE REMOVAL EFFICIENCY FROM SUBMERSED AQUATIC PLANTS

Three independent methods were used to quantify the efficiency of a me chanical agitation technique for the removal of epiphytes from four su bmersed macrophyte species. Time course samples were collected for epi phytic chlorophyll, dry weight, and algal and diatom cell counts follo wing cumulative agitation periods of 10, 30, 60, 90, and 120 s. Statis tically identical removal efficiencies were found for all macrophyte h ost species. Mean removal time for over 88% removal efficiency was 40 +/- 6 s. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.