A Simple and Inexpensive Method to Gain Diatom Absolute Abundances from Permanent Mounts in Hydrobiological and Paleoecological Research
Title
A Simple and Inexpensive Method to Gain Diatom Absolute Abundances from Permanent Mounts in Hydrobiological and Paleoecological ResearchDate
2023-05-13Citation
Cantonati, M.; Cid-Rodríguez, M.; Rossi, F.; Leira, M. A Simple and Inexpensive Method to Gain Diatom Absolute Abundances from Permanent Mounts in Hydrobiological and Paleoecological Research. Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 6019. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13106019
Abstract
[Abstract] Here, we describe and discuss a method based on microscopical field of view (FOV) area to estimate diatom absolute abundances (densities or concentrations), and we statistically verify its reliability, also comparing it to another commonly used method (microspheres). To test the new method, we purposely performed replicate counts, both with the FOV and with the microsphere method, on both subfossil and recent material (samples) from mires. Intraclass correlation (ICC) revealed a high degree of agreement between the measurements obtained for the replicates with each of the two methods, suggesting that both are reliable for measuring diatom valve concentrations. However, the FOV consistently overestimated diatom absolute abundances, as compared to the microsphere method, and the ICC value used to assess the reliability of the two methods combined suggested that the two methods cannot be used interchangeably. The FOV method is relatively simple, has a lower cost, wider applicability, higher resolution, and warrants compatibility with existing datasets. However, there may also be drawbacks, such as the potential for sample distortion during the concentration process. Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the strengths and limitations of the different methods before adopting one for specific research or applied questions.
Keywords
Diatoms
Absolute abundances
Methodology
Mires
Microspheres
FOV
Absolute abundances
Methodology
Mires
Microspheres
FOV
Description
This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Hydrogeology
Editor version
Rights
Atribución 4.0 Internacional
ISSN
2076-3417