Cells are solitary or in very short chains, often attached to substrate by a stalk. Frustules are monoraphid with a concave raphe valve and convex rapheless valve. Valves are linear-lanceolate with slightly drawn-out or slightly capitate ends, The external, proximal raphe ends are simple, while the terminal raphe fissures are short, almost straight, or absent.
Internally, the central raphe ends are turned in opposite directions. Striae are radiate throughout both valves. Striae consist of one row of areolae. The striae are often interrupted in the central part of raphe valve to form a symmetrical or asymmetrical fascia. One row of elongated areolae is present on the valve mantle. External areolae openings of areolae vary in shape from circular to transapically elongated slits. Internal openings of the areolae are elliptical, occluded by hymens perforated by small pores. Girdle bands are plain and open.
This taxon is reported to be widespread in freshwater (Patrick and Reimer 1966, Hansmann 1973, Lawson and Rushforth 1975, Clark and Rushforth 1977, Foged 1981, Cox 1996, Camburn and Charles 2000, Antoniades et al. 2008, Bahls 2021), and in some habitats quite abundant (Hansmann 1973, Lawson and Rushforth 1975, Clark and Rushforth 1977, Antoniades et al. 2008). This taxon has been reported from North America in Idaho, Montana (this page), Ohio (Collins and Kalinsky 1977), the northeastern US (Camburn and Charles 2000), Cape Cod (Siver et al. 2005), and the western US (Bahls 2021).
In the Great Lakes National Parks (Edlund et al. 2011, 2012, 2013), this taxon is common (>5% relative abundance) in predominantly shallow lake sediment cores of lakes in Voyageurs (Locator, Little Trout, Mukooda, Brown, Ryan, and Ek lakes), Sleeping Bear Dunes (Florence and Bass lakes), and Apostle Islands (Outer Lake).
This species is considered a generalist, known to tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions (Patrick and Reimer 1966, Foged 1981, Cox 1996, Siver et al. 2005), although many sources report that it prefers alkaline systems (Patrick and Reimer 1966, Foged 1981, Antoniades et al. 2008) and is most commonly found in streams (Bahls 2021). As noted in the original description (Kützing 1833), it can often be found growing epiphytically on chlorophytes but is also commonly observed in epilithic communities (Hansmann 1973). Cells typically attach to substrate by mucilage secreted from the cell.
It is commonly regarded as an oligohalibe (Patrick and Reimer 1966, Foged 1981), although these sources also indicate that it is relatively indifferent to salinity. Bahls (2021) states that this taxon prefers low to moderate conductivity. Cox (1996) reports it to be sensitive to wastewater and β-α-mesosabrobic conditions.
Many research groups have considered it an indicator organism and published regional environmental optima and tolerances including:
Wilson et al. (1994): Salinity optimum - 0.62 g/L with a lower limit of 0.03 g/L and an upper limit of 12.97 g/L for populations from lakes on the interior plateau of British Colombia.
Camburn and Charles (2000): pH – 7.04 +/- 0.68, Acid Neutralizing Capacity – 168 +/- 119 µeq/L, Total Aluminum – 53 +/- 75 µg/L, Dissolved Organic Carbon – 194 +/- 151 µmol/L, Total Phosphorus (TP) – 8.24 +/- 5.45 µg/L for populations from the northeastern US.
Reavie and Smol (2001): TP – 0.016 mg/L, pH – 8.01, Total Nitrogen (TN) – 0.459 mg/L, Max Depth – 20.6 m, Chla – 1.71 mg/L for populations from lakes in southeastern Ontario.
Lim et al. (2001): TN – 0.808 +/- 0.221 mg/L for populations from Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada.
Siver et al. (2005): pH optima – 6.7 +/- 0.5, TP optima – 13.2 +/- 7.0 µg/L for populations from Cape Cod.
Lim et al. (2007): TN – 0.500 mg/L for populations from Banks Island in the N.W.T. of Canada.
Antoniades et al. (2008): pH – 8.4, pH Tol - 7.6-8.6, Conductivity – 132 µS/cm, Conductivity Tol – 60-290 µS/cm, DOC – 4.5 mg/L, DOC Tol – 2.09-9.67 mg/L for populations from the Canadian Arctic This taxon was treated as sensu lato in this publication.
Siver and Hamilton (2011): pH – 6.5 +/- 0.7, TP – 16.4 +/- 13.1 µg/L for populations from the eastern US, though this taxon was treated as sensu lato in this publication.
Bahls (2021): Conductivity – 338 µS/cm, pH – 7.5, Temperature – 12.6 °C, TN – 0.620 mg/L, TP – 50 µg/L for populations from the American northwest.
From 2010 until 2024 the autecological information on this taxon page was limited. As of this update, information on ecology, biogeography, and environmental optima have been added. - Lane Allen & Mark Edlund
Potapova, M., Allen, L., Edlund, M. (2009). Achnanthidium minutissimum. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved December 16, 2024, from https://diatoms.org/species/44390/achnanthidium_minutissimum
The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Achnanthidium minutissimum from all the stream reaches where it was present. Note that the relative abundance scale is the same on each plot. Explanation of each environmental variable and units are as follows:
ELEVATION = stream reach elevation (meters)
STRAHLER = distribution plot of the Strahler Stream Order
SLOPE = stream reach gradient (degrees)
W1_HALL = an index that is a measure of streamside (riparian) human activity that ranges from 0 - 10, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 10 indicating severe disturbance.
PHSTVL = pH measured in a sealed syringe sample (pH units)
log_COND = log concentration of specific conductivity (µS/cm)
log_PTL = log concentration of total phosphorus (µg/L)
log_NO3 = log concentration of nitrate (µeq/L)
log_DOC = log concentration of dissolved organic carbon (mg/L)
log_SIO2 = log concentration of silicon (mg/L)
log_NA = log concentration of sodium (µeq/L)
log_HCO3 = log concentration of the bicarbonate ion (µeq/L)
EMBED = percent of the stream substrate that is embedded by sand and fine sediment
log_TURBIDITY = log of turbidity, a measure of cloudiness of water, in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).
DISTOT = an index of total human disturbance in the watershed that ranges from 1 - 100, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 100 indicating severe disturbance.
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