| Abstract from DBPedia | Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems. The related term Aufwuchs (German "surface growth" or "overgrowth") refers to the collection of small animals and plants that adhere to open surfaces in aquatic environments, such as parts of rooted plants. Periphyton serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. It can also absorb contaminants, removing them from the water column and limiting their movement through the environment. The periphyton is also an important indicator of water quality; responses of this community to pollutants can be measured at a variety of scales representing physiological to community-level changes. Periphyton has often been used as an experimental system in, e.g., pollution-induced community tolerance studies.付着藻類（ふちゃくそうるい、英語：Periphyton）は、ほとんどの水生生態系の表面に付着した藻類、藍藻などである。 従属栄養微生物、デトリタスと複雑に混じっている。関連用語の付着生物（Aufwuchs：ドイツ語 「表面の成長」または「過成長」）は、固着性植物の一部など、水生環境の開けた表面に付着する小さな動植物の集まりを意味する。 (Source: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Periphyton) |
