It seems improbable that a thin veneer of attached algae coating submerged surfaces in lakes and rivers could be the foundation of many freshwater food webs, but increasing evidence from chemical tracers supports this view. Attached algae grow on any submerged surface that receives enough light for photosynthesis, but animals often graze attached algae down to thin, barely perceptible biofilms. Algae in general are more nutritious and digestible than terrestrial plants or detritus, and attached algae are particularly harvestable, being concentrated on surfaces. Diatoms, a major component of attached algal assemblages, are especially nutritious and tolerant of heavy grazing. Algivores can track attached algal productivity over a range of spatial scales and consume a high proportion of new attached algal growth in high-light, low-nutrient ecosystems. The subsequent efficient conversion of the algae into consumer production in freshwater food webs can lead to low-producer, high-consumer biomass, patterns tha...

中文翻译：

---

附着藻类：淡水中倒营养金字塔的隐秘基础

湖泊和河流淹没表面的附着藻类的薄薄饰面似乎不太可能成为许多淡水食物网的基础，但越来越多的化学示踪剂证据支持这一观点。附着的藻类生长在任何能够接收足够光进行光合作用的水下表面，但动物经常将附着的藻类吃掉，形成薄而几乎无法察觉的生物膜。一般来说，藻类比陆生植物或碎屑更有营养和更易消化，附着的藻类特别容易收获，集中在表面。硅藻是附着藻类群落的主要组成部分，营养特别丰富，能耐受大量放牧。食藻动物可以在一系列空间尺度上追踪附着藻类的生产力，并在高光、低营养的生态系统中消耗大量新附着藻类的生长。