Periphyton

Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Small crustaceans, rotifers, and protozoans are also commonly found in fresh water and the sea, but insect larvae, oligochaetes and tardigrades are peculiar to freshwater aufwuchs faunas.

These effects, known as eutrophication, can impair or kill fishes and other animals, reduce the quality of drinking water, and make waterways unappealing for recreation.

[citation needed] Another amphibian that feasts on periphyton are spring peepers, small chorus frogs that occupy many ponds throughout Canada and the eastern United States.