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La Miel River is a tributary of the Magdalena basin and the main tributary of the Amaní reservoir. In order to establish the spatial and temporal dynamics of periphytic algae genera downstream of the reservoir, data collected every two months between 2006 and 2009, at seven sampling sites (five in the main channel and two tributaries) were analyzed. 130 genera and 15 classes were recorded, Cyanophyceae and Bacillariophyceae being the most representative in density and frequency. Both the generic density and richness showed significant variations in the spatial dimension, but did not differentiate the sampling sites on the La Miel River from those in tributaries and did not show a specific pattern related to hydrological seasons; but changes of richness were observed between samples and a association between the algal community and parameters related to water dynamics was found. We conclude that although the variables analyzed are not limited by the discharge, other structural characteristics of the community such as the taxonomic composition and diversity are affected, especially at the site of direct influence of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]