ISSN:
1573-5036
Keywords:
Adsorption
;
Clay minerals
;
Decomposition
;
Hydrous oxides
;
Microorganisms
;
Nucleic acid bases
;
Soil
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Summary The biodegradability of nucleic acid bases (guanine, adenine, cytosine, thymine and uracil) adsorbed on montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, soil, gibbsite, goethite and a fulvic acid (FA)-montmorillonite complex was investigated. Each material was mixed with sand, inoculated with a soil suspension and incubated in a Warburg vessel. Lag periods in O2 uptake were observed at pH 4 and 6 but not at pH 8. Following the lag periods, adsorbed nucleic acid bases were degraded rapidly at linear rates until these levelled off. The cessation of O2-uptake was shown to be due to the formation of excessive amounts of gaseous NH3, which not only inhibited microbial respiration by raising the pH to 8 and higher, but also by killing bacteria and actinomycetes. The rate of biodegradation was found to depend on the type of clay or oxide, the dominant cation and the pH.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02372517
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