Abstract
A method of simultaneously quantifying photoautotrophic (algae and cyanobacteria) and bacterial production in periphyton communities by 14C-bicarbonate and 3H-leucine incorporation was investigated and applied to communities subjected to specific intensities of photosynthetically active radiation (400–700 nm). Maximum photosynthetic output (2.23 ± 0.29 (SE) μg C cm-2 h-1) and bacterial production (0.07 ± 0.006 μg C cm-2 h-1) occurred at the highest photon flux density (400 μmol m-2 s-1). Over a photon flux density range of 20–400 μmol m-2 s-1, bacterial and autotroph productivity were significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.89). Furthermore, application of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea, a photosystem 11 inhibitor, to periphyton films reduced bacterial production by 46%, but it had no such effect on bacteria-only cultures. Therefore, the magnitude of bacterial production in periphyton was coupled to the photosynthesis/metabolism of algae and/or cyanobacteria.
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Neely, R., Wetzel, R. Simultaneous use of 14C and 3H to determine autotrophic production and bacterial protein production in periphyton. Microb Ecol 30, 227–237 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00171931
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00171931