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Kinetics of flagellate grazing in the presence of two types of bacterial prey

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Abstract

Grazing rates of mixed cultures of freshwater, heterotrophic nanoflagellates on two populations of bacterial prey present together at varying concentrations were measured by using fluorescently labeled bacteria. The effect of one population on the ingestion kinetics of the other was consistent with a theory based on competitive inhibition of enzymatic reactions. However, allochthonous bacteria, when present in low concentrations within a much larger population of small autochthonous bacteria, may be preferentially grazed, which is due to their large size.

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Author notes

  1. P. Menon

    Present address: Institut Océanographique Paul Ricard, Ile des Embiez, F-83140, Six-Fours-LesPlages, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Microbiologie des Milieux Aquatiques, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, CP 221, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium

    P. Menon, S. Becquevort, G. Billen & P. Servais

Authors
  1. P. Menon
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  2. S. Becquevort
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  3. G. Billen
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  4. P. Servais
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Correspondence to: P Servais

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Menon, P., Becquevort, S., Billen, G. et al. Kinetics of flagellate grazing in the presence of two types of bacterial prey. Microb Ecol 31, 89–101 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175078

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175078

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