Abstract
Seasonal variation in population density and heterotrophic activity (as maximum potential rate, V max, for glucose mineralization) of bacteria attached to suspended solids, of free bacteria and of total bacteria was examined in the water of the Humber Estuary, north-east England. At the principal site, which was studied over 2 yr, values of density and activity of attached and total bacteria showed marked seasonal periodicity, being low in summer and high from autumn to spring. This was a consequence of density of attached bacteria being dependent on the concentration of suspended solids, which was high in winter and low during summer. Values of density and activity of free bacteria, which were less than those of attached bacteria, showed no seasonal pattern but fluctuated irregularly and were independent of concentration of suspended solids. At two further sites, which were studied over 1 yr only, the density of bacteria varied seasonally in a similar manner, but the activity of attached and total bacteria showed no distinct seasonal pattern — this may, however, be due to limitations of the data rather than to fundamental differences between the sites studied.
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Communicated by J. Mauchline, Oban
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Bent, E.J., Goulder, R. Planktonic bacteria in the Humber Estuary; Seasonal variation in population density and heterotrophic activity. Mar. Biol. 62, 35–45 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396949
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396949