Abstract.
Vertical profiles of soluble and particulate nutrients were analyzed at the end of summer stratification in two dimictic lakes located in northeast Germany. In addition, irradiance and plankton biomass were determined. The concentrations of particulate organic carbon and phytoplankton biomass in the epilimnion were higher in Lake Tiefer than in Lake Dudinghausen, even though the apparent trophic status of Lake Tiefer was higher than Lake Dudinghausen. In Lake Dudinghausen, phototrophic sulfur bacteria accumulated in the hypolimnion between 8 and 10 m, whereas in Lake Tiefer low light penetration prevented the development of phototrophic bacteria in those horizons in which sulfide might be present. Because both lakes have anoxic hypolimnia, we assumed that in both cases phosphorus was released from the sediment into the hypolimnion. In Lake Tiefer, redox conditions and the presence of nitrate and nitrite limited the water depth range in which P-release occurred. In Lake Dudinghausen, part of the released soluble reactive phosphorus was incorporated into the phototrophic sulfur bacteria biomass and thus transformed to particulate phosphorus. As much as 70% of the particulate phosphorus in the hypolimnion was found in the phototrophic sulfur bacterial layer, with 15–20% of this particulate phosphorus consisting of polyphosphate storage compounds. The low ratio of soluble reactive phosphorus to particulate phosphorus in the hypolimnion was, therefore, attributed to phototrophic sulfur bacteria. The phototrophic sulfur bacteria appear to act as an internal nutrient filter and convert soluble reactive phosphorus into particulate phosphorus.
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Received: 14 May 2003; revised manuscript accepted: 13 December 2003
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Selig, U., Hübener, T., Heerkloss, R. et al. Vertical gradient of nutrients in two dimictic lakes – influence of phototrophic sulfur bacteria on nutrient balance. Aquat. Sci. 66, 247–256 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-004-0684-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-004-0684-y