Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS20 Microbial Dynamics

Date: Friday, February 16, 2001, Time: 8:30:00 AM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Sinsabaugh, R, L, University of Toledo, Toledo, USA, Robert.Sinsabaugh@utoledo.edu

Alvarez, S, , Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, sergio.alvarez@uam.es

Yeager, P, , Fairmont State College, Fairmont, USA, PYeager@mail.fscwv.edu

Findlay, S, , Institute for Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, USA, findlays@ecostudies.org

FUNCTIONAL PROFILES OF MICROBIAL POM PROCESSING IN INLAND WATERS

Particulate organic matter (POM) metabolism accounts for much of the heterotrophic activity in inland waters. We have generated a functional profile of microbial POM processing by pooling data from ten studies (21 sites). Each of these studies included data for 4-9 extracellular enzyme activities that were assayed by similar methods. The pooled data set contains about 500 cases spanning a POM size gradient of 0.03 - >10 mm. The data set includes diverse lotic and lentic habitats and a wide range of POM characteristics. The distribution of eight enzyme activities was examined. Emergent patterns were used to produce multidimensional representations of POM processing. The largest shift in functional trajectory occurs at particle sizes of about 1 mm which coincides with the transition from coarse to fine particles and from fungal to bacterial dominance. A second shift occurs at about 0.1 mm which coincides with the transition from primary particles of plant origin to secondary particles of microbial origin. The data also show that the basis of POM-associated heterotrophic production is quite distinct from that of pelagic production.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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