Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS19 Revisiting Redfield: C:N:P Stoichiometry in Aquatic Ecosystems (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 11:45:00 AM

Location: Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque

Makino, W, , University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA, makin005@tc.umn.edu

Cotner, J, B, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA, cotne002@tc.umn.edu

COUPLING OF GROWTH, BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND C:N:P STOICHIOMETRY OF BACTERIA

Bacteria play a pivotal role in the nutrient dynamis of planktonic systems. Although nutritional and biochemical physiology of bacteria is not yet fully understood, intriguing findings have come out so far. For one thing, cellular carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) ratios may be highly variable and correlated with the ratios of substrates. For another, bacterial DNA contents may be a goood measure of living biomass and RNA:DNA ratios may be a good indicator of growth rates. This may be driven by the association of rapid growth with P-rich ribosomal RNA and thus bacteria with higher growth rate may be relatively P-rich. However, information on the coupling of growth, biochemical composition and C:N:P ratios of bacteria is still limited. Hence, we are trying to fill this gap by measuring these things simultaneously. We will show the elemental and DNA:RNA ratios of cultured bacteria, including Escherichia coli, relative to growth rate and nutrient availability, and will discuss possible interpretations.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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