Microbial Activity in Acidified and Limed Humic Lakes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that acidification negatively affects microbial processes in water and sediment, five acidified (pH of surface water 5.2 ± 0.3) and five limed (pH 6.9 ± 0.2) humic (water colour 91 ± 15 and 77 ± 28 mg Pt/L, respectively) lakes in southern Sweden were studied. Sediment pH of the acidified lakes was significantly lower than in limed lakes down to a sediment depth of at least 3 cm. In spite of this, there was no difference between acid and limed lakes with respect to bacterial abundance in the sediment, sediment oxygen uptake, or utilization of amino acids by sediment bacteria. Similarly, there was no difference in biological water column parameters, i.e., chlorophyll a, gross and net oxygen production, respiration, bacterial abundance, and the utilization of amino acids by pelagic bacteria. Assuming that the restoration of pH by liming also restores pre-acidification conditions of microbial life, this study suggests that the level of acidification typical for most areas does not influence microbial activity negatively.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: