Open AccessMicrobial activities and chemical gradients in the chemocline of a meromictic lake in relation to the precision of the sampling procedure
Author(s) -
Bφrsheim Knut Yngve,
Gijs Kuenen J.,
Gottschal Jan,
Dundas Ian
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1985.tb01169.x
Subject(s) - chemocline , oxygen , sulfide , environmental chemistry , environmental science , eutrophication , ecology , chemistry , biology , nutrient , organic chemistry , anoxic waters
The dark CO 2 fixation rate, and sulfide and oxygen concentrations, were measured in the chemocline of the eutrophic, meromictic lake Saelenvannet in Western Norway. Sulfide and oxygen coexisted at a depth of 4–5 m in a narrow layer, only 2.5–10 cm wide. Coexistence of oxygen and sulfide coincided with an increase in the rate of dark CO 2 fixation. Maximal potential for light‐dependent CO 2 fixation was found 2.5 cm below the sulfide and oxygen coexistence region. Our results demonstrate that a number of conventional sampling techniques are unsuitable for the study of such interfaces, and that very precise sampling techniques are needed to measure the chemical gradients and biological processes taking place in the chemocline of shallow meromictic lakes.