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Vitamin B 12 in Suspended Solids and Marsh Muds Collected Along the Coast of Georgia 1
Author(s) -
BURKHOLDER PAUL R.,
BURKHOLDER LILLIAN M.
Publication year - 1956
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1956.1.3.0202
Subject(s) - suspended solids , total suspended solids , particulates , total dissolved solids , settling , seawater , environmental chemistry , chemistry , organic matter , sedimentation , environmental science , nutrient , biology , ecology , sediment , environmental engineering , chemical oxygen demand , wastewater , paleontology
Vitamin B 12 content of suspended solids in river and sea waters and in marsh muds, collected along the coast of Georgia, was determined by means of the E. coli mutant assay. Appreciable amounts of vitamin B 12 are carried on suspended particles of river water, the brown water types showing highest concentrations, up to 6.4 µ g per gram of solids. Vitamin B 12 content of particulate matter in the sea waters varied over the range 0.0027 to 0.130 µ g per liter. Calculated in relation to dried solids, the highest concentration of B 12 was 0.736 µ g per gram of solids. Considerable variations were found at different times, stations, and depths. Samples of suspended matter taken from the Duplin River at Different phases of the tide showed maximal values of B 12 up to about 0.06 µ g per liter, on the outgoing tide. In settling experiments it appeared that a major portion of B 12 is correlated with the organic fraction of solids in sea water. Enrichment cultures showed large increases of vitamin B 12 produced by microorganisms in marine muds and waters. Many isolated bacteria were grown on extracts of marsh grass and found to produce significant quantities of the vitamin. It is concluded that suspended particles are important in the vitamin nutrition of the sea and that bacteria are significant producers and carriers of vitamin B 12 in the marine environment.