engleski

Heterotrophic bacteria in sediments of Adriatic sea (Kaštela Bay)

The quantity but more important the quality of the sedimented organic material are known to be key factors in controlling the distribution of bacteria in marine sediments. To asses the significance of organic matter for bacteria in shallow coastal sediments of the eastern Adriatic Sea, we investigated their relationship on a temporal scale as well as between different sediment layers. We used the concentrations of organic matter (OM), chloroplastic pigment equivalents (CPE), chlorophyll a (chl a) and phaeopigments (PHAEO) as indicators of substrate concentrations in sediments. Bacterial abundance, biomass and volume were strongly related to the indicators of substrate concentrations on both scales. The accumulation of labile OM in deeper layers also had a profound effect on the size and structure of bacteria. High amounts of OM and the low proportion of labile organic fraction (CPE ; chl a and PHAEO) indicate that this environment acts as a sink for accumulation of detrital material.

bacteria; sediment; Adriatic Sea

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