Assessing Biomass and Production of Bacteria in Eutrophic Lake Mendota, Wisconsin

Abstract

Estimates were made of the biomass and production of heterotrophic bacteria in the epilimnion of Lake Mendota, Wis. Cell counts were done with epifluorescence microscopy and varied from 3 × 10 5 bacteria per ml in winter to 3 × 10 6 bacteria per ml in summer. Cell volumes were measured in scanning electron micrographs. The average cell volume was 0.159 μm 3 . Annual variations and depth distribution were studied. Production was estimated from the frequency of dividing cells and from dark radioactive sulfate uptake. Annual productivity and daily average productivity were very close with both methods: 107 to 205 g of C per m 2 per year for sulfate and 89 to 117 g of C per m 2 per year for frequency of dividing cells. Zooplankton feeding removed 2 to 10% of the bacterial net production annually. When compared with biomass changes and losses due to zooplankton feeding, production values were very high. Therefore, it was suggested that other loss factors have to be more important than zooplankton feeding in controlling the bacterial population. Bacterial heterotrophic production was about 50% of gross primary production.