In situ plankton community respiration measurements show low respiratory quotients in a eutrophic lake

Environmental Microbiology
Karla Münzner, Martin Berggren

Abstract

Planktonic community respiration is an important carbon cycling process, typically quantified by converting measured values of dissolved O2 consumption rates into CO2 production rates assuming a respiratory quotient of 1 (RQ = CO2 per O2 by moles). However, the true variability in planktonic RQs between different aquatic ecosystems is poorly understood. We conducted in situ RQ measurements in a eutrophic lake dominated by algal-derived substances and found that RQs were significantly below 1. In fact, many RQ values were extremely low (0.2-0.6), below theoretical RQs for oxidation of algal organic matter substrates (0.7-0.8), suggesting that other factors than substrate control need to be considered to understand the RQ. This view was further supported by lack of correlations between RQ and microbial variables known to be strongly substrate dependent, including bacterial growth efficiency and the functional capacity of the bacterioplankton community to degrade different compounds. Based on the measured dynamics in methane and nutrient pools, we discuss that methane oxidation and nitrification likely occurred in the lake, contributing to the unusually low RQs. Our findings demonstrate that planktonic RQs in productive lakes can ...Continue Reading

References

May 26, 1998·Journal of Chromatographic Science·D H Kampbell, S A Vandegrift
Sep 1, 1957·American Journal of Clinical Pathology·L T SKEGGS
Oct 13, 2009·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Choon Weng LeeYii Siang Hii
Dec 14, 2011·FEMS Microbiology Ecology·Bartosz KiersztynRyszard J Chróst
Jun 27, 2013·Frontiers in Microbiology·André M AmadoFabio Roland

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