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Decomposition of urea by size-fractionated planktonic community in a eutrophic reservoir in Japan

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Abstract

Free bacterial populations were separated from an intact planktonic community in water of a eutrophic reservoir in Japan by filtration through Whatman GF/ C glass fiber filters (mean porosity 1.2 µm). Urea decomposition by the free bacterial populations and the intact planktonic community was determined in six different months.

The separated free bacteria apparently did not take part in urea-decomposition in waters of the reservoir through the year: the number of free heterotrophic bacteria increased during the urea-decomposition experiments, however, the concentration of urea did not decrease. Whereas, in five cases out of six, urea was decomposed by the intact planktonic community. Probably, phytoplankton were responsible for most of the urea-decomposition. On the assumption that the decomposition of urea obeyed first-order kinetics, rate constants were calculated to be 0.00–0.63 day−1 with a mean value of 0.21 day−1.

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  1. Dept. of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, 990, Yamagata, Japan

    Yasuhiro Satoh

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  1. Yasuhiro Satoh
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Satoh, Y. Decomposition of urea by size-fractionated planktonic community in a eutrophic reservoir in Japan. Hydrobiologia 83, 153–160 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187158

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187158

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