Abstract
In late austral spring 1994, a study was carried out in the Ross Sea, with sampling in the ice-free, ice-covered and marginal ice zones. Samples were taken along two transverse transects, to determine spatial variations in some microbiological parameters. Some stations were repeatedly sampled to study the temporal development of microbial components. Microbial biomass was measured as fractionated ATP in the following size categories: micro- (250–10µm), nano- (10–2µm) and picoplankton (2–0.2µm); bacterial biomass was estimated on the basis of lipopolisac-charide concentration and microbial respiratory rate was estimated by the Electron Transport System activity of organisms <200 µm.
Microbial ATP ranged from 4.37 to 628.74 µgm-3, with high values always associated with the upper 50-m depth; depth integrated biomass ranged from 0.283 to 9.217gCm-2. Biomass structure was dominated by microplankton-sized organisms (mean 59.2 and 50.3% of total biomass in ice-free and ice-covered zones, respectively). At the station with the highest standing stock, microbial biomass represented 84.4% of the total. Picoplankton biomass exceeded nanoplankton biomass in the ice-covered zone and during the evolution of the marginal ice zone. Bacterial biomass from LPS measurements ranged from 0.152 to 1.278 mg Cm-3, with higher depth-integrated values in the ice-covered zone (22% of total microbial biomass) compared to the ice-free zone (2.5% of total microbial biomass). Intermediate values were found in the marginal ice zone. Respiration ranged from 0.017 to 0.734 ml 02 h-1 m-3 with no significant differences in the depth integrated values in the three zones. Low respiratory losses of carbon occurred at equivalents of 5.1% day-1 and <1% day-1 of the microbial carbon biomass in ice-covered and ice-free zones, respectively. The repeated sampling of some stations revealed that the early ice-free zones supported rapid changes of microbial biomass with variations among micro-, nano- and picoplank-tonic organism ratios.
Keywords
- Microbial Biomass
- Bacterial Biomass
- Microbial Carbon Biomass
- Total Microbial Biomass
- Electron Transport System Activity
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Azam F, Fenchel T, Field JG, Gray JS, Meyer-Reil LA, Thingstad F (1983) The ecological role of water column microbes in the sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 10: 157–263
Bolter M, von Bodungen B, Liebezeit G, Meyer M (1988) The pelagic ecosystem of the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica: an analysis of microbiological, planktological and chemical characteristics by multivariate analyses. In: Sahrhage D (ed) Antarctic ocean and resources variability. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 160–166
Bruni V, La Ferla R, Acosta Pomar MTL, Salomone L (1995) Structural differences of the microbial community in two sites of the Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica): a statistical analysis. Microbiologica 18: 409–422
Christensen JP, Packard TT, Dortch FQ, Minas HJ, Gascard JC, Richez C, Garfield PC (1989) Carbon oxidation in the deep Mediterranean Sea: evidence for dissolved organic carbon source. Global Biogeochem Cycles 3: 315–335
Delille D (1992) Marine bacterioplankton at the Weddell Sea ice edge: distribution of psychrophilic and psy-chrotrophic populations. Polar Biol 12: 205–210
Ducklow HW, Carlson CA (1992) Oceanic bacterial production. Adv Microb Eco l12: 113–181
El-Sayed SZ (1988) Seasonal and interannual variabilities in Antarctic phytoplankton with reference to krill distribution. In: Sahrhage D (ed) Antarctic ocean and resources variability. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 101–119
Eppeley RW, Peterson BJ (1979) Particulate organic matter flux and planktonic new production in the deep ocean. Nature 282 (5740): 677–680
Fabiano M, Danovaro R, Crisafi E, La Ferla R, Povero P, Acosta Pomar MTL (1995) Particulate matter composition and bacterial distribution in Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica) during summer 1989–1990. Polar Biol 15: 393–400
Friedman EI, Thisle AB (1993) Antarctic microbiology. In: Friedman EI (ed) Antarctic microbiology. Wiley, New York, pp ix-x
Gieskes WW, Tilzer MM, Heusel R, Kraay G (1989) The underwater light climate. Ber Polarforsch 62: 75–83
Hanson RB, Lowery HK, Shafer D, Sorocco R, Pope HK (1983) Microbes in antarctic waters of the Drake Passage: vertical patterns of substrate uptake, productivity and biomass in January 1980. Polar Biol 2: 179–188
Hewes CD, Holm-Hansen O, Sakshaug E (1985) Alternate carbon pathways at lower trophic levels in the Antarctic food. In: Siegfried WR, Condy PR, Laws RM (eds) Antarctic nutrient cycles and food webs. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Hodson RE, Azam F, Carlucci AF, Fuhrman JA, Karl DM, Holm-Hansen O (1981) Microbial uptake of dissolved organic matter in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Mar Biol 61: 89–94
Holm-Hansen O, Paerl HW (1972) The applicability of ATP determination for estimation of microbial biomass and metabolic activity. Mem 1st Ital Idrobiol 29 Suppl: 149–168
Jacques G (1989) Primary production in the open Antarctic Ocean during austral summer. A review. Vie Milieu 39: 1–17
Karl DM (1980) Cellular nucleotide measurements and applications in microbial ecology. Microbiol Rev 44: 739–796
Karl DM (1993) Microbial processes in the southern oceans. In: Friedman EI (ed) Antarctic microbiology. Wiley, New York, pp 1–63
Karl DM, Tien C (1991) Bacterial abundances during the 1989–90 austral summer phytoplankton bloom in the Gerlache Strait. Antarct JUS 26 (5): 147–149
Karl DM, Holm-Hansen O, Taylor GT, Tien G, Bird DF (1991) Microbial biomass and productivity in the western Bransfield Strait, Antarctica during the 1986–87 austral summer. Deep Sea Res 28: 1029–1055
Kenner RA, Ahmed SJ (1975) Measurement of electron transport activities in marine phytoplankton. Mar Biol 33: 119–128
La Ferla R, Allegra A, Azzaro F, Greco S, Crisafi E (1995) Observation on the microbial biomass in two stations of Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica) by ATP and LPS measurements. Mar Ecol 16: 1–9
La Ferla R, Azzaro M, Chiodo G (1996) Microbial respiratory activity in the euphotic zone of the Mediterranean Sea. Microbiologica 19: 243–250
Marchant HJ, Murphy EJ (1994) Interactions at the base of the Antarctic food web. In: El-Sayed SZ (ed) Southern Ocean ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 267–285
Martinez R, Estrada M (1992) Respiratory electron transport activity of microplankton in the Weddell Sea during early spring: influence of the ice cover and the ice edge. Polar Biol 12: 275–282
Naqvi SWA, Shailaja MS, Dileep Kumar M, Sen Gupta R (1996) Respiration rates in subsurface waters of the northern Indian Ocean: evidence for low decomposition rates of organic matter within the water column in the Bay of Bengala. Deep Sea Res II 43: 73–81
Novitsky JA, Morita RY (1977) Survival of a psycrophilic marine vibrio under long-term nutrient starvation. Appl Environ Microbiol 33: 635–641
Packard TT (1971) The measurement of respiratory electron transport system in marine phytoplankton. J Mar Res 29: 235–244
Packard TT (1985) Measurement of electron transport activity of microplankton. In: Jannasch HW, Williams PJleB (eds) Advances in aquatic microbiology 3. Academic Press, London, pp 207–261
Packard TT, Denis M, Rodier M, Garfiekd P (1988) Deep-ocean metabolic C02 production: calculations from ETS activity. Deep Sea Res 35: 371–382
Palmisano AC, Garrison DL (1993) Microorganisms in Antarctic sea ice. In: Friedman EI (ed) Antarctic microbiology. Wiley, New York, pp 167–218
Pomeroy LR (1974) The ocean’s food web, a changing paradigm. Bioscience 24: 499–504
Pomeroy LR, Deibel D (1986) Temperature regulation of bacterial activity during the spring bloom in Newfoundland and coastal waters. Science 233: 359–361
Pomeroy LR, Wiebe WJ (1988) Energetics of microbial food webs. Hydrobiology 159: 7–18
Pomeroy LR, Wiebe WJ, Deibel D, Thompson RJ, Rowe GT, Pakulski JD (1991) Bacterial responses to temperature and substrate concentration during the Newfoundland spring bloom. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 75: 143–159
Porter KG, Feig YS (1980) The use of DAPI for identifying and counting aquatic microflora. Limnol Oceanogr 25 (5): 948–951
Sorokin YI (1971) Bacterial populations as components of oceanic ecosystem. Mar Biol 11: 101–105
Tupas LM, Koike I, Karl DM, Holm-Hansen O (1994) Nitrogen metabolism by heterotrophic bacterial assemblages in Antarctic coastal waters. Polar Biol 14: 195–204
Vincent WF (1988) Microbial ecosystem of Antarctica. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Vosjan JH, Nieuwland G (1987) Microbial biomass and respiratory activity in the surface waters of the east Banda Sea and northwest Arafura Sea (Indonesia) at the time of the southeast monsoon. Limnol Oceanogr 32(3): 767–775
Watson SW, Hobbie JE (1979) Measurement of bacterial biomass as lipopolysaccharide. In: Conserton JW, Colwell RR (eds) Native aquatic bacteria: enumeration, activity and ecology. ASTM, Philadelphia
Watson SW, Novitsky TJ, Quinby HL, Valois FW (1977) Determination of bacterial number and biomass in the marine environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 33(4): 940–946
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Crisafi, E., Azzaro, F., La Ferla, R., Monticelli, L.S. (2000). Microbial Biomass and Respiratory Activity Related to the Ice-Melting Upper Layers in the Ross Sea (Antarctica). In: Faranda, F.M., Guglielmo, L., Ianora, A. (eds) Ross Sea Ecology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64048-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59607-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive