New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Microbial activity in natural and organically enriched intertidal sediments near Nelson, New Zealand

PAULA.GILLESPIE

A. LINCOLN MacKENZIE

Cawthron Institute Private Bag Nelson New Zealand

Abstract Two measures of microbial activity were used to characterise a variety of sediment habitats in three inteitidal inlets in the Nelson region, South Island, New Zealand. Rates of microbial mineralisation potential and epibenthic microalgal production were compared with sediment textures, concentrations of photosynthetic pigments, ATP concentrations, and organic and inorganic nutrients. Baseline ranges for these parameters were established for relatively undisturbed estuarine sites for assessing future environmental deterioration and for comparison with sites affected by organic enrichment. Sediment mineralisation rates were increased more than 1000-fold by enrichment from a fruit processing plant and microalgal production was enhanced by more than 50-fold at a site exposed to slaughterhouse wastes. The remaining variables, although often strongly correlated with activity measurements, were not as sensitive as measures of enrichment. Sediment microbial activity measurements are proposed as a means of detecting changes in nutrient status of estuarine environments.

Keywords estuarine sediments; microbial activity; microalgal production; New Zealand; eutrophication; pollution; nutrients

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1990, Vol. 24:471-480 ;Crown copyright 1990
Received 16 February 1990; accepted 18 June 1990

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (759K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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