Estimation of bacterial use of dissolved organic nitrogen compounds in aquatic ecosystems using Biolog plates

[摘要] ABSTRACT: We demonstrated that bacterioplankton utilization of N-containing substrates, in relation to overall substrate utilization, can be assessed by calculating a nitrogen use (NUSE) index from Biolog-ECO microplate readings. The NUSE index was positively correlated with bacterial-specific aminopeptidase activity in coastal plankton samples, and it decreased after ammonia or amino acid addition to seawater cultures; this indicated that the index was sensitive to changes in N concentrations in natural samples. The index provides valuable information on dissolved organic nitrogen processing by natural bacterial assemblages, and thereby substantially expands the utility of the Biolog-ECO microplates.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）

[关键词] Biolog;Bacterioplankton;Substrate utilization;Dissolved organic nitrogen;DON;Nutrients;Amino acids