Distribution of several microorganisms and activity of alkaline phosphatase in sediments from Baihua Lake

Abstract

Abstract The distribution characteristics of ammonifiers, ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria, nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria, and denitrifiers, and activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in sediments from Baihua Lake (a man‐made deep plateau canyon reservoir in Guizhou Province, China) were studied. The results suggested that the population number of ammonifiers in the sediments was higher at sampling sites Pingpu, Laojiutu, Yapengzhai, and Jiangjiapu than at the other sites. Ammonium‐oxidizing bacteria had the highest population number at sampling site Meituwan. The population number of nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria in the upper and middle sections of the lake was higher than that in the lower section. The population of denitrifiers was the highest at sampling site Jiangjiapu, and all the other sampling sites gave lower population numbers. Change in the activity of ALP was of a strong regularity, and the basic tendency was that the activity increased from the upper to the lower portion of the lake. Specifically, the activity at sampling site Yapengzhai was the strongest. The statistical analysis for four groups of bacteria, ALP, organic matter, and so on were carried out to shed more light on their correlativity. This research will likely provide relevant data useful for establishment of bacteriological and zymological indicator systems for environmental monitoring. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.