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Advances in Microbial Ecology pp 251–288Cite as

Mahoney Lake: A Case Study of the Ecological Significance of Phototrophic Sulfur Bacteria

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Part of the book series: Advances in Microbial Ecology ((AMIE,volume 15))

Abstract

Phototrophic sulfur bacteria require light as an energy source and reduced inorganic sulfur compounds as electron-donating substrates for growth. Dense accumulations of these bacteria can develop where light reaches sulfide-containing layers of stratified water bodies and sediments. Frequently, such blooms are visible with the naked eye as purple to pink, peach, brown, or green layers. If they occur in the water column of lakes, such “bacterial plates” can extend over a depth of several meters (Takahashi and Ichimura, 1968; Biebl and Pfennig, 1979; Parkin and Brock, 1980b; Guerrero et al., 1985; Gorlenko, 1988). In sediments, the gradients of light intensity and sulfide concentration are much steeper (Jørgensen and Revsbech, 1983; van Gemerden et al., 1989; Visscher et al., 1990) and, as a result, the layers of phototrophic sulfur bacteria are only millimeters to centimeters thick (Nicholson et al., 1987; van Gemerden et al., 1989).

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  1. Institut für Chemie und Biologie des Meeres, Universität Oldenburg, D-26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Jörg Overmann

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  1. Jörg Overmann
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  1. Freshwater Biological Association, Ambleside, Cumbria, England

    J. Gwynfryn Jones

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Overmann, J. (1997). Mahoney Lake: A Case Study of the Ecological Significance of Phototrophic Sulfur Bacteria. In: Jones, J.G. (eds) Advances in Microbial Ecology. Advances in Microbial Ecology, vol 15. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9074-0_6

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