HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

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Defense Date

1998

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

M.S. Marine Biology

Department

Oceanographic Center

First Advisor

Curtis Burney

Second Advisor

Donald McCorquodale

Third Advisor

Uma Narayanan

Abstract

Bacterial growth rates and bacterivore grazing rates were compared to concentrations of dissolved polysaccharide and monosaccharide over diel periods in subtropical marine coastal waters by incubating large volumes of natural water in situ. Growth and grazing rates were detennined by the dilution method with 4 hour incubations. Carbohydrates were measured with the 3-Methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrozone hydrochloride hydrate (MBTH) colorimetric assay. Diel studies were conducted in April, August, and September 1997. Bacterial growth rates and bacterivore grazing rates as well as dissolved polysaccharide and monosaccharide concentrations varied significantly over the diel period of each study. There was inverse variation between bacterial growth rates and monosaccharide concentrations in two of the three studies, when daily average monosaccharide concentrations were 80 μgC/l or less. In the third study, monosaccharide concentrations were higher and the inverse relation with bacterial growth rates was less apparent. The diel pattern of bacterivore grazing rates followed that of bacterial growth rates in each study and were significantly correlated in two of three studies. Daily average bacterial growth rates were never significantly different than daily average bacterivore grazing rates. Bacterivore grazing rates were never directly related to dissolved carbohydrates, but were negatively correlated with total dissolved carbohydrates and monosaccharides in one study.

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