Abstract
Circadian and spatial fluctuations in bacterioplankton abundance and cell volume were examined, for the first time, in the Municipal Lake located in the down town area of Yaoundé (Capital of Cameroon, Central Africa, ca 3° 52′ N, 11° 31′ E). Bacterial cell volumes (range, 0.05 to 0.2 μm3) were consistent with those reported for other aquatic systems while bacterial densities (0.8 to 2 × 108 cells ml-1) were among the highest values reported in pelagic systems. These variables and chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen concentrations within a single depth-zone varied from 13 to 61%, while water temperature fluctuated only from 2 to 6%. Spatial fluctuations of physical-chemical and biological variables were generally higher during the day-time than during the night-time. A significant diel variation was provided for bacterial cell volume in the surface waters where synchronized cell division was occurring during the night. The measured bacterial abundances in this study were 4 to 17 fold higher than values known from other lakes of similar trophic status, and both cell abundance and volume were not correlated with chlorophyll. We conclude that this was due to the dependence of bacterial populations to different sources of allochthonous substrates, including untreated sewage from the major influents of the lake, resuspension of benthic material, and substrate releasing from macrophytes which are prevalent in the littoral zone of the lake.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aizaki, M., A. Otsuki, T. Fukushima, M. Hosomi & K. Muraoka, 1981. Application of Carlson's trophic state index to Japanese lakes and relationships between the index and other parameters. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 21: 675–681.
Amblard, C., G. Bourdier, T. Sime-Ngando, S. Rachiq & J. F. Carrias, 1994. Diel and vertical variations of the microbial stocks (bacteria, heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates, phytoplankton) and their relative activities. Arch. Hydrobiol. 41: 125–144.
Bird, R. T. & J. Kalff, 1984. Empirical relationships between bacterial abundance and chlorophyll concentration in fresh and marine waters. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 41: 1015–1023.
Burney, C. M., P. G. Davis, K. W. Johnson & J. Mcm. Sieburth, 1982. Diel relationships of microbial trophic groups and in situ dissolved carbohydrate dynamics in the Caribbean Sea. Mar. Biol. 67: 311–322.
Cole, J. J., S. Findlay & M. L Pace, 1988. Bacterial production in fresh and saltwater ecosystems: a cross system overview. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 43: 1–10.
Findlay, S., M. L. Pace, L. Lints, J. J. Cole, N. F. Caraco & B. Peierls, 1991. Weak coupling of bacterial and algal production in a heterotrophic ecosystem: The Hudson river estuary. Limnol. Oceanogr. 36: 268–278.
Finlay, B. J., C. R. Curds, S. S. Bamforth & J. M. Bafort, 1987. Ciliated protozoa and other microorganisms from two African soda lakes (Lake Nakura and Lake Simbi, Kenya). Archiv für Protistenkd. 133: 81–91.
Frempong, E., 1982. The space-time resolution of phased cell division in natural populations of the freshwater dinoflagellate Ceratium hirundinella. Int. Revue Ges. Hydrobiol. 67: 323–339.
Gonzalez, J. M., E. B. Sherr & B. F. Sherr, 1990. Size-selective grazing on bacteria by natural assemblages of estuarine flagellates and ciliates. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56: 583–589.
Güde, H., 1989. The role of grazing on bacteria in plankton succession. In U. Sommer (ed.), Plankton Ecology, Succession in Plankton Communities. Springer Verlag: 337–365.
Hobbie, J. E., R. J. Daley & S. Jasper, 1977. Use of nucleopore filter for counting bacteria by fluorescence microscopy. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 33: 1225–1228.
Kilham, P., 1981. Pelagic bacteria: extreme abundance in African saline lakes. Naturwissenschafften, 51: 77–10.
Krambeck, C., H. J. Krambeck & J. Overbeck, 1981. Microcomputer-assisted biomass determination of plankton bacteria on scanning electron micrographs. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 42: 142–149.
Krambeck, C. & H. J. Krambeck, 1984. Morphometric analysis of cell cycle responses in bacterioplankton. Arch. Hydrobiol. Beih. Ergebn. Limnol. 19: 111–118.
Mackereth, F. J. H., J. Heron & T. F. Talling, 1978. Water analysis: some revised methods for limnologists. Scientific Publications of the Fresh Water Biological Association of England, No. 36.
Marvalin, O., L. Aleya, H. J. Hartmann & S. Lazarek, 1989. Coupling of the seasonal patterns of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in a eutrophic lake. Can. J. Microbiol. 35: 706–712.
Mayer, L. M., 1989. Extracellular proteolitic enzyme activity in sediments of an intertidal mudflat. Limnol. Oceanogr. 34: 973–981.
Montesinos, E., I. Esteve & R. Guerrero 1983. Comparison between direct methods for determining microbial cell volume: Electron microscopy and electronic particle sizing. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 42: 1651–1658.
Ochs, C. A., J. J. Cole & G. E. Likens, 1995. Population dynamics of the bacterioplankton in an oligotrophic lake. J. Plankton Res. 17: 365–391.
Pedros-Alio, C. & R. Guerrero, 1994. Prokaryotology for the limnologist. In R. Margalef (ed.), Limnology Now: a Paradigm of Planetary Problems. Elsevier, Oxford: 37–57.
Pollingher, U & C. Serruya, 1976. Phased division of Peridinium cinctum f. westii and the development of the bloom in Lake Kinneret (Israel). J. Phycol. 12: 162–170.
Poremba, K., 1995. Hydrolytic enzymatic activity in deep-sea sediments. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 16. 213–222.
Psenner, R. & R. Sommaruga, 1992. Are rapid changes in bacteria biomass caused by a shifts from top-down to bottom-up control? Limnol. Oceanogr. 37: 1092–1100.
Robarts, R. D. & R. J. Wicks, 1990. Heterotrophic bacterial production and its dependence on autotrophic production in a hypertrophic African reservoir. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 47: 1027–1037.
Robarts, R. D., L. M. Sephton & R. J. Wicks, 1991. Labile dissolved organic carbon and water temperature as regulators of heterotrophic bacterial activity and production in the lakes of sub-antarctica Marion Island. Pol. Biol. 11: 403–413.
Robarts, R. D., M. T. Arts, M. S. Evans & M. J. Waiser, 1994. The coupling of heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplankton production in a hypertrophic, shallow prairie lake. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51: 2219–2226.
Scor-Unesco, 1966. Determination of photosynthetic pigments in sea water. Unesco, Paris, 69 pp.
Shiah, F. & H. W. Ducklow, 1994. Temperature regulation of heterotrophic bacterioplankton abundance, production, and specific growth rate in Chesapeake Bay. Limnol. Oceanogr. 39(6): 1243–1258.
Sime-Ngando, T., G. Bourdier, C. Amblard & B. Pinel-Alloul, 1991. Short-term variations in specific biovolume of different forms in aquatic ecosystems. Microb. Ecol. 21: 211–226.
Straskrabova, V. & J. Fuksa, 1982. Diel changes in number and activities of bacterioplankton in a reservoir in relation to algal production. Limnol. Oceangr. 27: 660–672.
Suzuki, M. T. & B. F. Sherr, 1993. DAPI direct counting underestimates bacterial abundances and average cell size compared to AO direct counting. Limnol Oceanogr. 38: 1566–1570.
Torreton, J. P., M. Bouvy & R. Arfi, 1994. Diel fluctuations of bacteria abundance and productivity in a shallow eutrophic tropical lagoon. Arch. Hydrobiol. 131: 79–92.
Tumber, V. P., D. R. Robarts, M. T. Arts, M. S. Evans & D. E Caldwell, 1993. The influence of environmental factors on seasonal changes in bacterial cell volume in two prairie saline lakes. Microb. Ecol. 26: 9–20.
Wainwright, S. C., 1987. Stimulation of microplankton production by resuspended marine sediments. Science (Washington, D.C) 238: 1710–1712.
Yentsch, C. M., P. K. Horan, K. Muihead, Q. Dortch, E. Haugen, L. Legendre, L. S. Murphy, M. J. Perry, D. A. Phynney, S. A. Pomponi, R. W. Spinrad, M. Wood, C. S. Yentsch & B. J. Zahuranec, 1983. Flow cytometry and cell sorting: A technique for analysis and sorting of aquatic particles. Limnol. Oceanogr. 28: 1275–1280.
Young, L. Y., 1978. Bacterioneuston examined with critical point drying and transmission electron microscopy. Microb. Ecol. 4: 267–277.
Zinabu, G-M. & W. D. Taylor, 1989. Seasonality and spatial variation in abundance, biomass and activity of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in relation to some biotic and abiotic variables in an Ethiopian rift-valley lake (Awassa). Freshwat. Biol. 22: 355–368.
Zinabu, G-M. & W. D. Taylor, 1990. Heterotrophic bacterioplankton and grazing mortality rates in an Ethiopian rift-valley lake (Awassa). Freshwat. Biol. 22: 369–381.
Zinabu, G-M. & W. D. Taylor, 1997. Bacteria-chlorophyll relationships in Ethiopian lakes of varying salinity: are soda lakes different? J. Plankton Res. 19: 647–654.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jugnia, L.B., Tadonléké, R.D., Sime-Ngando, T. et al. Short-term variations in the abundance and cell volume of bacterioplankton in an artificial tropical lake. Hydrobiologia 385, 113–119 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003453709384
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003453709384