Methane production in Dutch freshwater sediments: No substantial contribution by ciliates
- Univ. of Nijmegen (Netherlands)
Methanogenesis, the presence of ciliates, and a number of biotic and abiotic parameters were monitored over the course of a year in four different freshwater sediments near Nijmegen, The Netherlands. All sample places exhibited substantial biotic and abiotic differences. Whereas three of the sample places contained several species of ciliates, one location was devoid of substantial numbers of anaerobic protozoa. This location had the highest content of photosynthetic organisms, the lowest conductivity and lacked all kinds of ciliates. The degrees of pollution and the amounts of organic material present in the four sediments differed substantially. The annual course of the in situ temperature of the sediments was comparable, and neither superficial freezing of the sample places nor elevated summer temperatures caused dramatic variations in the methanogenic potential of the sediments. Direct counts of ciliates, their removal by electromigration, and the selective killing of protozoa by heat shock allowed the authors to calculate the contribution by the anaerobic ciliates to the methane emissions. In all three sediments that contained substantial amounts of ciliates, the contribution by these protozoa was less than 5--10%. Only during one exceptional month, the contribution by ciliates raised to 25% of the methane emissions.
- OSTI ID:
- 471056
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960420--; ISBN 0-884736-02-5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Biological methane production and accumulation under sulfate-rich conditions at Cape Lookout Bight, NC
Effect of sulfate on carbon and electron flow during microbial methanogenesis in freshwater sediments