Formate and acetate metabolism in bacteria found in Central Virginia rainwater

Technical Report · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:5011592

Jolley, L A

Rain samples were collected aseptically, during 1984, in Charlottesville, Virginia, to study the ability of microorganisms to utilize formate and acetate. The total number of cells, as counted by Acridine Orange Direct Counts, was an order of magnitude greater from April to September (10/sup 6/ cells/mL) than during the rest of the year (10/sup 3/ to 10/sup 4/ cells/mL). Formate and acetate concentrations ranged between 6 to 23 uM and 3 to 9 uM, respectively, and were higher from June to September. Scavenging of bacteria and acetate from the air was an important mechanism. Heterotrophic uptake on the day of collection was not different from the controls, but after incubation at room temperature for a minimum of three days, the turnover rate constants were .14 and .13 hours/sup -1/ for formate and acetate, respectively. Total cell counts increased an order of magnitude during that interval. To estimate the rate of utilization of formic and acetic acids in fresh precipitation, Michaelis-Menten uptake kinetics were used. The turnover times were 1.5 days and 34 days and the maximum uptake rates were .40 and .24 nmol L/sup -1/ hour/sup -1/ for formate and acetate, respectively. This study has demonstrated that there are viable microorganisms in precipitation that are capable of utilizing formate and acetate for growth.

• Research Organization: Virginia Univ., Charlottesville (USA). Dept. of Environmental Sciences
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-85ER60290
• OSTI ID: 5011592
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60290-T1; ON: DE87001914
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACETATES
BACTERIA
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FORMATES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
METABOLISM
MICROORGANISMS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION SCAVENGING
RAIN WATER
SEPARATION PROCESSES
UPTAKE
WATER