Microbial ecology of acid strip mine lakes in southern Indiana
In this study, the author examined the limnology and microbial ecology of two acid strip mine lakes in the Greene-Sullivan State Forest near Dugger, Indiana. Reservoir 29 is a larger lake (225 ha) with water column pH of 2.7 and sediment pH of 3.8. Lake B, a smaller (20 ha) lake to the south of Reservoir 29, also has an acidic water column (pH 3.4) but more neutral sediments (pH 6.2). Both have very high sulfate concentrations: 20-30 mM in the water column and as high as 100 mM in the hypolimnion of Lake B. Low allochthonous carbon and nutrient input characterize these lakes as oligotrophic, although algal biomass is higher than would be expected for this trophic status. In both lakes, algal populations are not diverse, with a few species of single-celled Chlorophyta and euglenoids dominating. Algal biomass is concentrated in a thin 10 cm layer at the hypolimnion/metalimnion interface, although light intensity at this depth is low and severely limits productivity. Bacterial activity based on /sup 14/C-glucose incorporation is highest in the hypolimnion of both lakes, and sulfate-reduction is a dominant process in the sediments. Rates of sulfate-reduction compare with those in other freshwater environments, but are not as high as rates measured in high sulfate systems like saltmarsh and marine sediments.
- Research Organization:
- Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6571609
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ALGAE
POPULATION DYNAMICS
BACTERIA
LAKES
ACIDIFICATION
LIMNOLOGY
SULFATES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
INDIANA
PH VALUE
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE MINING
TRACER TECHNIQUES
FEDERAL REGION V
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MICROORGANISMS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
010900* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects
520101 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology