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Dissolved organic carbon flux in an Australian subtropical river

Microorganisms mediate the many biochemical transformations of aquatic ecosystems. Heterotrophic bacteria reconcile much of the total carbon of freshwater and marine ecosystems via the dissolved organic (DOC) fraction. This paper describes the relationship between primary and heterotrophic microbial production in a major subtropical river in South East Queensland. The high rate of heterotrophic bacterial production (4 g C m-2.d-1) was a surprise. The bacteria were consuming over four times more carbon per day than the daily primary production (1.1 g C m-2.d-1). There was not sufficient organic carbon generated through photosynthesis to support the heterotrophic bacterial growth. The river ecosystem was net heterotrophic. However, the concentration of the DOC in the water column remained relatively constant. The bacterial populations turned the DOC pool over every few days. This suggests that organic carbon was constantly being supplied to these ecosystems from a terrestrial source that was readily degradable. Bacterial respiration efficiently turned the DOC into CO2.preventing most of the bacterial production being used by higher trophic groups.