Microbiological studies of lake acidification : toxicological implications / by Salem S. Rao, B. Kent Burnison and Jerome O. Nriagu.: En13-5/87-104E-PDF

"Bacteriological and biogeochemical data collected for water and sediment cores from some Ontario lakes receiving acidic deposition indicate that bacterial populations and activities can be diminished by 20-30% under acidic populations. Bacterial biodegradation of organic material in acid stressed enviroments was approximately 30% less than those from non-stressed enviroments. The decrease in the rate of organic matter degradation might explain the relatively high organic content at the surface sediments of lakes receiving acid precipitation. This suggests that recalcitrant materials found in these ecosystems probably persist for longer periods of time and this could have adverse effects on the overall trophic level in the ecosystem. In addition, atmospheric fallout results in increased loading of pollutant metals that are toxic to biological communities. Measurements such as direct counts of total and respiring bacteria, heterotrophic plate counts, nitrifying and sulfur cycle bacteria, microbial activities, (02 consumption rates and organic substrate utilization), physiology, and trace metal concentrations will be presented, and some implications of the studies discussed"--Abstract.

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