Organic Matter Dynamics in the Breitenbach, Germany

Marxsen, Jürgen; Schmidt, Hans-Heinrich; Fiebig, Douglas Michael

doi:10.2307/1468227

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Beech trees are few but grow scattered along the stream bank. A detailed description of the stream can be found in Marxsen et al (1997). Riparian herbaceous vegetation along this untouched zone has a biomass of about 0.350 kg AFDW m −2 during summer and early fall and many of the plants hang into the stream.…”

Section: Study Area and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Horvath

2004

Aquatic Botany

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Section: Study Area and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Horvath

2004

Aquatic Botany

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“…This stream is described in further detail by MARXSEN (1980) andMARXSEN et al (1997). The stream flows through a meadowed valley surrounded by forest, and it drains a catchment of approximately 8.5 km 2 .…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Extracellular Enzyme Activity Associated with Degradation of Beech Wood in a Central European Stream

Hendel

Marxsen

2000

Internat. Rev. Hydrobiol.

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The degradation of beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) was followed over 16 months in a central European upland stream, the Breitenbach. 1 cm3 cubes of beech wood were placed on the stream bed and sampled at monthly intervals. Besides mass loss, fungal biomass (ergosterol content) and lignin content, the activity of two extracellular enzymes was measured: β‐D‐glucosidase, an enzyme involved in the degradation of cellulose, and phenoloxidase, a ligninolytic enzyme. The suitability of the fluorigenic model substrate methylumbelliferyl‐β‐D‐glucoside for measuring β‐D‐glucosidase activity in wood from aquatic environments was tested. This technique is much more sensitive than the conventional photometric method. The beech wood was degraded at a constant rate of k = 0.00272 d–1 across the entire 16‐month incubation period. There was a rapid onset of microbial colonisation, as witnessed by the initial detection of enzyme activity, after only 7 days of exposure. Lignin and ergosterol content as well as β‐glucosidase activity reached their highest values at the end of the 16‐month incubation period. Phenoloxidase activity increased rapidly to a maximum after 6 weeks, and then decreased to almost zero by the end of the experiment. The combination of biochemical techniques for measuring extracellular enzyme activities with measurements of mass loss, chemical composition and microbial colonisation provided valuable insights into the decomposition of wood in aquatic environments.

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“…Heterotrophic bacteria connect organic matter with protozoa and metazoa at the base of the microbial food chain. Thus, not only are these bacteria decomposers, as assumed in classical ecological concepts (55), but their biomass is a major food resource for higher trophic levels in streams (40,44,45,51).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Community Composition in Central European Running Waters Examined by Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Sequence Analysis of 16S rRNA Genes

Beier

Witzel

Marxsen

2008

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The bacterial community composition in small streams and a river in central Germany was examined by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) with PCR products of 16S rRNA gene fragments and sequence analysis. Complex TGGE band patterns suggested high levels of diversity of bacterial species in all habitats of these environments. Cluster analyses demonstrated distinct differences among the communities in stream and spring water, sandy sediments, biofilms on stones, degrading leaves, and soil. The differences between stream water and sediment were more significant than those between sites within the same habitat along the stretch from the stream source to the mouth. TGGE data from an entire stream course suggest that, in the upper reach of the stream, a special suspended bacterial community is already established and changes only slightly downstream. The bacterial communities in water and sediment in an acidic headwater with a pH below 5 were highly similar to each other but deviated distinctly from the communities at the other sites. As ascertained by nucleotide sequence analysis, stream water communities were dominated by Betaproteobacteria (one-third of the total bacteria), whereas sediment communities were composed mainly of Betaproteobacteria and members of the Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria group (each accounting for about 25% of bacteria). Sequences obtained from bacteria from water samples indicated the presence of typical cosmopolitan freshwater organisms. TGGE bands shared between stream and soil samples, as well as sequences found in bacteria from stream samples that were related to those of soil bacteria, demonstrated the occurrence of some species in both stream and soil habitats. Changes in bacterial community composition were correlated with geographic distance along a stream, but in comparisons of different streams and rivers, community composition was correlated only with environmental conditions.

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Organic Matter Dynamics in the Breitenbach, Germany

Cited by 26 publications

References 10 publications

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Retention of particulate matter by macrophytes in a first-order stream

Extracellular Enzyme Activity Associated with Degradation of Beech Wood in a Central European Stream

Bacterial Community Composition in Central European Running Waters Examined by Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Sequence Analysis of 16S rRNA Genes

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