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Aquatic Microbial Ecology


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AME 28:99-104 (2002)  -  doi:10.3354/ame028099

Nodularia spp. (Cyanobacteria) incorporate leucine but not thymidine: importance for bacterial-production measurements

Susanna Hietanen1,*, Jaana Maritta Lehtimäki2, Liisa Tuominen1, Kaarina Sivonen2, Jorma Kuparinen3

1Finnish Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 33, 00931 Helsinki, Finland
2Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, Division of Microbiology, PO Box 56, Biocentre Viikki, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
3Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Hydrobiology, PO Box 17, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

ABSTRACT: Six strains of Nodularia spp., both toxic and non-toxic, were tested for their ability to incorporate leucine and thymidine. All axenic cyanobacterial strains studied showed high leucine incorporation (1.4 to 12 pmol μgchl a-1 h-1 at a concentration of 212 nM leucine), whereas thymidine was either taken up at a very low rate or not at all (0 to 0.2 pmol μgchl a-1 h-1 at a concentration of 121 nM thymidine). We therefore recommend using the thymidine incorporation method instead of that of leucine for measuring heterotrophic bacterial production during cyanobacterial blooms.


KEY WORDS: Leucine · Thymidine · Bacterial production · Cyanobacteria


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