Bacteria in estuarine (Bras d'Or Lake) sediment

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Microbiology
• Main Author: Anthony, E. H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1970
• Subjects: Genetics; Molecular Biology; Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; General Medicine; Immunology; Microbiology; Breton Island; Bras d'Or Lake
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/m70-065; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/m70-065

The number of bacteria in sediment from an estuarine environment, salinity 20–25‰, in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, was determined by membrane filter counts from 73 fresh (on board ship) and 67 frozen (in laboratory) samples from 20 stations and the results compared. Taylor's model (log variance = a + b log mean) was used to determine dispersion on filters and normalizing transformations in preference to aligning data with Poisson expectation via Fisher's χ 2 test. Mean with 95% [Formula: see text] colonies per gram dry sediment [Formula: see text] from fresh samples. Variance between replicate filters was negligible. Most remaining variance was between samples. Conversion of counts to weight basis introduced negligible variance. Counts from frozen samples were less variable than those from fresh samples. Fresh and frozen counts correlated well after transformation. Freezing confirmed as a method of preserving sediment for bacterial counts. Distribution in sediment of bacteria detected by these counts was slightly overdispersed (aggregated). Chromogenic colonies were prominent in the counted flora and their significance is discussed.