3H]Thymidine incorporation as a measure of bacterial growth within intact river biofilms

Abstract

The method described, enables bacterial growth rates to be determined within intact biofilms. Factors such as incubation duration and potential sources of errors such as isotope dilution were investigated, with the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation appearing linear for up to 2 h and isotope dilution found to be negligible. The technique was demonstrated to be capable of detecting significant differences in biofilm microbial growth rate in rivers of differing nutrient availability and during different seasons. As such, the technique is proposed to be well suited to investigation of factors affecting biofilm growth in both natural and man-made environments.