Bacterioplankton in the northeastern part of the Black Sea during the summer and autumn of 2005

Abstract

On the basis of luminescent microscopy using a DAPI dye, the abundance, morphometric characteristics, and biomass of bacteria in the coastal waters off the northeastern part of the Black Sea in 2005 were considered. The material was collected in June, September, and October along the cross section from Golubaya Bay towards the open part of the sea. An analysis of the microorganism development level showed that the bacteria achieved their maximal abundance in September, amounting, in the closest near-shore area, to 2435 × 103 cells/ml, or 276 mg/m3 of wet weight; the lowest values were characteristic of October. During all the survey periods, coccal forms were prevailing among the microorganisms; regardless of the season, their fraction was maximal at the coastal stations. The greatest prevalence of coccal forms was characteristic of October (83%). The average sizes of the bacterial cells in 2005 varied within 0.073–0.257 μm3. The highest values of the bacterial abundance and biomass, almost in all the cases, were found at coastal stations; with the distance from the coast, a decrease in the bacterioplankton abundance was observed. A comparison of methodically similar data on the concentration of bacteria (dying with acridine orange and DAPI) from 1985 till now shows a trend of the annual growth in the bacterial abundance.