Dehydrogenase activity and adenosine triphosphate concentration of marine sediments in Lindåspollene, Norway

Abstract

Abstract Microbial anaerobic metabolism was measured as dehydrogenase activity using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. Dehydrogenase activity (DHA) per g dry sediment was correlated with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) per g dry sediment as determined by luciferin-luciferase reaction; both generally decreased with depth of sediment layer. The ratio DHA: ATP (ab-sorbance per mole ATP), however, increased significantly with depth of sediment layer. Dehydrogenase activity and oxygen debt of surface sediment and dissolved oxygen of bottom water were interrelated and all related to the depth of water; ATP content of the surface sediment had a similar but statistically insignificant trend as DHA. Data from conversion of ATP to organic carbon per m2 in the surface 4-cm layer at 11 stations showed a significant decrease in microbial biomass with increasing depth of water.