Temporal Changes in a Pink Feedlot Lagoon

Abstract

Temporal changes in a feedlot drainage lagoon with a predominance of the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium, Thiopedia rosea, were investigated during a 3-year period. The surface protein and bacteriochlorophyll concentrations, which indirectly measure T. rosea abundance, peaked annually during the fall months and coincided with the intensity of pink coloration. Surface bacteriochlorophyll concentration correlated with pH, alkalinity, and protein. The pH range was optimal for the survival of T. rosea. Surface sulfide concentration, which increased over the winter and early spring, reached low levels during the fall months. The most striking pattern to emerge was the marked increase in sulfate concentration that occurred each fall and winter. The protein peaks, which preceded the sulfate peaks, were indicative of the sulfate concentrations that would follow. During 1977 and 1978, the lagoon was essentially anaerobic and provided adequate growth conditions for T. rosea. Above-average precipitation during early 1979 raised the water level and altered the chemistry of the lagoon. Dissolved oxygen was higher during the final year, and, concurrently, concentrations of bacteriochlorophyll declined. Aeration of the lagoon resulted in a decrease in T. rosea.