Abstract
The effects of prolonged exposure to acetylene on denitrification activity in a sediment-water [0.5 mmol dm −3 Ca(NO 3) 2] system were studied in the laboratory to evaluate the possible use of the acetylene inhibition method for long-term in situ studies in streams. Denitrification accounted for 86% of the nitrate reduced in the acetylene treated system. Acetylene addition induced anaerobic conditions within the top 5 mm of sediment after 2–3 days incubation which did not occur in the control treatment. This was accompanied by an increased rate of nitrate reduction and nitrite production in the recirculating “stream water”. Analysis of the sectioned acetylene-treated sediment revealed much steeper nitrite and nitrate diffusion profiles than in the control. Enzyme assay showed that denitrification activity was 6 times higher than the initial level at the sediment-water interface of the acetylene treatment, and decreased with depth, whereas the control showed a much smaller peak at 5.5 mm depth. It was hypothesized that the results could be explained by heterotrophic degradation of acetylene, with subsequent utilization of the breakdown products by denitrifiers.
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