| Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is nowadays recognized as the main substrate and source of energy for aquatic microbial community. The great part of available organic carbon for bacterioplankton might be formed after photolytic degradation of humic material, which constitutes the major part of DOC in almost all natural waters. The effects of DOC photo-degradation were evaluated, as was its utilization by bacterioplankton, through a two-step experiment, one involving photo-degradation of DOC and the other bacterial growth on the photo-degraded substrate. Photo-degradation was responsible for the consumption of 19% of DOC, reduced SUVA254, an increase in the E2/E3 and E3/E4 ratios, in addition to modifications in the fluorescence spectra that indicated a rise... |
