What is the effect of light on DOM degradation and microbial growth?
In addition to examining how light affects uptake of specific organic compounds, we examine light effects on growth and respiration of microbes. Growth, more specifically biomass production, is estimated from the increase in microbial abundance in seawater cultures in which mortality of bacteria is minimized. These same cultures are used to estimate respiration from the decrease in dissolved oxygen. Bacterial biomass production is also estimated from the incorporation of leucine into bacterial protein.
