Sunlight reacts with dissolved organic matter (DOM) modifying its availability as bacterial substrate. We assessed the impact of DOM photoproducts and mineral nutrient supply on bacterial growth in seven inland waters from the South of Spain, where DOM is characterized by low chromophoric content and long residence time. Factorial experiments were performed with presence vs absence of DOM photoproducts and mineral nutrient supply. In six of the seven experiments, we found a significant and negative effect of DOM photoproducts on bacterial growth and a significant and positive effect of mineral nutrient supply. The interaction of these two factors leaded to a compensation of negative effects of photoproducts by availability of mineral nutrients. Dissolved organic matter diagenetic status and the ionic environment where organic carbon is dissolved can be influencing bacterial DOM processing.
Effects of dissolved organic matter photoproducts and mineral nutrient supply on bacterial growth in mediterranean inland waters