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Application Of The ³H-Leucine Incorporation Technique For Quantifying Rates Of Bacterial Secondary Production Associated With Decaying Wetland Plant Litter, Jane E. Gillies

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The ³H-leucine incorporation technique for quantifying rates of bacterial production has increased in popularity since its original description for bacterioplankton communities. Previous studies examining ³H-leucine-incorporation conditions for bacterial communities in other habitats have reported a wide range of final leucine concentrations to achieve saturation-level uptake. This study assessed the application of the ³H-leucine-incorporation procedure for measuring bacterial production associated with decaying wetland plant litter. Substrate saturation experiments were conducted on three dates for bacteria colonizing decaying litter of Typha angustifolia, Schoenoplectus validus, and Phragmites australis. Incorporation of 3H-leucine into protein exhibited a biphasic saturation …