TY - JOUR
T1 - An assessment of the microbial contribution to aquatic dissolved organic nitrogen using amino acid enantiomeric ratios
AU - Jones, Vera
AU - Collins, Matthew J.
AU - Penkman, Kirsty E.H.
AU - Jaffé, Rudolf
AU - Wolff, George A.
PY - 2005/7/1
Y1 - 2005/7/1
N2 - There is increasing evidence that certain microbially-derived compounds may account for part of the aquatic dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool. Enantiomeric ratios of amino acids were used to assess the microbial input to the DON pool in the Florida Everglades, USA. Elevated levels of d-alanine, d-aspartic acid, d-glutamic acid and d-serine indicated the presence of peptidoglycan in the samples. The estimated peptidoglycan contribution to amino acid nitrogen ranged from 2.8 ± 0.1% to 6.4 ± 0.9%, increasing with salinity from freshwater to coastal waters. The distribution of individual d-amino acids in the samples suggests additional inputs to DON, possibly from archaea or from abiotic racemization of l-amino acids.
AB - There is increasing evidence that certain microbially-derived compounds may account for part of the aquatic dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool. Enantiomeric ratios of amino acids were used to assess the microbial input to the DON pool in the Florida Everglades, USA. Elevated levels of d-alanine, d-aspartic acid, d-glutamic acid and d-serine indicated the presence of peptidoglycan in the samples. The estimated peptidoglycan contribution to amino acid nitrogen ranged from 2.8 ± 0.1% to 6.4 ± 0.9%, increasing with salinity from freshwater to coastal waters. The distribution of individual d-amino acids in the samples suggests additional inputs to DON, possibly from archaea or from abiotic racemization of l-amino acids.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20444427239&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.11.008
DO - 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.11.008
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:20444427239
SN - 0146-6380
VL - 36
SP - 1099
EP - 1107
JO - Organic Geochemistry
JF - Organic Geochemistry
IS - 7
ER -