| Abstract: | A quantification of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria present in different compartments (water, sediments, submerged macrophytes) of a treated sewage channel was made to estimate their influence on the nitrogen balance and to assess the significance of macrophytes for nitrification and nitrogen conversions in general. Considerable numbers of autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrifying and denitrifiying bacteria were found to be present in the epiphytic communities of different species of submerged macrophytes of a treated sewage channel. Comparing the influence of the different compartments on total stream nitrification and denitrification it could be concluded that dense beds of submerged macrophytes particularly positively influence nitrification. Epiphytic nitrifiers were estimated to be as important for the total nitrification as nitrifiers in the sediment. Denitrification was mainly taking place in the sediment. The influence of the suspended nitrifiers and denitrifiers on the nitrogen balance was assumed to be negligible. |
