title: Microbiology of a northern river: bacterial distribution and relationship to suspended sediment and organic carbon.
abstract: Epifluorescent microscopy showed as many as 4 x 10(6) bacteria/mL in the turbid waters of the Athabasca River near the tar sand deposits in northeastern Alberta. The numbers were usually similar upstream and downstream (60 km) from pilot-mining operations. The majority of bacteria existed as free-living cells in spite of the fact there were high concentrations of suspended sediment present (average 220 mg/L) during the ice-free period. Fluctuations in bacterial concentration were positively correlated (r = 0.86, P less than 0.05) with total organic carbon concentrations in the river water.
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D005618:Fresh Water; D008906:Mining; D012621:Seasons; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon