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Updated: May 6, 2026

Fluorescently Labeled Bacteria as a Tracer to Reveal Novel Pathways of Organic Carbon Flow in Aquatic Ecosystems
Published on: September 13, 2019
Natural populations of bacteria in Lake Kinneret: Observations with scanning electron and epifluorescence microscopy
R Schmaljohann1, U Pollingher, T Berman
1Institut für Meereskunde an der Universität Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-2300, Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
The bacterioplankton assemblage in Lake Kinneret, Israel, sampled on 6 occasions representative of different seasonal conditions was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and epifluorescence microscopy after acridine-orange staining. In near-surface (1-3 m) samples taken in October 1981 and March 1983, several unusual types of budding, appendaged, and filamentous cells were found. During lake stratification, typical large anaerobic forms (including photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria) were observed in samples from the metalimnion and deep (40 m) hypolimnion. Epifluorescence counts indicated that bacteria in the water column ranged from 0.55 to 2.67 × 10(6) cells ml(-1).

