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Planktonic heterotrophic bacterial production in Mirror Lake (New Hampshire) was estimated by several different methods. Production ranged between 3 and 8 g C·m −2 yr −1 based on organic C fluxes and the sum of bacterial losses. The close agreement with the estimate of 6.5 ± 1.8 ( x̄ ± SE) obtained by the 35 SO 4 method (in which bacterial S uptake was multiplied by a C:S ratio of 50) supports the validity of using this method in aerobic freshwaters. Only 16% of the total SO 4 uptake was due to bacteria as determined by differential filtration with Nuclepore filters. Production was overestimated (20 g C·m −2 ·yr −1 ) if bacterial dark CO 2 ‐C uptake (58% of total dark CO 2 C uptake) was taken as 6% of heterotrophic bacterial production. Doubling times for heterotrophic planktonic bacteria ranged from 1.2 days (September) to >100 days (February). The annual C flux through planktonic bacteria, including respiration, represented 11–31% of the total autochthonous plus allochthonous organic C inputs to the lake.
Jordan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.