Regulation of bacterial growth efficiency in a large turbid estuary

Bacterial secondary production transforms organic C from the environment into new bacterial biomass. Bacterial respiration generates energy and converts assimilated organic C into COz. Two decades of research have given us a good understanding of the magnitude and regulation of bacterial production in pelagic ecosystems, but much less is known about bacterial respiration. Bacterial growth efficiency [BGE = BP/(BP + BR)] relates measurements of bactenal production and respiration.