Indications of Disturbances in the Nitrification Process in a Heavily Nitrogen-Polluted Water Body

Nitrifying autotrophic bacteria have been studied in a water body polluted with ammonium. Attention was devoted to their abundance and activity, in the search for possible reasons for previously-recorded high concentrations of nitrite in the water. In water and in sediment surface, nitrite-formers were found to occur in much greater abundance than nitrite-oxidizers. The latter group also showed depressed activity, indicating a disturbance of the normal recycling of nitrogen.