Impact of water quality on summer bacterioplankton in springs of Gryżyński Landscape Park

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze hydrochemical and bacteriological features in selected springs of the Gryżynski Landscape Park (GLP) in western Poland. The basic hydrochemical parameters and the abundance and biomass of bacteria were analyzed in water samples collected from 22 springs in GLP in July 2018. The hydrochemical composition of the GLP spring waters depends mainly on the specific geological structure and character of catchment land use. The research showed Significant differences in the water quality of GLP springs in the case of many hydrochemical parameters, e.g., dissolved organic carbon concentration, biogenic substances which influence the bacterial abundance and biomass. The average bacterial number (BN) in the waters of the Gryzynski Landscape Park springs was 0.656 10⁶ cells/ml, with a range from 0.181 10⁶ cells/ml to 1.656 106 cells/ml. The coefficient of variation of this parameter was 75.67%. In 12 investigated springs of GLp, BN was below 0.5 10⁶ cells/ml, in 6 springs, the average BN was between 0.5 and 1 10⁶ cells/ml, and in 4 springs BN, it was in the range from 1 to 2 10⁶ cells/ml. The mean bacterioplankton biomass was 22.98 pgC / I and from 6.35 to 61.54 pgC /l. Based on the collected material, many correlations between BN and selected water quality parameters were found (temperature, phenolics, phosphates, nitrites, and dissolved organic carbon). The microbiological condition of investigated springs depends mainly on the geological structure of the spring niches and water quality. Moreover, the research shows that GLP springs are susceptible to human activity in the direct catchment area. Therefore, this research indicates the potential possibility of using hydrochemical and microbiological parameters together to assess the ecological condition of lowland springs or in planning protective measures.