Temperature Compensation of [U-14C]Glucose Incorporation by Microbial Communities in a River with a Fluctuating Thermal Regime

In summer, the river Saar in the southwest of Germany exhibits distinct temperature fluctuations from 8°C at the source to nearly 30°C in the middle region. Temperature optima for bacterial plate counts and the uptake velocity of U-¹⁴C]glucose by the natural microbial communities of different regions ranged from 20 to 30°C, which is significantly above the mean annual water temperature. A correlation between temperature optima and different seasons or habitats was not observed. Despite the relatively high temperature optima, the turnover time for glucose was shortest at temperatures around the mean annual water temperature, due to changes in the substrate affinity. At limiting substrate concentrations, the higher substrate affinity at lower temperatures may lead to a higher real activity at in situ temperatures, and a compensatory stabilization of uptake rates at fluctuating temperatures is possible.