Measurement of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in Two Precambrian Shield Lakes of Northwestern Ontario

Abstract

Profiles of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations occurring in the particulate material of two experimental shield lakes were obtained with respect to time. Large seasonal changes were evident, as were specific sites of high biological activity due either to natural stratification or to deliberate manipulation. Chlorophyll a, particulate carbon, and direct count data were found to be misleading in specifying the changes or the sites of biological activity. Analysis of the ATP data on the basis of the relative abundance of different size fractions was found to be useful. An ATP filtration error could not be demonstrated, indicating that cell breakage is not a source of the filtration error inherent in some ¹⁴C primary and secondary productivity studies.