| Abstract: | Organic matter lability can be determined with different approaches, based on the quantitative and qualitative estimate of its nutritional value. the C/N ratio and the particulate organic matter (as the sum of protein, carbohydrate and lipid bulks) vs total suspended matter (POM/TSM) deal with a quantitative assessment of the organic matter bulk, while other indices such as proteins/carbohydrates ratio (PRT/CHO) may give also qualitative information. Gordon (1970) proposed a functional approach, based on organic carbon decrease after enzymatic digestion. Coupling Gordon's approach with the evaluation of the main biochemical components (proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) contained in the particulate organic matter, a simple method to assess lability and nutritional value of organic substrates is proposed.
Water samples were collected at the surface and close to the bottom in a shallow coastal station (10 m depth) in the Marconi Gulf (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean). the difference between “total labile” and “hydrolyzed labile” organic matter (respectively before and after enzymatic digestion) suggests a relevant presence of resuspended refractory materials vs about 60% of labile hydrolyzed organic matter, thus confirming the importance of a more qualitative approach to organic matter studies. |
