IMO WW is correct but I also think he has pigeon holed benficial pond bacteria into one category that primarily live on underwater "plant" surfaces.
Bacteria are a very diverse group of organisms that live in a very diverse spectrum of situations and habitats. Numerous ones are digesters of waste materials and organic digesters. The denitrifying bacteria are one group that does live attached, colonize, or coat underwater surfaces including plants living and dead. Numerous types of bacteria are associated with soils and sediments and do not live on plants or similar above the bottom surface areas. Granted the few common bacterial strains that are in "beneficial pond bacteria products" may be primarily surface oriented bacteria.
However there are more types of naturally occurring bacteria that are planktonic in nature that adhere to all sizes of planktonic particles. There are probably about as many species of bacteria as there are substances or things to digest or decompose. There are bacteria that are primarily responsible for breaking down and converting not solids but organic chemicals such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, oils and yes, ammonia. There a whole group of bacteria that just "deal" with the compound sulfur. Many of the chemical oxidizer or reducing bacteria types probably live attached to something, but I am sure sediment, wood, stones, rocks would be an acceptable substrates. Submerged plants do provide tremendous amounts of surface area for bacterial to colonize. There are no doubt many types of bacteria that live on or are associated with zooplankton, invertebrates and even algae that live both attached and are plankonic.
My point is there are many more types of bacteria and their habitats other than plant surfaces.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/04/09 09:11 PM.
