Cadmium uptake by freshwater bacterial communities

Microcosm experiments in chemostat incubated at 20°C showed that cadmium contamination does not greatly affect bacterial communities in cultures contaminated with up to 1 mg Cd l⁻¹.Bacterial productivity remains unchanged and cadmium-resistant strains arise quickly and in great number. The cadmium accumulation by bacteria depends on the bacterial productivity. The free bacteria can accumulate up to 1200 ppm cadmium whereas the adhering bacteria concentrate up to 6100 ppm. At a steady state, 11–29% cadmium is removed from the water phase of cultures.