Nitrification in activated sludge batch reactors is linked to protozoan grazing of the bacterial population

Protozoa feed upon free-swimming bacteria and suspended particles inducing flocculation and increasing the turnover rate of nutrients in complex mixed communities. In this study, the effect of protozoan grazing on nitrification was examined in activated sludge in batch cultures maintained over a 14-day period. A reduction in the protozoan grazing pressure was accomplished by using either a dilution series or the protozoan inhibitor cycloheximide. As the dilutions increased, the nitrification rate showed a decline, suggesting that a reduction in protozoan or bacterial concentration may cause a decrease in nitrification potential. In the presence of cycloheximide. where the bacterial concentration was not altered, the rates of production of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate all were significantly lower in the absence of active protozoans. These results suggest that a reduction in the number or activity of the protozoans reduces nitrification, possibly by limiting the availability of nutrients for slow-growing ammonia and nitrite oxidizers through excretion products. Furthermore, the ability of protozoans to groom the heterotrophic bacterial population in such systems may also play a role in reducing interspecies competition for nitrification substrates and thereby augment nitrification rates.