Research on bacterial abundance in water column and sediment of dammed rivers remain poorly understood, despite their importance to biogeochemical processes, benthic ecology, and bioremediation. The present study investigates the water and sediment bacteria by epifluorescence microscopy in the reservoir (above the dam site), as well as in the downstream river stretches (below-dam site) at the middle reach of Lancang River during the wet, the normal and the dry seasons. The results demonstrated that the reservoir operating regime (water discharge variations) and strong precipitation promoted significant differences in the conditions of the river below the dam, especially for the concentration of dissolved oxygen, redox potential, electric conductivity, turbidity, and total dissolved solids in water and concentration of microbial activity in sediment. The seasonal variations were also key factors influencing water quality at the below-dam sampling sites. Nutrients concentration did not induce a significant response in bacterial abundance when inorganic nutrients were sufficient. Bacterial density in sediment was regulated by hydropower-related discharge, particle size, and type of sediments, while bacterial abundances in water were strongly linked with the physicochemical characteristics of the water, such as total dissolved solids and conductivity.
Keywords: bacterial abundance; hydroelectric dam; physicochemical characteristics; seasonality; water and sediment.