We investigated productivity at the basal trophic level in 15 unproductive lakes in a gradient ranging from clear‐water to brown‐water (humic) lakes in northern Sweden. Primary production and bacterial production in benthic and pelagic habitats were measured to estimate the variation in energy mobilization from external energy sources (primary production plus bacterial production on allochthonous organic carbon) along the grad...

This study quantified new biomass production of algae and bacteria in both benthic and pelagic habitats of clear‐water lakes to contrast how carbon from the atmosphere and terrestrial sources regulates whole‐lake metabolism. We studied four small unproductive lakes in subarctic northern Sweden during one summer season. The production of new biomass in both benthic and pelagic habitats was calculated as the sum of autotrophic p...