Table 1.

Variables included in each of the distance or similarity matrices analyzed in this study

Matrix	Variables
Resource and environmental conditions (Res)	Dissolved organic carbon, Secchi depth, particulate and dissolved primary production, temperature, salinity, concentration of dissolved proteins, inorganic phosphorus, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorus, chlorophyll a, diatoms and Phaeocystis cells
Bacterial community metabolism (BCM)	Rates of bacterial biomass production (Leucine incorporation), respiration, carbon demand, growth efficiency, D- and L-aspartic acid uptake, Vmax and Km from alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, aminopeptidase and phosphatase
Bacterial physiological structure (BPS)	Specific rates of leucine, D- and L-aspartic acid uptake and respiration, specific rates of alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, aminopeptidase and phosphatase, proportion of actively respiring cells (CTC+)
Bacterial community composition (BCC)	Relative contribution of each T-RFLP peak to the total relative fluorescence of the sample