THE PRESENT STATUS OF SOME ASPECTS OF MARINE MIOROBIOLOOY
147
other geographical areas where they increase the reserve of substances
taking part in the primary production of organic matter in these areas
of the World Ocean.
In contrast to the overall picture reported by Kriss and his coworkers it is of interest to give the results of some studies on the
heterotrophs in sea water from two restricted but widely differing areas,
viz. Kamogawa Bay in Japan (Simidu and Aiso, 1962) and the North
Sea off Aberdeen (Anderson, 1962) in which approximately the same
techniques and determinative keys were used. Simidu and Aiso
found that their flora consisted of 37.3% Vibrio spp., 29.8% Pseudomom8 spp., 21.3% Achromobacter spp, 0.4% Aeromonas spp., 0.4%
Photobacterium spp., 2.1% Fhvobacterium spp., 6.5% Bacillus spp.,
0.4 Micrococcus spp., 0.4% ‘ I Coryneforms ’’ and 2.3% Miscellaneous.
Anderson, on the other hand, found that the predominant groups were
Micrococcus spp. 31%, Achromobacter 22%, Coryneform ” 12%,
P s e u d o m spp. lo%, Fhvobacterium-CyQhaga spp. 7-5%, Vibrio
6.6% and Miscellaneous 12%. Anderson found, w did Simidu and
Aiso, that there were wide variations from sample to sample. Thus
in three sets of figures given by Anderson the variations in the percentages were as follows : Achromobacter spp., 3 to 50 ; Micrococcus
spp., 4 to 69; Pseudmonaa spp., 1 to 22; Fhvobacterium-Cytophaga
spp., 1 to 13.
VT. SOME SPECIAL PR~PERTIES OP MARINE BACTERIA
Although it has already been stated that some workers doubt the
existence of truly marine bacteria, it is certain that the peculiar environmental conditions do give rise to some rather special properties in
marine bacteria. The sea, of course, as a medium differs radically from
the average terrestrial environment, not only in the relative vltetnees
of the quantity of water and subsequent dilution of nutrient materials,
but also in some important physical properties such azi salinity, hydrostatic pressure and temperature. According to ZoBelt (1946) the
salinity of the sea, i.e. the total concentration of dissolved salts, the
greatest proportion bf which’is NaCl, has an average range of 33 to
37 g/kg of water. Special amw of higher salinity exist, e.g. in the Dead
Sea where it approaches saturation, or of lower salinity in the brackish
Waters of the Baltic (15 g/kg). The hydrostatic pressures of the sea
with depth at the rate of 1 atm/lO m. Thus, where the depth
is greater than 7000 m, as in the deep Pacific trenches, hydrostatic
pressures are more than 700 atm. The surface temperature of the sea
k i e s from 30” to 40°C in equatorial regions to near 0°C at the Poles.
The temperatures of deeper waters are correspondingly lower 80 that
147
other geographical areas where they increase the reserve of substances
taking part in the primary production of organic matter in these areas
of the World Ocean.
In contrast to the overall picture reported by Kriss and his coworkers it is of interest to give the results of some studies on the
heterotrophs in sea water from two restricted but widely differing areas,
viz. Kamogawa Bay in Japan (Simidu and Aiso, 1962) and the North
Sea off Aberdeen (Anderson, 1962) in which approximately the same
techniques and determinative keys were used. Simidu and Aiso
found that their flora consisted of 37.3% Vibrio spp., 29.8% Pseudomom8 spp., 21.3% Achromobacter spp, 0.4% Aeromonas spp., 0.4%
Photobacterium spp., 2.1% Fhvobacterium spp., 6.5% Bacillus spp.,
0.4 Micrococcus spp., 0.4% ‘ I Coryneforms ’’ and 2.3% Miscellaneous.
Anderson, on the other hand, found that the predominant groups were
Micrococcus spp. 31%, Achromobacter 22%, Coryneform ” 12%,
P s e u d o m spp. lo%, Fhvobacterium-CyQhaga spp. 7-5%, Vibrio
6.6% and Miscellaneous 12%. Anderson found, w did Simidu and
Aiso, that there were wide variations from sample to sample. Thus
in three sets of figures given by Anderson the variations in the percentages were as follows : Achromobacter spp., 3 to 50 ; Micrococcus
spp., 4 to 69; Pseudmonaa spp., 1 to 22; Fhvobacterium-Cytophaga
spp., 1 to 13.
VT. SOME SPECIAL PR~PERTIES OP MARINE BACTERIA
Although it has already been stated that some workers doubt the
existence of truly marine bacteria, it is certain that the peculiar environmental conditions do give rise to some rather special properties in
marine bacteria. The sea, of course, as a medium differs radically from
the average terrestrial environment, not only in the relative vltetnees
of the quantity of water and subsequent dilution of nutrient materials,
but also in some important physical properties such azi salinity, hydrostatic pressure and temperature. According to ZoBelt (1946) the
salinity of the sea, i.e. the total concentration of dissolved salts, the
greatest proportion bf which’is NaCl, has an average range of 33 to
37 g/kg of water. Special amw of higher salinity exist, e.g. in the Dead
Sea where it approaches saturation, or of lower salinity in the brackish
Waters of the Baltic (15 g/kg). The hydrostatic pressures of the sea
with depth at the rate of 1 atm/lO m. Thus, where the depth
is greater than 7000 m, as in the deep Pacific trenches, hydrostatic
pressures are more than 700 atm. The surface temperature of the sea
k i e s from 30” to 40°C in equatorial regions to near 0°C at the Poles.
The temperatures of deeper waters are correspondingly lower 80 that