CONCLUSION
We have shown that a marine Vibrio strain of a type which colonises degrading kelp,
possesses physiological properties which would result in positive selection in competition
with other marine bacterial types. In particular, the ability to take up and utilise manitol
as a substrate is maintained in the Vibrio strain during prolonged starvation. The
possession of this active uptake system does not affect starvation survival, but it may have
a profound effect on the revival rate of dormant bacteria which come into contact with
kelp. As a consequence, the kelp associated flora may be selected from the variety of
bacterial forms in the water column.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported by the Benguela Ecology Program, funded by the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, South Africa.
AMY P., MORITA R., (1983). Starvation-survival patterns of sixteen freshly isolated open-ocean bacteria. Appl.
Environ. Microbiol. 45: 1109-1115.
DAVIS C., KOOP K., MUIR D., ROBB F., (1983). Bacterial diversity in adjacent kelp-dominated ecosystems. Mar.
Ecol. Prog. Ser. 13: 115-119.
FAQUIN W., OLIVER J., (1984). Arginine uptake by a psychrophilic marine Vibrio sp. during starvation-induced
morphogenesis. J. Gen. Microbiol. 130 : 1331-1335.
LEE C., SAIER M., (1983). Use of cloned mil genes of Escherichia coli to introduce mtl deletion mutations into
the chromosome. J. Bacteriol. 153 : 685-692.
NEWELL R., LUCAS M„ VELIMIROV B., SEIDERER L., 1980. The quantitative significance of dissolved organic
losses following fragmentation of kelp (Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
2 : 45-59.
NOVITSKY J., MORITA R., (1976). Morphological characterisation of small cells resulting from nutrient starvation of a psychrophilic marine Vibrio. Appl. Environ. Microbiol 32: 617-622.
NOVITSKY J„ MORITA R., (1977). Survival of a psychrophilic marine Vibrio under long-term nutrient starvation.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 33 : 635-641.
SEIDERER L., DAVIS C„ ROBB F„ NEWELL R., (1984). Utilisation of bacteria as a nitrogen resource by kelp bed
mussel Choromytilus meridional:: (Krauss). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15: 109-116.
189
We have shown that a marine Vibrio strain of a type which colonises degrading kelp,
possesses physiological properties which would result in positive selection in competition
with other marine bacterial types. In particular, the ability to take up and utilise manitol
as a substrate is maintained in the Vibrio strain during prolonged starvation. The
possession of this active uptake system does not affect starvation survival, but it may have
a profound effect on the revival rate of dormant bacteria which come into contact with
kelp. As a consequence, the kelp associated flora may be selected from the variety of
bacterial forms in the water column.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was supported by the Benguela Ecology Program, funded by the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, South Africa.
AMY P., MORITA R., (1983). Starvation-survival patterns of sixteen freshly isolated open-ocean bacteria. Appl.
Environ. Microbiol. 45: 1109-1115.
DAVIS C., KOOP K., MUIR D., ROBB F., (1983). Bacterial diversity in adjacent kelp-dominated ecosystems. Mar.
Ecol. Prog. Ser. 13: 115-119.
FAQUIN W., OLIVER J., (1984). Arginine uptake by a psychrophilic marine Vibrio sp. during starvation-induced
morphogenesis. J. Gen. Microbiol. 130 : 1331-1335.
LEE C., SAIER M., (1983). Use of cloned mil genes of Escherichia coli to introduce mtl deletion mutations into
the chromosome. J. Bacteriol. 153 : 685-692.
NEWELL R., LUCAS M„ VELIMIROV B., SEIDERER L., 1980. The quantitative significance of dissolved organic
losses following fragmentation of kelp (Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
2 : 45-59.
NOVITSKY J., MORITA R., (1976). Morphological characterisation of small cells resulting from nutrient starvation of a psychrophilic marine Vibrio. Appl. Environ. Microbiol 32: 617-622.
NOVITSKY J„ MORITA R., (1977). Survival of a psychrophilic marine Vibrio under long-term nutrient starvation.
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 33 : 635-641.
SEIDERER L., DAVIS C„ ROBB F„ NEWELL R., (1984). Utilisation of bacteria as a nitrogen resource by kelp bed
mussel Choromytilus meridional:: (Krauss). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 15: 109-116.
189