This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Torrella, F. Articles by Morita, R. Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Torrella, F. Articles by Morita, R. Y. Agricola Articles by Torrella, F. Articles by Morita, R. Y.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1981 February; 41(2): 518-527

Microcultural Study of Bacterial Size Changes and Microcolony and Ultramicrocolony Formation by Heterotrophic Bacteria in Seawater

Francisco Torrella and Richard Y. Morita

¹ Department of Microbiology and School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331

ABSTRACT

With a microculture technique and time-lapse, phase-contrast photomicrography, it was possible to follow the division of individual cells and the development of microcolonies of bacteria in freshly collected marine water samples. A certain number of marine bacteria, upon inoculation onto a nutrient rich agar surface, displayed an increase in size as well as a high growth rate. Other bacteria were identified as very small marine bacteria (ultramicrobacteria). These had a very slow growth rate when inoculated onto a nutrient-rich agar surface. These latter cells formed very small microcolonies (ultramicrocolonies), and cell size did not increase significantly. These two types of marine heterotrophs could be described in terms of zymogenous and autochthonous bacteria, a concept used by Winogradsky for describing soil microorganisms.

Present address: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.

Published as technical paper no. 5670, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Miteva, V. I., Brenchley, J. E. (2005). Detection and Isolation of Ultrasmall Microorganisms from a 120,000-Year-Old Greenland Glacier Ice Core. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7806-7818 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Miyoshi, T., Iwatsuki, T., Naganuma, T. (2005). Phylogenetic Characterization of 16S rRNA Gene Clones from Deep-Groundwater Microorganisms That Pass through 0.2-Micrometer-Pore-Size Filters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1084-1088 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Yokomaku, D., Yamaguchi, N., Nasu, M. (2000). Improved Direct Viable Count Procedure for Quantitative Estimation of Bacterial Viability in Freshwater Environments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 5544-5548 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Baty, A. M. III, Eastburn, C. C., Techkarnjanaruk, S., Goodman, A. E., Geesey, G. G. (2000). Spatial and Temporal Variations in Chitinolytic Gene Expression and Bacterial Biomass Production during Chitin Degradation. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 3574-3585 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cummings, D. E., March, A. W., Bostick, B., Spring, S., Caccavo, F. Jr., Fendorf, S., Rosenzweig, R. F. (2000). Evidence for Microbial Fe(III) Reduction in Anoxic, Mining-Impacted Lake Sediments (Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 154-162 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wei, X., Bauer, W. D. (1998). Starvation-Induced Changes in Motility, Chemotaxis, and Flagellation of Rhizobium meliloti. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 1708-1714 [Abstract] [Full Text]