Utilization of dissolved amino acids in seawater by marine bacteria

✍ Scribed by M. Amano; S. Hara; N. Taga

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 517 KB
• Volume: 68
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0025-3162
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00393138

✦ Synopsis

Utilization of dissolved free and combined amino acids (DFAA and DCAA) by two types of bacterial isolates in artificial seawater was investigated. One type of isolate had proteolytic activity and the other did not. Both types of isolates utilized DFAA in artificial seawater, but there was some selectivity of amino acids and a certain threshold concentration below which DFAA was no longer utilized. The bacterial isolate which had proteolytic activity utilized casein in artificial seawater, and the amount of DFAA did not increase. During incubation the composition of DFAA changed significantly, while that of DCAA did not change markedly. It is suggested that marine bacteria utilize not only DFAA but also labile DCAA rapidly when it is added to seawater and they play an important role in determining the concentration and composition of dissolved amino acids in the marine ecosystem.