To characterize the cultures according to morphologic and 

 phenotypic traits, generally accepted methods were used 

 (Gerhardt, 1983; Yegerov, 1983). Taxonomic position of the 

 strains was investigated using the schemes of marine Gram- 

 negative bacteria and the 8th edition of Bergey's determinant 

 (Shewanc/fl/., 1960;Pallroni, 1975; Sieburth, 1979;Buchanan 

 & Gibbons, 1982; Oliner, 1982). 



Results and Discussion 



The morphology of 432 isolates of heterotrophic 

 microorganisms from the Bering Sea environment in 1981 

 showed that rods accounted for 81.4% of the bacterial 

 representatives. The cocci accounted for 18.6% of the isolates 

 (Table 1 ). The length and width of the rods ranged from 0.7 to 

 2.0 and from 0.3 to 1. 5 |im, respectively. Their diameter varied 

 from 0.5 to 1.5 |im. 



Most bacterial isolates (87.4%) possessed mobility (see 

 Table 1 ). Peritrichs and monotrichs accounted for 74.5% and 

 25.5%, respectively. The presence of spores was found in 82 

 of 297 isolates, which accounted for 27.6% (see Table 1 ). 



For comparison, among 66 isolates from the Baltic Sea in 

 1982, the cocci were far less than in the Bering Sea, only 4.5% 

 of the investigated isolates. The rest, 95.5%, were motive 



peritrich rods (see Table 1). The number of spores formed 

 (13.6%) in the composition of Baltic microflora were also 

 lower than in Bering Sea fiora (see Table 1 ). 



One of the most important morphologic and systematic 

 traits of microorganisms is affinity to the Gram Stain. The test 

 of 297 isolates from the Bering Sea bacteria showed that most 

 isolates (70.8%) were Gram-positive; the remaining 29.2% 

 were Gram-negative. It is interesting to note that among 66 

 isolates from the Baltic Sea, 60.5% of microorganisms were 

 Gram-negative, and only 39.5% were Gram-positive (see 

 Table 1 ). 



Visual pigments occurred in 59.2% of 432 bacterial isolates 

 from the Bering Sea. Pigmentation of Bering Sea isolates 

 ranged from white to red: 16.9% pink; 1 1.8% creamy; 9.3% 

 yellow; 5.6% beige; 3.7% grey; and 14% red. One isolate 

 formed brown colonies. 



Investigations of Baltic cultures showed that, unlike Bering 

 Sea cultures, most isolates (60.6%) formed colorless colonies. 

 Among these colonies, only 4 isolates were distinguished: 

 25.7% white, 9.1% beige. 



Most of Bering Sea isolates (67.2%) dissolved gelatine, 

 decomposed peptone (9%), and formed ammonia. Others 

 (12.64^) induced a change in protein molecules and formed 

 hydrogen sulphide. Indole was also formed by 36.6% of the 



TABLE 1 



Morphologic traits of the isolates of heterotrophic bacteria from the Bering and Baltic Seas in 1981 & 1982, respectively. 



Morphologic 

 trail 



Cocci 

 Rods 

 Presence of 



sporification 

 Motile forms 

 Immotile 



forms 

 Gram-positive 

 Gram-negative 



Pigmentation of colonies 



Absence of 



pigment 

 Pigments: 



pink 



creamy 



yellow 



white 



beige 



brown 



black 



432 



176 



40.8 



66 



40 



60.6 



88 



