1 97 isolates studied. Nitrates were reduced to nitrites by 37.9% 

 of cultures. Half of the isolates fermented glucose, and 13.5 

 and 23.2% of the isolates produced acid and gas. respectively. 

 Only 3% of the isolates produced a significant amount of gas. 



In addition, of all the strains studied in the Bering Sea, 

 80.7% possessed catalase activity, 54.8% oxidase, and 29% 

 lecithinase activity. The presence of lipase was found in 40.9% 

 of 332 isolates (see Tables 2,3). 



It is noteworthy that while studying the physiological 

 properties of bacteria isolated from an impact region of the 

 World Ocean — the Baltic Sea — significant distinctions were 

 found as compared with the bacterial populations of the Bering 

 Sea, a background region of the World Ocean. 



For example, unlike Bering Sea isolates, 25.7% of Baltic 

 microorganisms formed ammonia in the decomposition of 

 peptone (see Table 2). In addition, Baltic isolates (on a 

 percentage basis) possessed a greater ability to ferment glucose. 



lactose, and mannitol than that of Bering Sea isolates, and to 

 produce gases (15.0%). 



Specific enzyme assays show that 80.7% of Bering Sea 

 isolates possess the catalase activity (80.7%) slightly more 

 than Baltic isolates (59.0%). On the other hand, oxidase(83%) 

 and lecithinase (42.3%) activity proved to be typical of a 

 greater percentage of Baltic isolates as compared to the Bering 

 Sea. 



Similar results were found in 1984 for bacteria isolates 

 from different localities in the Bering Sea. 



Taxonomic characteristics of 200 isolates from 1981, and 

 320 isolates from different sites of the Bering Sea were also 

 determined on the basis of morphology and physiology. The 

 results are presented in Table 4. The genera most prevalent 

 were Bacillus (27.5%), Bacterium (22.5%), Pseudomonas 

 (18%) and Platwcoccus ( 1 3.5%). These genera accounted for 

 81.5% of the number isolated from the sea. 



TABLE 2 



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



Distribution isolates from the Bering and Baltic Seas in 1981 and 

 1982 according to the basic enzymatic traits. 



Groups of bacteria 



Isolates possessing the above traits, % 



BerinaSea. 1981 



Baltic Sea. 1982 



Lactose positive 

 Oxidase positive 

 Catalase active 



13.5 

 54.8 

 80.7 



31.7 

 83.0 

 59.0 



Taxonomic position of the isolates from the Bering Sea 

 in 1981 and 1984. 



89 



