ZoBell — 130 — Marine Microbiology 



red Torula, and one variety each of Dematium, Oidium, and Endomyces. 

 The yeast-Uke organisms were found associated with Laminaria saccha- 

 rina, Alaria esculenta, Fucus vesiculosus, and other seaweeds. The white 

 Torula species ranged from 1.25 to 5.2 /x in width and from 2.5 to 9.4 ju in 

 length. The red Torula species were somewhat larger, being from 1.75 to 

 5.0 fjL in width and from 3.75 to 15.0 /x in length. The yeast-like cultures 

 developed readily in sea-water media enriched with mannite, sugars, or 

 with Laminaria extract. They grew at temperatures as low as 2° C. 

 Much better growth was observed at 12° C. Salt-tolerant varieties of the 

 so-called "fat yeast," Endomyces vernal is, along with Saccharomyces cere- 

 visiae and Saccharomyces ellipsoideus, were also found. Endomyces ver- 

 nalis as well as the Torula species were believed by Nadson and Burg- 

 WITZ to be autochthonous marine species. 



Fischer (1894a) noted the appearance of numerous yeast colonies 

 along with molds and bacteria in sea water collected on the cruise of the 

 S.M.S. Moltke. For example, his logbook records that in Sample 19 col- 

 lected 330 miles from the nearest land, the Azores, 242 colonies developed 

 on nutrient gelatin inoculated with 0.25 ml. of sea water. Halihacterium 

 pellucidum predominated, with nearly as many yeasts, most of which were 

 believed to be Torula. Two of the latter were pink. Three colonies of 

 mold fungi were noted. Of the 666 colonies which developed from 0.5 ml. 

 of sea water in Sample 26 collected one mile off Plymouth, England, only 

 13 were molds, but many were yeasts including 8 pink Torula. There 

 were almost as many yeasts and molds as bacteria among the 262 colonies 

 which developed from o.i ml. of Sample 29 collected in Wilhehnshaven 

 Roads off the north coast of Germany. One Mycoderma species and 

 20 pink yeast were identified in this sample. Samples collected farther 

 from land generally yielded fewer microorganisms of all types, particu- 

 larly molds, but yeasts were generally found in all samples regardless of 

 the distance from land. In some samples collected in the open ocean, 

 actually more colonies of yeasts than bacteria developed on the gelatin 

 plates. 



The nutrient composition, together with the relatively low />H (near 

 7.0) of the medium employed by Fischer, may account for the prepon- 

 derance of yeasts observed in some of the samples. Be this as it may, his 

 extensive survey instructs us that yeasts are widely distributed in the sea. 

 Besides the species of Torula which appeared to be fairly common in the 

 sea, particularly in higher latitudes, Fischer found species of Mycoderma 

 and Saccharomyces at considerable distances from land. The widespread 

 occurrence of yeasts in the sea, together with the fact that some of them 

 grew better in nutrient sea-water media than in corresponding fresh-water 

 media, led him to conclude that there are autochthonous species of marine 

 yeasts. 



Issatchenko (1914) reported the general occurrence of yeasts in the 

 Arctic Ocean. Although ZoBell and Feltham (1934) made no special 

 efforts to estimate their abundance, yeasts were observed on most plates 

 of sea-water agar inoculated with samples of marine materials collected 

 near land as well as in the open ocean. 



A pink yeast, probably a Torula, was found by Hltnter (1920b) to 

 be responsible for the spoilage of oysters. The yeast, which grows readily 

 at low temperatures, produces a pink or reddish pigment. While exces- 

 sive contamination of oysters with the yeast was attributed to careless 

 handling, examinations of samples of surface and bottom water from the 



