Bacteria in the inshore environment at Mandapam

Abstract

Investigations by marine bacteriologists during the course of the last seventy years in different parts of the world have shown the existence of a biochemically versatile bacterial flora autochthonous to the marine environment. Marine bacteriological studies have been carried out mostly with the view to understanding the role of bacteria in the economy and ecology of the sea, though considerable data on bacteria from marine sources have also been published as a result of studies relating to marine fish spoilage. The extensive literature on marine bacteria, however, contains few records of observations made over any considerable period in any one area of the ocean. Changes occurring in the magnitude and nature of the bacterial population of the sea in relation to the seasons and to other factors such as the abundance and composition of the planktonic organisms present, can be evaluated only through observations over a long duration.