Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls-transforming and polychlorinated biphenyls-tolerant bacteria in the seas of the temperate and polar latitudes with different levels of polychlorinated biphenyls

The presence of PCB-TRB and PCB-TOB in the Baltic, Bering, and Chukchi seas was determined. It was found that most of these physiological groups of bacteria reach a chronically contaminated PCB marine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. It was revealed that the number of PCB-TRB and TCB-TOB mainly depends on the concentration of PCBs in the suspended matter. The dependence manifests itself against the background of the impact of other abiotic environmental factors—temperature and salinity, as well as the content of various forms of phosphorus and nitrogen.