Starvation and Recovery of Vibrio

Vibrio species are generally found in the cultivable fraction of marine bacteria. Their coexistence with the dominant pool of oligobacteria in carbon-limited marine waters (Button et al., 1993) as well as their frequent appearance in association with higher organisms (see below) imply a successful life cycle of feast and famine. This chapter presents data on the emerging pattern of an elaborate starvation-induced “differentiation-like programme” in marine Vibrio species, the inducing conditions of this response and its specific, nongrowth-associated physiology, and the routes to successful persistence as well as recovery of the starved ultramicrocell.