A nutritional study of some agarolytic marine bacteria

The growth of 29 agarolytic marine bacteria was studied in several complex and defined liquid screening media as well as with four amino acids alone and in combination with galactose and NH4Cl. Thirteen cultures were selected for response to other carbon sources, including a variety of carbohydrates and Krebs cycle intermediates.Results indicated that the nutrition of all cultures was "simple"; i.e., single amino acids were utilized with galactose and other carbon compounds replaced galactose. In general, the agarolytic bacteria tested showed a diverse ability to utilize monosaccharides, although growth levels were less than in complex media. Only two cultures responded to Krebs cycle compounds.Some ecological aspects are discussed.