You are here:
MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS WITH PESTICIDES IN ESTUARINE SURFACE SLICKS
Citation:
Ahearn, D., S. Crow, AND W. Cook. MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS WITH PESTICIDES IN ESTUARINE SURFACE SLICKS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-77/050.
Description:
Estuarine surface films from Escambia Bay, Florida, and adjacent waters were sampled by using the membrane adsorption technique to enumerate microbial populations. Samples of the upper 10 micrometers of estuarine surface films yielded microbial populations. These populations were 10 to 100 times greater than those in underlying waters of 10 cm. Predominant bacteria in surface films as isolated on Marine Agar were motile, nonpigmented, gram-negative rods. Colony-forming units of yeasts and molds on Mycological Agar prepared with 50 per cent seawater were found. A greater proportion of the surface film bacteria, as compared to those at 10 cm depth, were capable of growth on freshwater media. With selective isolation media, amyloytic, and lipolytic bacteria appeared to comprise a more significant proportion of the total population. Twenty-one representative bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi from initial sampling of surface microlayers were tested for the effects of selected pesticides on utilization of various substrates.