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. 1983 Jan;45(1):43–47. doi: 10.1128/aem.45.1.43-47.1983

Responses of Marine Bacteria Under Starvation Conditions at a Solid-Water Interface

Beverley Humphrey 1, Staffan Kjelleberg 1,†, Kevin C Marshall 1
PMCID: PMC242228  PMID: 16346180

Abstract

Size changes during starvation of 17 marine bacterial isolates at a solid-water interface and in the liquid phase were examined. Twelve rod-shaped, hydrophilic bacteria decreased in size more rapidly at the solid surface than in the liquid phase, a result parallel to that observed previously for one of the strains at an air-water interface. On the other hand, three rod-shaped, hydrophobic bacteria diminished in size more rapidly in the liquid phase than at the solid-water interface. The rapid size decrease (defined here as the dwarfing phase) in either situation appeared to be an active process which occurred more rapidly when the cells were in an early stage of logarithmic growth at the onset of starvation. Dwarfing was reversibly inhibited by low temperature and low pH but was not inhibited by chloramphenicol. Three coccoidal bacteria showed little tendency to become smaller upon starvation in the liquid phase or at a surface.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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