Table 1.
Salinity, EcoPlate™ utilization, and isolate characteristics for samples taken from La Sal del Rey 2010.
| Sample | Salinity (ppt) | Preferred EcoPlate™ Substrate* |
Isolates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Gram-negative | Rod-shaped | Percent catalase positive | |||
| A | 4 | L-phenylalanine | 20 | 15 | 14 | 100 |
| B | 56 | Glycogen | 20† | 16 | 16 | 95 |
| C | 420 | Itaconic Acid | 10 | 2 | 9 | 100 |
| D | 4 | Tween 40 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 100 |
| E | 37 | L-arginine | 17 | 15 | 12 | 100 |
| F | 280 | D-cellobiose | 16 | 14 | 16 | 100 |
| G | 86 | D-malic acid | nd | nd | nd | nd |
| H | 220 | Hydroxybutyric acid | nd | nd | nd | nd |
* Highest positive EcoPlate™ absorbance value
† One isolate from site B became contaminated and was eliminated from the study.
nd = not determined
Samples A - F were taken on 14 June; samples G - H were taken on 5 July after Hurricane Alex made landfall. Salinity was measured using a handheld refractometer. EcoPlates™ were inoculated with water or diluted soil samples, incubated at 25°C, and measured with a spectrophotometer (595 nm) at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. EcoPlates™ results shown are the final results at 72 h. Isolates were selected from amongst all the samples. Some isolates contained a mixture of cell types.