1995 Volume 61 Issue 1 Pages 117-120
Eighty-three of 200 bacterial strains isolated from seawater sampled at two locations near a Laminaria culture farm in Hokkaido decomposed Laminaria japonica fronds in a simple screeningtest after 4 weeks of incubation at 20°C. The proportion of L. japonica frond-decomposing bacteria (LDB) to the total isolates was 54% in water sampled at Kushiro and 29% in that sampled at Hakodate.The LDB were commonly identified as belonging to the Alteromonas group. Most of the LDB were characterized as alginate decomposers, and showed decomposing ability against Eisenia bicyclis and Ecklonia cava fronds. Bacteria capable of decomposing brown algaefronds were abundantly distributedin waters where Laminaria vegetates.