Economic Importance of Marine Micro Organisms

Bacteria and allied micro-organisms are of direct economic concern to man in many ways besides causing diseases and bringing about the decomposi tion of marine a,nimals and commercial algae . There are many p roblems in the general economy of the ocean , the solu tio n of which requi res the a id of the microbio log ist. The m ic ro-organisms belong to a wide range of groups and include bacteria, blue-green algae (Cyanophyceae), ai atoms (B acillariaceae) and possibly yeasts (Ascomycetes) and protozoa and early stages of brown seaweeds (Phaeophyta). Whe n micro-organisms from these groups are present , the y ar e often found as discrete colonies of a single species. If we consider the fac t that 72 0 0 of earth 's surface is covered with mostly salt w ater and that mic r o-organisms populate the surface reg ions as well as the bottom sediments , we can visualise the sea as the largest nat ura l environ men t inhabited by microbes .