dc.description.abstract | Great strides have been made in understanding the microbes of the seas around India, and these include both mycological and bacteriological aspects, covering near, offshore, and deep-sea waters. In mycology, the role of the little known group of protists, the thraustochytrids, in the marine environment has been elucidated. Fungal diseases inflicting local strains of algae, rock oysters and coral reefs have been highlighted. This review also covers aspects of shell-boring algae and fungi inhabiting deep-sea calcareous matter. Bacteriological studies cover aspects of denitrification, sulfate reduction, and chemolithotrophy. In addition, the ecology of bioluminescent bacteria and their use in coastal pollution surveillance have been investigated. Other areas covered include microbial antagonism, metal-microbe interactions, and pollution studies. Deep-sea bacteriological studies have suggested the oxidative role of bacteria in the formation of deep-sea polymetallic nodules. The use of some of the bacterial isolates in hydrocarbon degradation, for plasmid isolation, and other applications of marine microbes from different niches as sources of industrial enzymes is discussed | |