Enumeration of thraustochytrids (Heterotrophic microorganisms) from the Arabian Sea

Abstract

The number of thraustochytrids in seawater has been estimated in several samples from the Arabian Sea by concentrating the sample on a glass-fibre filter and plating on a nutrient medium. The number ranged from 1 to 69 liter in the oceanic water samples and up to 11,000/1 in samples from the lagoons of the Lakshadweep coral islands. The advantages and disadvantages of plating techniques to isolate thraustochytrids and the overall problems in enumerating these protists are discussed