| Bacteriological study of abyssal sediments: During the Demeraby mission of the N/O Jean Charcot in the western Atlantic Ocean, a study of the microflora of the digestive tracts of echinoderms (Holothuroidea of various genera, Asteroidea, Echinoidea) was compared with that of the surrounding sediment. The bacterial concentration observed in the digestive tracts of all the animals studied is higher than that in the surrounding sediments. The largest numbers were always found in the most anterior part of the digestive tracts of the holothurians. In some cases, the increase is considerable (7.10 versus 5.2. 10 cells per millilitre): It indicates a proliferation of bacterial cells in the anterior part of the digestive tract. As the sediment moves through the... |
