TOTAL CULTURABLE BACTERIA AND BACTERIAL DIVERSITY IN NORTHERN INTERTIDAL AREAS OF PERSIAN GULF

Diversity of dominant marine bacteria was studied in nine different shoreline sites from qeshm island to genaveh, in northern persian gulf. samples were collected from surface water and pelagic sediments. the total number of culturable bacteria in these sites ranged between 3.7x105 and 4.3x107, as determined by culture dilution method. these results showed relatively high concentration of marine bacteria. serial dilution cultures were prepared from each sample on oligothrophic medium agar plates, made with filter sterilized natural seawater, and two isolates that were dominant in the number of colonies were chosen for identification. using morphological and biochemical tests and determination of guanine plus cytosine content of dna, members of the genera pseudomonas, vibrio, alteromonas, flavobacterium, bacillus, mycobacterium and alcaligenes were identified and seemed to be abundant in investigation area.