Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Distribution and enzyme production of litter bacteria from Ayiramthengu mangrove ecosystem, south west coast of India

Volume 63 Issue 1

Mintu Ann Varghese, Anit M. Thomas and R. Sunil Kumar

doi:10.6024/jmbai.2021.63.1.2263-10

Abstract

The present study focuses on the screening of litter bacteria from decomposing leaves for enzyme production. The study was conducted at three different sampling stations of Ayiramthengu mangrove. Bacteria belonging to various genera were isolated. Acinetobacter sp. was the dominant genus followed by Pseudomonas sp. and Micrococcus sp. Thirty-four isolates were selected for enzymatic study and extracellular enzymes such as phosphatase, lipase, cellulase and amylase were estimated. About 31% of isolates showed positive for lipase production, followed by phosphatase (28%), cellulase (23%) and amylase (18%). The enzymatic indices of isolates were calculated. The highest enzymatic index was observed for lipase enzyme (2.264). The result revealed that decomposing leaf litter of mangrove can harbour potential bacteria with enzymes production and maintains the stability of ecosystem at various trophic levels

Keywords

 Mangrove, litter, enzymes, enzymatic index

Date : 30-06-2021