• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.199-203
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• 1990

To study distribution of bacterial flora and their biochemical characteristics in the Antarctic soilecosystem, these experiments were performed during the austral summer(Feb., 1989) on the King George Island, Antarctica. The numbers of heterotrophic bacterial colonies and extracellular enzyme actibities were estimated from the Antarctic terrestrial soils which were sampled from 17 different locations near Sejong station (Korea) and Teniente Jubany station (Argentina) on the King George Island. The numbers of heterotrophic bacterial colonies were extremely variable with sampling sites and incubation temperatures. Arithmetric average numbers were $2.5\times 10^{4}$, $2.7\times 10^{7}$ , $6.9\times 10^{5}$ CFU/$cm^{3}$ soil at the incubation temperature of $37^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$ and $4^{\circ}C$, respectively. The activities of extracellular $\alpha$-glucosidase, $\beta$-glucosidase and N-acetyl-$\beta$-glucosaminidase were shown as similar mean percentage in the colonies obtained at different temperatures. Mean value of protease activities, however, was remarkably higher (92%) in the colonies grown at $4^{\circ}C$,.