Heterotrophic Bacteria from the Continental Slope Sediments of Arabian Sea
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HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIA FROM THE CONTINENTAL SLOPE SEDIMENTS OF ARABIAN SEA NEIL SCOLASTIN CORREYA (Reg. No. 2758) DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY SCHOOL OF MARINE SCIENCES COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY KOCHI-682016, INDIA October 2012 HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIA FROM THE CONTINENTAL SLOPE SEDIMENTS OF ARABIAN SEA Thesis submitted to the COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Microbiology Under the Faculty of Marine Sciences By NEIL SCOLASTIN CORREYA (Reg. No. 2758) DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY SCHOOL OF MARINE SCIENCES COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY KOCHI- 682016, INDIA October 2012 uuuuu Dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy uuuuu Certificate This is to certify that the thesis entitled “Heterotrophic Bacteria from the Continental Slope Sediments of Arabian Sea”, is an authentic record of research work carried out by Mr. Neil Scolastin Correya (Reg. No. 2758) under my supervision and guidance in the Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and no part thereof has been presented before for the award of any degree, diploma or associateship in any University. Dr. Rosamma Philip Research Guide Asst. Professor Dept. of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry School of Marine Sciences Kochi-16 Cochin University of Science and Technology October 2012 Kochi-682016. Declaration I hereby do declare that the thesis entitled “Heterotrophic Bacteria from the Continental Slope Sediments of Arabian Sea”, is a genuine record of research work done by me under the supervision of Dr. Rosamma Philip, Asst. Professor, Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi- 682016, and that no part of this work, has previously formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma associateship, fellowship or any other similar title of any University or Institution. Kochi-682016 Neil Scolastin Correya October 2012 (Reg. No. 2758) Acknowledgements It was a mere coincidence, but well in association with my interest, I met my supervising guide, Dr. Rosamma Philip, Asst. Professor in Marine Microbiology, Dept. of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, CUSAT during the period of my Post graduation in Marine Biology. Since then she has geared my academic route. I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude and obligation to her. Her valuable guidance, suggestions and advices made my work a reality. Her truly scientific instinct has made her a constant oasis of ideas and passions in science, which exceptionally inspired and enriched my growth as a student and a researcher. She was a perfect mentor whose guidance, moral support, joy and enthusiasm motivated me in the successful completion of my work. I thank her sincerely for offering an opportunity to do research work under her supervision. I gratefully acknowledge Dr. A.A. Mohamed Hatha, Head, Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry for providing all the help and facilities to work in the department. My sincere thanks to Dr. Sajan K., Dean, Faculty of Marine Sciences for providing all the facilities for research. I am thankful to all the teachers in the Department of Marine Biology, especially Dr. Babu Philp, Dr. A.V. Saramma, Dr. S. Bijoy Nandan and Dr. Aneykutty Joseph for their valuable advice, suggestions and support. I also thank the non-teaching staff of the department for their help and good wishes. The help provided by the library staff is also acknowledged. My heartfelt gratitude to Dr. I.S. Bright Singh, Co-ordinator, National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health for his inspiration, help and facilities provided throughout my work period. I acknowledge Shri. V. Ravindranathan, Former Director, CMLRE, Ministry of Earth Sciences for providing for financial support as Junior and Senior Research Fellowships under the National Programme “Benthic Productivity from the EEZ of India” and also for the facilities to collect the samples during the cruises of FORV Sagar Sampada for this study. Sincere thanks to Dr. V.N. Sanjeevan, Director, CMLRE, Ministry of Earth Sciences for his valuable help and suggestions during this endeavour. I am thankful to SCI staff and CMLRE staff onboard FORV Sagar Sampada for helping me in sample collection. The formulation of work plan and the fieldwork was one of the important and fundamental steps in this research work. For this, I have got a chance to utilize the experience of Prof. (Dr.) R. Damodaran, former Dean, Faculty of Marine Sciences, CUSAT. The valuable suggestions made by him are thankfully remembered. His suggestions and field experience helped me considerably On-board FORV Sagar Sampada. I express my ever-remembering thanks to him. I am indebted to Dr. K.K. Vijayan, Principal Scientist, Marine Biotechnology Division, CMFRI section and Dr. Vijayagopalan for the inspiration, help and facilities provided throughout my work period. I am extremely privileged to have the love and care from my dear senior collegues Dr. Sajeevan T.P. and Dr. Selven Subramanian to whom I am deeply indebted. My immense thanks to Dr. Sunesh Thampy, Dr. Padmakumar K.B., Dr. Prabhakaran M.P., Dr. Nandini Menon, Dr. Valsamma Joseph and Dr. Rejeesh K. for their valuable suggestions and help. I take this opportunity to complement the bond of love shared for years with my friends Dr. Mohammed Febin Farook, Dr. N.S. Sudheer and Mr. Haseeb Rahiman. The deep and affectionate friendship of Mr. Abdul Jaleel K.U. cannot be contained in words. It is difficult to find words to explain the unparallel friendship and brotherly affection I share with Mr. Anilkumar P.R. who stood by me through all the tough times. I wish to acknowledge Dr. K.P. Krishnan for the help and support rendered during the course of the work. Mere words of thanks will be inadequate for the timely help, love and concern rendered by my friends Shaiju P. and Mr. Deepulal. It is difficult to find words for friendship I shared with my classmates especially Dr. Simi Joseph P., Dr. Divya Daniel, Dr. Annie Feby, Dr. Sreedevi N. Kutty, Ms. Priyaja P., Ms. Dhanya Balakrishnan, Ms. Vrinda S. Thanks to rest of my M.Sc. classmates for the help rendered during the course of my study in CUSAT. The precious friendship of Dr. Maya Paul and Dr. Meera Venugopal who guided me through all the hardships cannot be expressed in words. My sincere appreciation for the help and support by my friends Mr. Anit M. Thomas, Mr. Abhilash K.R. and Mr. Abhilash K.S. I express my gratitude to my seniors, Dr. Anil Kumar V. and Dr. Sajan Sebastian, for their valuable help and suggestions. I would like to express my sincere thanks to senior colleagues Dr. Annies Joseph, Dr. Lakshmi G. Nair, Dr. Sherin Cubelio, Dr. Sanil Kumar M.G., Mr. Noushar Khan and Dr. Anupama Nair. My whole-hearted thanks to Dr. Swapna P. Antony, Ms. Jisha V.K. and Mrs. Sini P.J. for their timely help and support. My special thanks to all the research fellows of the Dept. of Marine Biology especially Ms. Jini Jacob, Mr. Naveen Satyan, Mr. Harisankar H.S., Ms. Smitha S.L., Dr. Manjusha K., Mrs. Deepthi Augustine, Mrs. Reema Kuriakose, Ms. Remya K.D., Ms. Jimily C. Jacob, Mr. Shubankar Ghosh, Ms. Chaithanya E.R., Ms. Ramya Varadarajan and Ms. Jisha Jose. My collective and individual acknowledgments are also owed to my colleagues and technical staff at NCAAH. My special thanks to Dr. Sreedharan, Mr. Jayesh P., Dr. Somnath Pai and Dr. Seena Jose. My Parents, Mr. Joseph Correya and Mrs. Judis Correya, always stood by me, inspired and motivated me throughout my career. My gratitude for them cannot be expressed in words and without their generous support this work would not have been successfully completed. The moral support, joy and enthusiasm offered to me by my belowed Sister, Mrs. Nisha Mitchelle Francis is deeply remembered. Her prayers and wishes have motivated me in the successful completion of my work. There is no comparison for the love and support, of my dear wife, Mrs. Sandra Correya, who has always been a patient companion. I am indebted to my in-laws for their constant support. I sincerely thank all those who helped me in one way or other in successful completion of this endeavour. Above all I thank God almighty for all the success and blessings in my life. Neil Scolastin Correya Contents Chapter 1 General Introduction ................................................................. 1-8 Chapter 2 Hydrography and Sediment Properties ....................................... 9-57 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 9 2.2 Materials and Methods .......................................................................... 16 2.2.1 Study Area ................................................................................................ 16 2.2.2 Sample Collection ..................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Sediment Texture Analysis ...................................................................... 23 2.2.4 Total Organic Matter ................................................................................. 24 2.2.5 Labile Organic Matter (LOM) ....................................................................