Studies of Soil Microorganisms, Inuvik, Northwest Territories

Abstract

A study of soil microorganisms of the Inuvik area (68°21'N, 133°40'W) was carried out during the summer of 1964. In almost all samples taken, psychrophilic, mesophilic, and especially thermophilic bacteria were found in greater numbers than in samples obtained from northern and southwestern Alaska. These studies also demonstrated that the soil microflora in this area was more varied physiologically and metabolically than in its Alaskan counterpart, and that the Canadian soils were warmer, had better drainage, and had certain chemical and physical properties that could account for the differences in bacterial numbers.