Soil and Water Bacteria in the Alaskan Subarctic Tundra

Abstract

Sampling of tundra soils and ponds within a 6-mi radius of Napaiskak village, on the Kuskokwim River, showed far greater numbers but fewer kinds of bacteria in soil than in water. Mesophiles predominated both in numbers and kind, followed by psychrophiles and thermophiles, in that order. On the basis of frequency, comparable numbers of Gram-negative rods and sporeformers were isolated from soils, while considerably more Gram-negative rods were found in water. Of the eleven bacterial genera or species identified, there were eight Gram-negative and three Gram-positive forms.