Bacteria and viruses of the ice-free aquatic area of the Barents Sea at the beginning of polar night.

The most massive components of the microplankton were studied in the open sea waters for the first time at the end of the autumn season. It has been found that abundance of the virio- and bacterioplankton exceeded that observed in winter in the coastal zone. Against the background of a relatively uniform distribution of bacteria, the viral abundance and the lysis-mediated bacterioplankton death rate reached the maximum values in the most cold and salty waters of the northern sea areas.

Communities of bacteria and viruses in waters of the Gulf of Ob and Taz Estuary.

The study of the most abundant components in freshwater plankton in the Gulf of Ob and Taz Estuary in the summer-autumn season has demonstrated that the abundance and biomass of bacteria are stable and typical for mesotrophic waters during active microalgae vegetation. The abundance of viral particles varies in the range which is reported for unproductive or medium-productive water bodies. The environmental factors affecting affect the development and patterns of bacterio- and virioplankton distribution are considered.

[Bacterioplankton of the Kola Bay, Barents Sea, (micro- and nanoforms) based on 2002-2003 monitoring data].

Hydrochemical and microbiological investigation in the Kola Bay in 2002-2003 demonstrated that the distribution of bacteria is notably influenced by biogeochemical barriers formed by mixing fresh and sea water. Seasonal changes in the appearance of filterable bacteria, considerable quantities of gram-positive bacteria with thick cell walls, dwarf bacteria, spheroplasts, elementary bodies, and cells with abnormal cell walls during the polar night have been revealed. Cultured bacterial colonies were represented by polymorphic cells. The data obtained refine our knowledge about organotrophic activity of bacterioplankton during the polar night.