PH EFFECT ON ANTAGONISTIC ACTIVITY TOWARDS BACTERIA OF YEASTS ISOLATED FROM HUCUL DAIRY PRODUCTS AND GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT OF HUMAN.

The aim of this work was to study the influence of pH of medium on antagonistic ac- tivity of isolated from authentic Hucul dairy products and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Hucul long-livers yeasts towards potentially harmful for humans and animals bacteria. Among 52 tested yeast isolates 14 % yeasts showed considerable antagonistic activity towards Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and only 6 % of them inhibited growth of Gram negative bacteria belonging to genera Escherichia and Citrobacter Most ofyeasts with antagonistic activity (over 70 %) were isolatedfriom long-livers GIT There were identifed two optimal for antagonism areas of pH values of nutrient medium for tested yeasts being around 5.5 and 6.0 for Gram-positive bacteria and around 6.0 and 6.5 for Gram negative bacteria. It appeared that isolated fiom Hucul yogurt Saccharomyces pasterianus yeasts manifested their antagonistic activity in more acidic conditions com- pared to isolates fiom GIT.

ETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM STARCH BY YEASTS ISOLATED FROM CROPS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS.

The aim of this work was to study the ability ofyeasts isolated from crops and dairy products to convert starch to ethanol. The isolated yeasts were screened for their ability to hydrolyze starch. Six most active strains were identified as Lipomyces mesembrius spp. 5.4, 5.5 and 6.4, Shwanniomyces vanrijiae var yarowii F33, Torulaspora sp. F7 and Candida sp. S26. The selected yeasts produced low levels of ethanol from starch under aerobic conditions - 0.006-0.129 g/l (0.3-0.87 % of theoretical yield) and microaerobic conditions - 0. 089-0.35 g/l (1.61-6.07 % of theoretical yield). These amylolytic yeast strains will be studied as the potential candidates for the cocultivation with efficient ethanol producers which do not possess the ability to directly hydrolyze starch.

Complex Identifcation of Red Yeast Isolate from Gastrointestinal Tract of Hucul Long-Liver (Carpathians, Ukraine).

The red yeasts are currently widely discussed and controversial group of yeasts because of the growing number of reports of their ability to become opportunistic pathogens of plants, animals and humans. The aim of this work was complex identifcation of the red yeast culture isolated from gastrointestinal tract of healthy Hucul long-liver from the Carpathians highland region of Ukraine. Torularhodin was found to be a major component within yeast culture carotenoids complex. According to conventional biochemical and morphological approaches as well as to molecular biological investigation of internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of ribosomal operon it was concluded that isolate belonged to species Rhodotorula mucilaginosa.

[Coral reefs in the face of ecological threats of XXI century].

To date, more than a quarter of tropical coral reefs of the World Ocean are believed to be totally de- stroyed. Given the present rates of reefs degradation, this value may be doubled in the nearest 30 years. For the essential part of coastal community, the destruction of coral ecosystems implies the loss of the major food sources, natural protection from storms, and significant (if not the only) revenue from exploi- tation of reefs especially in tourism industry. Finally, the disappearance of low-laying coral islands may threat the local communities by deprivation of living space. Global negative effects include temperature anomalies of sea surface waters and an increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration leading to ocean acidification. Local negative effects are related to in- crease of sedimentation and eutrophication, cyclone and storm passes, coral diseases, chemical pollution, mechanical destruction of corals by humans, anthropogenic depletion of functional groups of fish and invertebrates. An entire set of responses of coral ecosystems to stressful factors on the levels of both separate taxa and ecosystem is discussed. An analysis of published data suggests that with high probability the tropical coral communities will come to collapse stage by the middle of the current century at more than 50% of the area of their biogeographic range, especially in the regions of dense human population. At the most optimistic scenario, complex effect of reviewed negative factors will result in coral ecosystems main- taining in some areas. However, after global transformations, these ecosystems will be dominated by the most resistant taxa, mainly massive and encrusting forms of long-lived species with low growth rates and high competitive ability. Among such taxa, Poritidae demonstrates the highest adaptive capability. At the most pessimistic scenario, scleractinian communities will be replaced by alternative communities of macroalgae and non-calcareous anthozoans.