'In situ' Characterization of Microorganisms Indigenous to Water-Table Aquifers

摘要

Core material from the deeper subsurface was examined for the presence and activity of microbes. Methods included acridine orange direct counts of the total number of cells, 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride reduction assays of the number of respiring cells, plate counts of the number of viable cells, and examination of the ultra-structural characteristics of any microbes by transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrated conclusively that appreciable numbers (1-10 million per gram) of bacteria reside in shallow, water-table aquifers.