Chitynolytic bacteria in water and bottom sediments of two lakes of different trophy.

Chitynolytic bacteria were found in greater numbers in the eutrophic lake Jeziorak than in the mesotrophic lake Jasne. In both lakes higher chitynolytic activity was found in the planktonic than in the benthic bacteria. The capacity of chitin hydrolysis was found in bacteria of the genera Achromobacter, Bacillus, Nocardia, Pseudomonas, of the Flavobacterium-Cytophaga group and of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The chitinases synthesized by the studied bacteria were active in the pH range 5.0--8.0. The majority of the strains tested showed maximum activity at pH 5.0 or 6.0.