[Gelatinous deposits of a special microbial population on pitwood].

Conspicuous gelatinous deposits found on permanently drenched pitwood planks in an old ore mine were analyzed microscopically. They contained a very characteristic microbial community consisting primarily of bacteria producing various kinds of slime capsules, stalks, hyphae or other appendages. The high degree of morphological diversity and the remarkable enrichment of differentiated cell types may reflect selective advantages realized under the continuous pressure imposed by such an unusual biotope.