ISOLATION OF A SOIL PSYCHROTROPHIC TOLUENE-DEGRADING PSEUDOMONAS STRAIN - INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE GROWTH-CHARACTERISTICS ON DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Two psychrotrophic toluene-degrading Pseudomonas putida strains were i solated at low temperature from a toluene-polluted soil, thereby demon strating that toluene degradation at low temperature occurred in natur e, a finding of possible interest for soil bioremediation procedures. In one of these strains, two aromatic compounds (toluene and benzoate) were degraded, most likely through different pathways. To study the e ffect of the growth temperature on the metabolism of these substrates, we studied the evolution of the maximal growth rates with respect to both temperature and substrate. It was shown that not only cardinal te mperatures but also temperature characteristics deduced from the Arrhe nius plot of maximal growth rates differed when the different substrat es were used as sole carbon and energy source.