干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Actinomycetes with a specific complex life cycle were isolated from plant debris and soil samples collected in the Kyzyl Kum desert. The cultures were assigned to the genus Geodermatophilus according to their morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics. New data on the ecology of the organisms of this poorly-investigated genus was obtained. Geodermatophiles account for a significant fraction of bacteria which comprise a destructive link in desert ecosystems; their concentration is maximum in debris of typical desert plants. The ecological significance of the two forms characteristic of the life cycle of geodermatophiles is discussed in connection with the extreme habitat conditions. An analog has been found among eukaryotic microorganisms - yeasts of the genus Sarcinosporon, which have two life forms similar to those in prokaryotic geodermatophiles. The taxonomic status of the examined strains of actinomycetes and species structure of the genus Geodermatophilus are discussed.