A Study on the Metabolism of Aromatic Acids by the Bacterial Flora of Peripatoides Novaezealandiae

Abstract

Bacterial Degradation of Aromatic Compounds: Bacteria display a remarkable capacity for breaking down and metabolising the various foreign compounds with which they come in contact. For practically every organic compound there is a bacterial type or species that is capable of utilising it as a carbon and energy source. Numerous complicated chemicals synthesized by plants find their way into the soil after decay of the plant and come in contact with soil micro-organisms. A striking example of bacterial degradation of organic molecules is seen in the breakdown of the aromatic ring by soil micro-organisms, notably species of Pseudomonas.