Microbes, including bacteria and plankton, play important roles in aquatic
ecosystems, particularly marine ecosystems. Techniques to detect and evaluate marine
microbes are necessary for the understanding and conservation of the ecosystems, and
to better understand microbial corrosion of artificial structures built in the marine
environment. Fundamental techniques to detect and evaluate microbes have been
developed from laboratory experiments using cultured model microorganisms, such as
Escherichia coli. Such laboratory-based techniques are often insufficient in the marine
environment because of interference from organisms other than target microbes of each
research, and from organic and inorganic compounds in the environment. Precise
evaluation of microbial communities under such circumstances demands techniques
with greater sensitivity and specificity than those of the laboratory-based approaches.
This chapter considers more precise and sensitive techniques than the conventional
techniques for the collection, detection, and evaluation of microbes. These techniques
can also help experts and professional readers achieve practical evaluation and control
of microbes in complex conditions such as marine environments.
Keywords: Aqueous ecosystems, Marine ecosystems, Microorganisms.
