EN
In the bacterial community occurring in a sandy marine beach (region of the Gdańsk Gulf, Southern Baltic Sea), bacteria of the genera Acinetobacter and Microoccocus predominated among 230 isolated strains. Bacteria strains of the genera Alteromonas, Bacillus, Cytophaga, Erwinia and Prostheocomicrobium contributed in a small percent. The measurements of respiratory activity revealed that casein hydrolyzate was the most actively metabolised respiratory substrate while sodium pyruvate and cellobiose were oxidised less actively. The intensity of utilization of respiratory substrates by bacteria in the whole perpendicular profile of the beach was alike. They were more intensive in the surface (0–1 cm) than in the subsurface (5–10 cm) sand layers.