*2.3. Morphological and Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of NEAU-wh3-1*

Gram staining was carried out by using the standard method and morphological characteristics were observed by light microscopy (Nikon ECLIPSE E200, Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) and scanning electron microscopy (Hitachi SU8010, Hitachi Co., Tokyo, Japan) using cultures grown on ISP 3 agar at 28 ◦C for 2 weeks. Samples for scanning electron microscopy were prepared as described by Jin et al. [52]. Growth at different temperatures (4, 10, 15, 20, 25, 28, 32, 37, 40, and 45 ◦C) was determined on ISP 3 medium after incubation for 14 days. Growth tests for pH range (pH 4.0–12.0, at intervals of 1.0 pH unit) using the buffer system described by Zhao et al. [53] and tolerance of various NaCl concentrations (0–10%, with an interval of 1%, *w*/*v*) were tested in GY (Glucose-yeast extract powder) medium (glucose 1%, yeast extract 1%, K2HPO4 3H2O 0.05%, MgSO4 7H2O 0.05%, *w*/*v*, pH 7.2) at 28 ◦C for 14 days on a rotary shaker. Hydrolysis of Tweens (20, 40, and 80) and production of urease were tested as described by Smibert and Krieg [54]. The utilization of sole carbon and nitrogen sources, decomposition of cellulose, hydrolysis of starch and aesculin, reduction of nitrate, coagulation and peptonization of milk, liquefaction of gelatin, and production of H2S were examined as described previously [55,56].
