Microbial community structure of a heavy fuel oil-degrading marine consortium: linking microbial dynamics with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon utilization

• Published in: FEMS microbiology ecology 2010-08, Vol.73 (2), p.349-362
• Main Authors: Vila, Joaquim, Nieto, José María, Mertens, Jelle, Springael, Dirk, Grifoll, Magdalena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcanivorax; Aliphatic compounds; Alkanes; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Anthracene; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacteria - metabolism; Benzo(a)pyrene; biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Carbon sources; Chemical analysis; Chrysene; Communities; Community structure; Consortia; Degradation; Depletion; DGGE; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Dynamic structural analysis; Ecology; Environmental Pollution; Fluoranthene; Fuel oils; Fuel Oils - microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Library; Hexadecane; Hydrocarbons; Marine; Marinobacter; Methylophaga; microbial diversity; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Oil pollution; Oil spills; oil-degrading consortium; PAHs; Phylogeny; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - metabolism; Pyrene; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater; Seawater - microbiology; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Synecology; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); Water analysis; Water Microbiology
• ISSN: 0168-6496; 1574-6941
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00902.x

A marine microbial consortium obtained from a beach contaminated by the Prestige oil spill proved highly efficient in removing the different hydrocarbon families present in this heavy fuel oil. Seawater cultures showed a complete removal of all the linear and branched alkanes, an extensive attack on three to five-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs; including anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, and benzo(a)pyrene] (30-100%), and a considerable depletion of their alkyl derivatives. Community dynamics analysis revealed that Alcanivorax species, known alkane degraders, predominated in the initial stages. This was followed by an increase in Alphaproteobacteria (i.e. Maricaulis, Roseovarius), which coincided with the depletion of low molecular PAHs. Finally, these were succeeded by Gammaproteobacteria (mainly Marinobacter and Methylophaga), which were involved in the degradation of the high molecular-weight PAHs. The role of these populations in the removal of the specific components was confirmed by the analysis of subcultures established using the aliphatic or the aromatic fraction of the fuel oil, or single PAHs, as carbon sources. The genus Marinobacter seemed to play a major role in the degradation of a variety of hydrocarbons, as several members of this group were isolated from the different enrichment cultures and grew on plates with hexadecane or single PAHs as sole carbon sources.