Quantification of small-scale variation in the size and composition of phenanthrene-degrader populations and PAH contaminants in traffic-impacted topsoil

FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Anders R JohnsenJens Aamand

Abstract

Small-scale colocalisation of microbial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degraders and PAHs in contaminated soil is a prerequisite for efficient biodegradation of the PAHs. We therefore tested the hypothesis that phenanthrene-degrading bacteria are colocalised with PAHs at the millimetre-to-centimetre-scale. Microbial populations and PAH concentrations were determined for 40-mg samples from a 112-mm transect of a traffic-impacted topsoil. The spatial distribution of cultivable phenanthrene degraders (0.3 × 10(5) -7.2 × 10(5) cells g(-1) ) mirrored neither the distribution of PAHs, nor the distribution of the total cultivable heterotrophic populations. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis of PAH dioxygenase genes (2 × 10(6) -4 × 10(6) cells g(-1) ) from a second transect showed distributions similar to the cultivable phenanthrene degraders, but at a 20-fold higher level. The omnipresence of high densities of PAH degraders at the millimetre scale indicate that PAH persistence may not be caused by local lack of degrader cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that either MPN of pollutant degraders, qPCR of functional genes, CFU of heterotrophic micro-organisms, or the content of PAHs have been determ...Continue Reading

References

Jun 1, 1973·Journal of Bacteriology·N W Dunn, I C Gunsalus
Jun 6, 2003·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Brett R BaldwinLoring Nies
Aug 26, 2004·Environmental Pollution·Anders R JohnsenHauke Harms
Dec 6, 2005·Microbial Ecology·Anders R Johnsen, Ulrich Karlson
May 1, 1941·Journal of Bacteriology·L D Bushnell, H F Haas
Jun 28, 2007·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·Anders R Johnsen, Ulrich Karlson
Jul 29, 2009·Journal of Microbiological Methods·Anders R JohnsenJens Aamand
Sep 4, 2012·Microbial Ecology·Göran BengtssonSøren J Sørensen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Apr 10, 2014·Journal of Applied Microbiology·S StoreyE M Doyle
Jan 31, 2020·Environmental Microbiology·Vincent Hervé, Pascal Jean Lopez

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Bioremediation (ASM)

Bioremediation is the treatment and removal of harmful pollutants or contaminants through the use of microorganisms. Discover the latest research here.