6533b828fe1ef96bd1288350

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Microbial communities of polluted sub-surface marine sediments

Antonio MazzolaVincenzo Di GiorgiSantina SantisiSimone CappelloSalvatrice VizziniRoberta Di MariaPaola QuatriniValentina Catania

subject

0301 basic medicineGeologic SedimentsSub-surface marine sedimentMicrobial communitiealkB geneMicrobial ConsortiaBiodiversity010501 environmental sciencesAquatic ScienceSettore BIO/19 - Microbiologia GeneraleOceanography01 natural sciencesUnresolved complex mixtures (UCM)Clostridia03 medical and health sciencesRNA Ribosomal 16SMediterranean SeaPetroleum PollutionSicilyPhylogeny0105 earth and related environmental sciencesArcobacterBacteriabiologyDenaturing Gradient Gel ElectrophoresisSedimentBiodiversitySub-surface marine sediments; Microbial communities; alkB genes; Unresolved complex mixtures (UCM); Mediterranean Sea; Biodegradation; Arcobacterbiology.organism_classificationArchaeaPollutionHydrocarbonsPhylogenetic diversityBiodegradation EnvironmentalPetroleum030104 developmental biologyEnvironmental chemistryBiodegradationEnvironmental scienceProteobacteriaMicrocosmBayWater Pollutants ChemicalArchaea

description

Abstract Microbial communities of coastal marine sediment play a key role in degradation of petroleum contaminants. Here the bacterial and archaeal communities of sub-surface sediments (5–10 cm) of the chronically polluted Priolo Bay (eastern coast of Sicily, Italy), contaminated mainly by n-alkanes and biodegraded/weathered oils, were characterized by cultural and molecular approaches. 16S-PCR-DGGE analysis at six stations, revealed that bacterial communities are highly divergent and display lower phylogenetic diversity than the surface sediment; sub-surface communities respond to oil supplementation in microcosms with a significant reduction in biodiversity and a shift in composition; they retain high biodegradation capacities and host hydrocarbon (HC) degraders that were isolated and identified. HC-degrading Alfa, Gamma and Epsilon proteobacteria together with Clostridia and Archaea are a common feature of sub-surface communities. These assemblages show similarities with that of subsurface petroleum reservoirs also characterized by the presence of biodegraded and weathered oils where anaerobic or microaerophilic syntrophic HC metabolism has been proposed.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2018-06-01Marine Pollution Bulletin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.015