Open AccessAlteration of microbial community structure affects diesel biodegradation in an Arctic soil
Author(s) -
Bell Terrence H.,
Yergeau Etienne,
F. Juck Dave,
G. Whyte Lyle,
W. Greer Charles
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/1574-6941.12102
Subject(s) - biology , microbial population biology , biodegradation , abundance (ecology) , population , nutrient , environmental chemistry , ecology , bacteria , chemistry , genetics , demography , sociology
A wide range of microbial taxa are active in hydrocarbon‐contaminated A rctic soils, and many are capable of hydrocarbon metabolism. The most effective hydrocarbon degraders may not naturally dominate following contamination events, so shifts in microbial abundance could potentially increase hydrocarbon biodegradation. In this study, we contaminated an A rctic soil with diesel and used gentamicin and vancomycin to inhibit distinct portions of the microbial community. We measured diesel loss using gas chromatography, bacterial and fungal abundance with qPCR , and assessed bacterial diversity and community composition through Ion Torrent sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The combined addition of both antibiotics increased diesel biodegradation significantly relative to the no‐antibiotic treatment, despite reduced bacterial and fungal abundance; however, this effect was not observed when nutrients were also added. All treatments produced unique bacterial communities, and both X anthomonadaceae and M icrococcineae were dominant in the dual antibiotic treatment. The bacterial communities resulting from dual gentamicin and vancomycin addition were similar both with and without nutrients, although nutrient addition produced a much larger fungal population, which may partly explain the differences in biodegradation between these two treatments. These results suggest that the most efficient hydrocarbon‐degrading community may not always be promoted naturally in contaminated soils.