Open AccessEffects of petroleum mixture types on soil bacterial population dynamics associated with the biodegradation of hydrocarbons in soil environments
Author(s) -
Hamamura Natsuko,
Ward David M.,
Inskeep William P.
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 - 10.1111/1574-6941.12108
Subject(s) - soil water , population , biodegradation , diesel fuel , environmental chemistry , hydrocarbon , biology , mineralization (soil science) , pentachlorophenol , soil contamination , microbial population biology , total petroleum hydrocarbon , soil classification , soil microbiology , petroleum , rhodococcus , soil type , ecology , chemistry , bacteria , organic chemistry , paleontology , genetics , demography , sociology
Soil bacterial population dynamics were examined to assess patterns in microbial response to contamination by different petroleum mixtures with variation in n ‐alkane profiles or toxic constituents such as pentachlorophenol ( PCP ). Three soil types from distinct areas of the United States ( M ontana, O regon, and A rizona) were used in controlled perturbation experiments containing crude oil, kerosene, diesel, or diesel plus PCP spiked with 14 C‐hexadecane or 14 C‐tridecane. After a 50‐day incubation, 30–70% of added 14 C‐alkanes were mineralized to 14 CO 2 in Montana and Oregon soils. In contrast, significantly lower mineralization was observed with diesel or kerosene (< 5%) compared to crude‐oil treatment (~45%) in the A rizona soil. Different hydrocarbon mixtures selected both unique and common microbial populations across all three soils. Conversely, the contamination of different soils with the same mixture selected for distinct microbial populations. The most consistent genotype observed, a R hodococcus‐ like population, was present in the M ontana soil with all mixture types. The addition of PCP selected for PCP ‐tolerant alkane‐degrading specialist populations. The results indicated that petroleum mixture type influenced hydrocarbon degradation rates and microbial population selection and that soil characteristics, especially organic content, could also be an important determinant of community responses to hydrocarbon perturbation.