Abstract
Despite decades of research there is limited understanding of how vegetation impacts the ability of microbial communities to process organic contaminants in soil. Using a combination of traditional and molecular assays, we examined how phytoremediation with willow and/or fertilization affected the microbial community present and active in the transformation of diesel contaminants. In a pot study, willow had a significant role in structuring the total bacterial community and resulted in significant decreases in diesel range organics (DRO). However, stable isotope probing (SIP) indicated that fertilizer drove the differences seen in community structure and function. Finally, analysis of the total variance in both pot and SIP experiments indicated an interactive effect between willow and fertilizer on the bacterial communities. This study clearly demonstrates that a willow native to Alaska accelerates DRO degradation, and together with fertilizer, increases aromatic degradation by shifting microbial community structure and the identity of active naphthalene degraders.
Highlights
Release of diesel and other petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment is a widespread, global problem and can be caused by leaking storage tanks, land disposal of petroleum waste and accidental spills (Bossert and Bartha, 1984)
We examined the ability of S. alaxensis and/or fertilizer to stimulate diesel fuel oil biodegradation in soil, and subsequently applied stable isotope probing (SIP) methods to determine how willows and nutrients affect community structure and the identity of active naphthalene-degrading bacteria
We hypothesized that the identity of naphthalene degraders would differ in rhizosphere compared to bulk soils because of the selective rhizosphere effect, and because the quantity of phenolics released by plants is associated with nutrient availability (Dakora and Phillips, 2002), we hypothesized that willow and mineral fertilizer would have differential and combined impacts on the diversity and activity of bacterial communities in diesel fuel-contaminated soil, including taxa involved in naphthalene biodegradation
Summary
Release of diesel and other petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment is a widespread, global problem and can be caused by leaking storage tanks, land disposal of petroleum waste and accidental spills (Bossert and Bartha, 1984). Diesel fuels, used in internal combustion engines, predominantly contain a mixture of hydrocarbons that typically include between 8 and 28 carbon atoms per molecule. We examined the ability of S. alaxensis and/or fertilizer to stimulate diesel fuel oil biodegradation in soil, and subsequently applied stable isotope probing (SIP) methods to determine how willows and nutrients affect community structure and the identity of active naphthalene-degrading bacteria. We hypothesized that the identity of naphthalene degraders would differ in rhizosphere compared to bulk soils because of the selective rhizosphere effect, and because the quantity of phenolics released by plants is associated with nutrient availability (Dakora and Phillips, 2002), we hypothesized that willow and mineral fertilizer would have differential and combined impacts on the diversity and activity of bacterial communities in diesel fuel-contaminated soil, including taxa involved in naphthalene biodegradation
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