title: Bacterial community structure in soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
abstract: Bacterial community structure was examined in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soil taken from a timber treatment facility in southern Ireland. Profiles of soil bacterial communities were generated using a molecular fingerprinting technique, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP), and results were interpreted using sophisticated multivariate statistical analysis. Findings suggested that there was a correlation between PAH structure and bacterial community composition. Initial characterisation of soil from the timber treatment facility indicated that PAH contamination was unevenly distributed across the site. Bacterial community composition was correlated with the type of PAH present, with microbial community structure associated with soil contaminated with two-ringed PAHs only being distinctly different to communities in soils contaminated with multi-component PAH mixtures. Typically the number of bacterial ribotypes detected in samples did not appear to be adversely affected by the level of contamination.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Ecology and Biodegradation Group, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Ardmore House, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muckian
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Clipson
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018533:Biomass; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D007494:Ireland; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012988:Soil Microbiology / Q000592:standards*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012989:Soil Pollutants