Contamination and potential biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mangrove sediments of Xiamen, China.
Five stations were established in the Fenglin mangrove area of Xiamen, China to determine the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the numbers of PAH-degrading bacteria in surface sediments. Assessing the biodegradation potential of indigenous microorganisms and isolating the high molecule weight (HMW)-PAH degrading bacteria was also one of the aims of this work. The results showed that the total PAH concentration of sediments was 222.59 ng g(-1) dry weight, whereas the HMW-PAH benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) had the highest concentration among 16 individual PAH compounds. The variation in the numbers of PAH-degrading bacteria was 2.62 x 10(2)-5.67 x 10(4)CFU g(-1) dry weight. The addition of PAHs showed a great influence in increasing the microbial activity in mangrove sediments. A bacterial consortium, which could utilize BaP as the sole source of carbon and energy, and which was isolated from mangrove sediments and enriched in liquid medium for nearly one year degraded 32.8% of BaP after 63 days incubation.
Tian
Yun
Y
School of Life Sciences, MOE Key Laboratory for Cell Biology and Tumor Cell Engineering, Institute for Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. tianyun@xmu.edu.cn
Luo
Yuan-rong
YR
Zheng
Tian-ling
TL
Cai
Li-zhe
LZ
Cao
Xiao-xing
XX
Yan
Chong-ling
CL
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D043982:Rhizophoraceae / Q000502:physiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical