title: Deep-sea oil plume enriches indigenous oil-degrading bacteria.
abstract: The biological effects and expected fate of the vast amount of oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon blowout are unknown owing to the depth and magnitude of this event. Here, we report that the dispersed hydrocarbon plume stimulated deep-sea indigenous γ-Proteobacteria that are closely related to known petroleum degraders. Hydrocarbon-degrading genes coincided with the concentration of various oil contaminants. Changes in hydrocarbon composition with distance from the source and incubation experiments with environmental isolates demonstrated faster-than-expected hydrocarbon biodegradation rates at 5°C. Based on these results, the potential exists for intrinsic bioremediation of the oil plume in the deep-water column without substantial oxygen drawdown.
authors.affiliation: MS 70A-3317, One Cyclotron Road, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. tchazen@lbl.gov
authors.forename: Terry C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hazen
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Dubinsky
authors.forename: Todd Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: DeSantis
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Yvette M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Piceno
authors.forename: Navjeet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Janet K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Jansson
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Probst
authors.forename: Sharon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Borglin
authors.forename: Julian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fortney
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Stringfellow
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bill
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Tom
authors.forename: Krystle L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chavarria
authors.forename: Thana R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Alusi
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lamendella
authors.forename: Dominique C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Joyner
authors.forename: Chelsea
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spier
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baelum
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Auer
authors.forename: Marcin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zemla
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Sonnenthal
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'haeseleer
authors.forename: Hoi-Ying N
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Holman
authors.forename: Shariff
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: Zhenmei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Joy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Van Nostrand
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Jizhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Olivia U
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D020563:Gammaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D044130:Oceanospirillaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis; D010802:Phylogeny; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum; D010743:Phospholipids