title: Oil biodegradation. Water droplets in oil are microhabitats for microbial life.
abstract: Anaerobic microbial degradation of hydrocarbons, typically occurring at the oil-water transition zone, influences the quality of oil reservoirs. In Pitch Lake, Trinidad and Tobago--the world's largest asphalt lake--we found that microorganisms are metabolically active in minuscule water droplets (1 to 3 microliters) entrapped in oil. Pyrotag sequencing of individual droplet microbiomes revealed complex methanogenic microbial communities actively degrading the oil into a diverse range of metabolites, as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. High salinity and water-stable isotopes of the droplets indicate a deep subsurface origin. The 13.5% water content and the large surface area of the droplets represent an underestimated potential for biodegradation of oil away from the oil-water transition zone.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. rainer.meckenstock@uni-due.de.
authors.forename: Rainer U
authors.initials: RU
authors.lastname: Meckenstock
authors.affiliation: Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: von Netzer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stumpp
authors.affiliation: Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tillmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lueders
authors.affiliation: Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Himmelberg
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hertkorn
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmitt-Kopplin
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mourad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harir
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Riad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hosein
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haque
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technical University Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schulze-Makuch
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum