title: Methods for visualising active microbial benzene degraders in in situ microcosms.
abstract: Natural attenuation maybe a cost-efficient option for bioremediation of contaminated sites but requires knowledge about the activity of degrading microbes under in situ conditions. In order to link microbial activity to the spatial distribution of contaminant degraders, we combined the recently improved in situ microcosm approach, so-called 'direct-push bacterial trap' (DP-BACTRAP), with nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) analysis on samples from contaminated constructed wetlands. This approach is based on initially sterile microcosms amended with (13)C-labelled benzene as a source of carbon and energy for microorganisms. The microcosms were introduced directly in the constructed wetland, where they were colonised by indigenous microorganisms from the sediment. After incubation in the field, the samples were analysed by NanoSIMS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence microscopy in order to visualise (13)C-labelled microbial biomass on undisturbed samples from the microcosms. With the approach developed, we successfully visualised benzene-degrading microbes on solid materials with high surface area by means of NanoSIMS. Moreover, we could demonstrate the feasibility of NanoSIMS analysis of unembedded porous media with a highly complex topography, which was frequently reasoned to not lead to sufficient results.
authors.affiliation: Department for Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany, christian.schurig@ufz.de.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schurig
authors.forename: Carsten W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Höschen
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kothe
authors.forename: Henrike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miltner
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kästner
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001554:Benzene / Q000737:chemistry*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D001554:Benzene