title: Halophyte plant colonization as a driver of the composition of bacterial communities in salt marshes chronically exposed to oil hydrocarbons.
abstract: In this study, two molecular techniques [denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and barcoded pyrosequencing] were used to evaluate the composition of bacterial communities in salt marsh microhabitats [bulk sediment and sediment surrounding the roots (rhizosphere) of Halimione portulacoides and Sarcocornia perennis ssp. perennis] that have been differentially affected by oil hydrocarbon (OH) pollution. Both DGGE and pyrosequencing revealed that bacterial composition is structured by microhabitat. Rhizosphere sediment from both plant species revealed enrichment of operational taxonomic units closely related to Acidimicrobiales, Myxococcales and Sphingomonadales. The in silico metagenome analyses suggest that homologous genes related to OH degradation appeared to be more frequent in both plant rhizospheres than in bulk sediment. In summary, this study suggests that halophyte plant colonization is an important driver of hydrocarbonoclastic bacterial community composition in estuarine environments, which can be exploited for in situ phytoremediation of OH in salt marsh environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Newton C M
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Daniel F R
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Cleary
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Artur M S
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Mário M Q
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Ângela
authors.initials: Â
authors.lastname: Cunha
mesh_terms: D020561:Alphaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D027703:Amaranthaceae / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D058645:Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D054892:Metagenome / Q000235:genetics; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000235:genetics; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D058441:Rhizosphere; D055051:Salt-Tolerant Plants / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: microbial diversity; pyrosequencing; rhizosphere; salt marshes