title: Initial community and environment determine the response of bacterial communities to dispersant and oil contamination.
abstract: Bioremediation of seawater by natural bacterial communities is one potential response to coastal oil spills, but the success of the approach may vary, depending on geographical location, oil composition and the timing of spill. The short term response of coastal bacteria to dispersant, oil and dispersed oil was characterized using 16S rRNA gene tags in two mesocosm experiments conducted two months apart. Despite differences in the amount of oil-derived alkanes across the treatments and experiments, increases in the contributions of hydrocarbon degrading taxa and decreases in common estuarine bacteria were observed in response to dispersant and/or oil. Between the two experiments, the direction and rates of changes in particulate alkane concentrations differed, as did the magnitude of the bacterial response to oil and/or dispersant. Together, our data underscore large variability in bacterial responses to hydrocarbon pollutants, implying that bioremediation success varies with starting biological and environmental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, 307 University Blvd, Mobile, AL 36688, United States; Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101B Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, United States. Electronic address: aortmann@disl.org.
authors.forename: Alice C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ortmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, United States.
authors.forename: YueHan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000032:analysis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D044822:Biodiversity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: 16S rRNA; Bacterial community; Deepwater Horizon; Gulf of Mexico; Oil spill; Particulate alkanes