title: Using dispersants after oil spills: impacts on the composition and activity of microbial communities.
abstract: Dispersants are globally and routinely applied as an emergency response to oil spills in marine ecosystems with the goal of chemically enhancing the dissolution of oil into water, which is assumed to stimulate microbially mediated oil biodegradation. However, little is known about how dispersants affect the composition of microbial communities or their biodegradation activities. The published findings are controversial, probably owing to variations in laboratory methods, the selected model organisms and the chemistry of different dispersant-oil mixtures. Here, we argue that an in-depth assessment of the impacts of dispersants on microorganisms is needed to evaluate the planning and use of dispersants during future responses to oil spills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA. Present address: Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kleindienst
authors.affiliation: College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Samantha B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Joye
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D064307:Microbiota / Q000502:physiology*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical