Degradation of oil by fungi isolated from Gulf of Mexico beaches.
Fungi of the Ascomycota phylum were isolated from oil-soaked sand patties collected from beaches following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To examine their ability to degrade oil, fungal isolates were grown on oiled quartz at 20°C, 30°C and 40°C. Consistent trends in oil degradation were not related to fungal species or temperature and all isolates degraded variable quantities of oil (32-65%). Fungal isolates preferentially degraded short (<C18; 90-99%) as opposed to long (C19-C36; 7-87%) chain n-alkanes and straight chain C17- and C18-n-alkanes (91-99%) compared to their branched counterparts, pristane and phytane (70-98%). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds were also degraded by the fungal isolates (42-84% total degraded), with a preference for low molecular weight over high molecular weight PAHs. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the capacity of fungi to degrade oil in the coastal marine environment.
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States.
R L
RL
Simister
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States.
C M
CM
Poutasse
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States.
A M
AM
Thurston
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States.
J L
JL
Reeve
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States.
M C
MC
Baker
Department of Chemistry, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041, United States. Electronic address: hwhite@alum.mit.edu.
H K
HK
White
D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D060851:Gulf of America; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011791:Quartz; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
D000473:Alkanes; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010578:Petroleum; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011791:Quartz; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
Ascomycota; Deepwater Horizon; Petroleum; Sand patties