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. 2012 Aug 30:12:186.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-186.

Microbial diversity and anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation potential in an oil-contaminated mangrove sediment

Luiza L Andrade  1 , Deborah C A Leite, Edir M Ferreira, Lívia Q Ferreira, Geraldo R Paula, Michael J Maguire, Casey R J Hubert, Raquel S Peixoto, Regina M C P Domingues, Alexandre S Rosado
Affiliations

Microbial diversity and anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation potential in an oil-contaminated mangrove sediment

Luiza L Andrade et al. BMC Microbiol. .

Abstract

Background: Mangrove forests are coastal wetlands that provide vital ecosystem services and serve as barriers against natural disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes and tropical storms. Mangroves harbour a large diversity of organisms, including microorganisms with important roles in nutrient cycling and availability. Due to tidal influence, mangroves are sites where crude oil from spills farther away can accumulate. The relationship between mangrove bacterial diversity and oil degradation in mangrove sediments remains poorly understood.

Results: Mangrove sediment was sampled from 0-5, 15-20 and 35-40 cm depth intervals from the Suruí River mangrove (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), which has a history of oil contamination. DGGE fingerprinting for bamA, dsr and 16S rRNA encoding fragment genes, and qPCR analysis using dsr and 16S rRNA gene fragment revealed differences with sediment depth.

Conclusions: Analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene diversity revealed changes with depth. DGGE for bamA and dsr genes shows that the anaerobic hydrocarbon-degrading community profile also changed between 5 and 15 cm depth, and is similar in the two deeper sediments, indicating that below 15 cm the anaerobic hydrocarbon-degrading community appears to be well established and homogeneous in this mangrove sediment. qPCR analysis revealed differences with sediment depth, with general bacterial abundance in the top layer (0-5 cm) being greater than in both deeper sediment layers (15-20 and 35-40 cm), which were similar to each other.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
16S rRNA dendrogram for different depths of mangrove sediment and the gel image. Dendrogram generated based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of 16S rRNA gene fragments from triplicates of mangrove sediment from 3 different depths: 0–5, 15–20 and 35-40 cm, and the DGGE gel image.
Figure 2
Figure 2
dsr gene dendrogram and gel image for different depths of mangrove sediment. Dendrogram generated based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of dsr gene from triplicates of mangrove sediment from 3 different depths: 0–5, 15–20 and 35-40 cm, and the gel image.
Figure 3
Figure 3
bamA gene dendrogram and gel image for different depths of mangrove sediment. Dendrogram generated based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of bamA gene from triplicates of mangrove sediment from 3 different depths: 0–5, 15–20 and 35-40 cm, and the gel image.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Bacterial abundance at different depths of mangrove sediment. Abundance of bacterial populations on mangrove sediments of three different depths tested with q-PCR using oligonucleotide primers for 16S rRNA gene encoding fragment (a) and oligonucleotide primers for dsr gene (b). Bars with the same letter are not significantly different (one-way ANOVA).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Suruí Mangrove location. Location of the Suruí Mangrove. The oil refinery nearby is indicated by formula image.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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