Microbial Communities Associated with Zones of Elevated Magnetic Susceptibility in Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sediments

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements can play an important role in identifying zones where microbial-mediated iron mineral transformations are occurring. Here we investigated the microbial community variations within zones of elevated MS in a petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota, USA. Our main objective was to 1) identify the key microbial populations that may play a role in hydrocarbon degradation, 2) analyze which microbial populations could be connected to the elevated MS and 3) explore the use of non-destructive geophysical techniques as a tool to guide microbial sampling. Clone libraries based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed the presence of iron-reducing β-Proteobacteria in the vadose zone, whereas the free petroleum phase on the water table was characterized by a methanogenic consortium, in which the syntrophic δ-proteobacterium Smithella and the hydrogenotrophic Methanoregula predominated. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) found a close relationship between elevated MS values and the methanogenic hydrocarbon-degrading consortium. Our results suggest that magnetic susceptibility measurements can guide microbiologists to zones of active microbial biodegradation in aged petroleum spills.

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Biodegradation; Bioremediation; Gene; Magnetic Susceptibility; Microbial Activity; Microbial Community; Petroleum Hydrocarbon; RNA; Sediment Pollution; Bemidji; Minnesota; United States; Proteobacteria; 16s rRNA Gene; Clone Libraries; Hydrocarbon Contamination; Magnetic Susceptibility; Smithella

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0149-0451

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2016 Taylor & Francis, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2016

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