FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF MICROORGANISMS IN UNCONTAMINATED AND CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SOILS AS DETERMINED BY SOLE-CARBON-SOURCE-UTILIZATION

Functional diversifies of microorganisms from uncontaminated and creos ote-contaminated soils were assessed using sole-carbon Source-utilizat ion patterns. The microorganisms were extracted from soil samples and inoculated into Gram-negative Biolog plates incubated at 23 degrees C. Measurement of Shannon diversity, richness, and evenness indices, pri ncipal component analysis (PCA), and colour development rank (CDR) plo ts were based upon substrate utilization. Calculations incorporated da ta from both the 95 regular Gram-negative Biolog microplate wells and a selection of 23 carbon substrates that are included on Biolog Ecopla tes. There did not appear to be significant differences in Shannon div ersity and richness indices, PCA, or CDR plots between uncontaminated and creosote-contaminated soils. Significant differences in Shannon di versity and evenness indices that were apparent with the use of the 23 ecologically relevant microplate wells were mostly absent based on ca lculations that incorporated the regular 95 Gram-negative Biolog micro plate wells. Resolution of microbial communities by PCA, however, appe ared to be reduced by the use of the 23 Biolog microplate wells compar ed to the regular 95 carbon sources.