D. Delille et B. Delille, Field observations on the variability of crude oil impact on indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments, MAR ENV RES, 49(5), 2000, pp. 403-417
Oil pollution of the oceans has been a problem ever since man began to use
fossil fuels. Biodegradation by naturally occurring populations of micro-or
ganisms is a major mechanism for the removal of petroleum from the environm
ent. To examine the effects of crude oil pollution on intertidal bacteria,
we repeated the same contamination experiments on nine different sub-Antarc
tic intertidal beaches using specifically built enclosures (PVC pipe, 15 cm
in inner diameter and 30 cm in height). Despite the pristine environmental
conditions, significant numbers of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacter
ia were observed in all the studied beaches. Introduction of oil into these
previously oil-free environments resulted in several orders of magnitude o
f increase in hydrocarbon-degrading micro-organisms within a few days in so
me of the studied sites but has no obvious effects on two others. The physi
cal environment of the bacterial assemblage seems to play a major role in t
he biodegradation capacities. After 3 months of contamination, both remaini
ng oil concentrations and biodegradation indexes differ strongly between th
e different stations. Thus, chemical and biological parameters reveal a str
ong heterogeneity of biodegradation capacities between the different sites.
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