The widespread contamination of aquatic sediments by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has created a need for cost-effective remediation processes. Many common PAHs are biodegradable, leading to studies investigating the potential of sediment bioremediation. This article reviews several factors that currently complicate the implementation of sediment bioremediation processes: the effect of complex mixtures of contaminants on the rate and extent of degradation observed, the bioavailability of PAHs in sorbed- and nonaqueous-phase, and methods being evaluated to enhance degradation/availability (surfactant-enhanced solubility, nutrient addition, and bioaugmentation).

Abstract-The biodegradation of fluoranthene, alone and in mixtures with naphthalene and acenaphthene, was studied in systems with and without sediments. In sediment-free systems, fluoranthene was not degraded when present alone or in combination with acenaphthene but was degraded when combined with naphthalene. Naphthalene and acenaphthene degradation were not influenced by fluoranthene. In sediment-containing systems, fluoranthene degradation occurred only in the presence of naphthalene. After complete degradation of naphthalene, fluoranthene degradation stopped. Experiments using all three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in both sediment-free and -containing systems showed results similar to those obtained using pairs.

The ability of populations to rapidly adapt to new environments will determine their future in an increasingly human-modified world. Although meta-analyses do frequently uncover signatures of local adaptation, they also reveal many exceptions. We suggest that particular constraints on local adaptation might arise when organisms are exposed to novel stressors, such as anthropogenic pollution. To inform this possibility, we studied the extent to which guppies (Poecilia reticulata) show local adaptation to oil pollution in southern Trinidad. Neutral genetic markers revealed that paired populations in oil-polluted versus not-polluted habitats diverged independently in two different watersheds. Morphometrics revealed some divergence (particularly in head shape) between these environments, some of which was parallel between rivers. Reciprocal transplant experiments in nature, however, found little evidence of local adaptation based on survival and growth. Moreover, subsequent laboratory experiments showed that the two populations from oil-polluted sites showed only weak local adaptation even when compared to guppies from oil-free northern Trinidad. We conclude that guppies show little local adaptation to oil pollution, which might result from the challenges associated with adaptation to particularly stressful environments. It might also reflect genetic drift owing to small population sizes and/or high gene flow between environments.

Pitch Lake in Trinidad and Tobago is a natural asphalt reservoir nourished by pitch seepage, a form of petroleum that consists of mostly asphaltines, from the surrounding oil-rich region. During upward seepage, pitch mixes with mud and gases under high pressure, and the lighter portion evaporates or is volatilized, which produces a liquid asphalt residue characterized by low water activity, recalcitrant carbon substrates, and noxious chemical compounds. An active microbial community of archaea and bacteria, many of them novel strains (particularly from the new Tar ARC groups), totaling a biomass of up to 10(7) cells per gram, was found to inhabit the liquid hydrocarbon matrix of Pitch Lake. Geochemical and molecular taxonomic approaches revealed diverse, novel, and deeply branching microbial lineages with the potential to mediate anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation processes in different parts of the asphalt column. In addition, we found markers for archaeal methane metabolism and specific gene sequences affiliated with facultative and obligate anaerobic sulfur- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. The microbial diversity at Pitch Lake was found to be unique when compared to microbial communities analyzed at other hydrocarbon-rich environments, which included Rancho Le Brea, a natural asphalt environment in California, USA, and an oil well and a mud volcano in Trinidad and Tobago, among other sites. These results open a window into the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of recalcitrant hydrocarbon matrices and establish the site as a terrestrial analogue for modeling the biotic potential of hydrocarbon lakes such as those found on Saturn's largest moon Titan.

The biodegradation of fluoranthene, alone and in mixtures with naphthalene and acenaphthene, was studied in systems with and without sediments. In sediment-free systems, fluoranthene was not degraded when present alone or in combination with acenaphthene but was degraded when combined with naphthalene. Naphthalene and acenaphthene degradation were not influenced by fluoranthene. In sediment-containing systems, fluoranthene degradation occurred only in the presence of naphthalene. After complete degradation of naphthalene, fluoranthene degradation stopped. Experiments using all three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in both sediment-free and -containing systems showed results similar to those obtained using pairs.