16S rRNA Gene Microarray Analysis of Microbial Communities in Ethanol-Stimulated Subsurface Sediment

Abstract

A high-density 16S rRNA gene microarray was used to analyze microbial communities in a slurry of ethanolamended, uranium-contaminated subsurface sediment. Of specific interest was the extent to which the microarray could detect temporal patterns in the relative abundance of major metabolic groups (nitrate-reducing, metal-reducing, sulfatereducing, and methanogenic taxa) that were stimulated by ethanol addition. The results show that the microarray, when used in conjunction with geochemical data and knowledge of the physiological properties of relevant taxa, provided accurate assessment of the response of key functional groups to biostimulation.

Metagenomic applications in environmental monitoring and bioremediation

“…One data set was from groundwater samples collected from a uranium and nitratecontaminated aquifer from the Bear Creek watershed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee [29]. Many field studies have been undertaken in this location to assess the potential for uranium reduction as a means of immobilization and remediation [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. Several studies have investigated the potential for bioremediation as a means to stimulate uranium reduction.…”