Diversity and effectiveness of tropical mangrove soil microflora on the degradation of polythene carry bags

Abstract

The diversity and load of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi associated with the mangrove soil from Suva, Fiji Islands, was determined by using the plate count method. The ability of the bacterial isolates to produce various hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, gelatinase and lipase were determined using the plate assay. The heterotrophic bacterial load was considerably higher than the fungal load. There was a predominance of the gram positive genus, Bacillus. Other genera encountered included Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Listeria and Vibrio. Their effectiveness on the degradation of commercial polythene carry bags made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) was studied over a period of eight weeks in the laboratory. Biodegradation was measured in terms of mean weight loss, which was nearly 5 % after a period of eight weeks. There was a significant increase in the bacterial load of the soil attached to class 2 (HDPE) polythene. After eight weeks of submergence in mangrove soil, soil attached to class 1 and class 3 polythene mostly had Bacillus (Staphylococcus predominated in class 2 polythene). While most of the isolates were capable of producing hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase and gelatinase, lipolytic activity was low. Class 2 HDPE suffered the greatest biodegradation. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (3-4): 777-786. Epub 2007 December, 28.

Mangrove Bacterial Diversity and the Impact of Oil Contamination Revealed by Pyrosequencing: Bacterial Proxies for Oil Pollution

“…1B). The data obtained indicated a greater number of different phyla representatives than encountered in mangroves previously [20]–[23].…”

Microbial populations and activities of mangrove, restinga and Atlantic forest soils from Cardoso Island, Brazil

“…), and larger than that found in the mangrove from Suva, Fiji, at 1·07–1·35 × 10 4 g −1 dry soil (Kumar et al . ). However, unlike total bacteria counts, the frequency of sporulating bacteria and Gram‐negative bacteria was less than that found in the mangrove forest of Odisha, India, at 11–21·7 × 10 5 and 44–175 × 10 5 CFU g −1 dry soil, respectively (Mishra et al .…”

“…The fungi frequency was very restricted in the mangrove soil when compared to the Atlantic forest or to the results found for the mangrove from Suva, Fiji (Kumar et al . ), of 0·3–6 × 10 3 g −1 and the restinga at 4·6–90 × 10 3 g −1 dry soil (Fraga et al . ).…”

“…Therefore, quantification of these groups of bacteria can give an insight into the transformations in the studied soils. Gram-positive bacteria, and among these the genus Bacillus, were the predominant group in mangroves from Suva, Fiji Islands, due to its characteristic ability to form endospores (Kumar et al 2007) and therefore to its greater sustainability in the ecosystem in extreme conditions. Soil Gram-negative bacteria have functions both in the decomposition of organic substances and the transformation of N-chemical compounds, as nitrifying, denitrifying and N 2 -fixing bacteria (Mishra et al 2012).…”

Screening Of Plastic Degrading Bacteria from Dumped Soil Area

“…It has made possible most of the industrial and technological revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries. During the past 30 years plastic materials such as polyethylene (LDPE, MDPE, HDPE, LLDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PUR), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylons have been used widely in food, clothing, shelter, transportation, construction, medical and leisure industries because they are lightweight, low cost, extremely durable and relatively unbreakable (Kumar et al, 2007).…”