Microbial Responses to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: From Coastal Wetlands to the Deep Sea

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico represents the largest marine accidental oil spill in history. It is distinguished from past spills in that it occurred at the greatest depth (1,500 m), the amount of hydrocarbon gas (mostly methane) lost was equivalent to the mass of crude oil released, and dispersants were used for the first time in the deep sea in an attempt to remediate the spill. The spill is also unique in that it has been characterized with an unprecedented level of resolution using next-generation sequencing technologies, especially for the ubiquitous hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities that appeared largely to consume the gases and to degrade a significant fraction of the petroleum. Results have shown an unexpectedly rapid response of deep-sea Gammaproteobacteria to oil and gas and documented a distinct succession correlated with the control of the oil flow and well shut-in. Similar successional events, also involving Gammaproteobacteria, have been observed in nearshore systems as well.

Microbial community successional patterns in beach sands impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

“…Drilling rig in April 2010 constitutes the largest accidental release of oil into the marine environment in recorded history. Oil contamination from the DWH spill had a profound impact on indigenous microbial communities, and all available studies recognize shifts in the composition of microbial communities in direct contact with oiled seawater and sediments in comparison with pristine environments (Atlas and Hazen, 2011;Joye et al, 2014;Kostka et al, 2014;King et al, 2015). Moreover, consistent patterns were observed in microbial communities exposed to DWH oil in the Gulf of Mexico including an increase in the relative abundance of members of the Gammaproteobacteria, a prevalence of known hydrocarbon-degrading populations, and the enriched abundance and expression of genes related to hydrocarbon degradation Kostka et al, 2014;King et al, 2015).…”

“…Oil contamination from the DWH spill had a profound impact on indigenous microbial communities, and all available studies recognize shifts in the composition of microbial communities in direct contact with oiled seawater and sediments in comparison with pristine environments (Atlas and Hazen, 2011;Joye et al, 2014;Kostka et al, 2014;King et al, 2015). Moreover, consistent patterns were observed in microbial communities exposed to DWH oil in the Gulf of Mexico including an increase in the relative abundance of members of the Gammaproteobacteria, a prevalence of known hydrocarbon-degrading populations, and the enriched abundance and expression of genes related to hydrocarbon degradation Kostka et al, 2014;King et al, 2015). These patterns and microbial responses are also in accordance with observations from laboratory studies and previous accidental releases of oil in marine environments (Röling et al, 2002;Head et al, 2006;Yakimov et al, 2007;Berthe-Corti and Nachtkamp, 2010;Greer, 2010;McGenity et al, 2012).…”

Treatment of Oil-Contaminated Water by Modified Polysilicate Aluminum Ferric Sulfate

“…According to oil droplet size, the oil droplets in the wastewater are divided into four categories: oil slick, dispersed oil, emulsified oil, and dissolved oil [8]. Among them, emulsified oil is a colloidal dispersion of two immiscible liquid phases with thermodynamic instability and kinetic stability of the adsorption layer.…”

Benzene Degradation by a Variovorax Species within a Coal Tar-Contaminated Groundwater Microbial Community

“…Aerobic hydrocarbon degradation is one of the most well-described microbially mediated processes in the environment (7)(8)(9). Numerous studies have applied assays with molecular biomarker approaches to contaminated sites, with the objective of exploring the diversities of biodegradation genes and of the naturally occurring populations involved in metabolizing hydrocarbons (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”