Response of microbial communities to oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico: A review

Abstract

Crude oil has become a part of the marine ecosystem through natural seeps and oil spills. Microbial communities have adopted various response mechanisms to adjust to oil spills that contaminate the marine environment and help restore the ecosystem to its original state. These response mechanisms ranges from change in indigenous microbial community composition, change in microbial diversity to gene diversity and modification. An instance for review was the deep-water horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The DWH oil spill was distinctive from other spills in terms of profundity, extent as well as its scale hence fears and enquiries about the state and outcome of the hydrocarbons at large is required. The main inquiry was about the metabolism ability of microbial communities; the ways, and to what degree the hydrocarbons can be metabolized. Various researches after the spill revealed that change in the successional patterns from the water column, shallow water and bottomless sea sediments to the coastline sediments saw the dominance of Roseobacter cluster within the Alphaproteobacteria on the surface, the Deltaproteobacteria closest to the wellhead, Cycloclasticus in shallow oil slicks, Colwellia and Alteromonas in the deep-sea hydrocarbon plume and sediment. These microbial communities help in bioremediation of oil during oil spills through their response mechanism. Factors such as nutrient limitation, hydrocarbon availability, ocean mixing and circulation among others also limit the rate at which microbial communities degrade hydrocarbons. This review outlines the response mechanism of microorganisms and how they help in hydrocarbon degradation.

Structure and composition of microbial communities in the water column from Southern Gulf of Mexico and detection of putative hydrocarbon‐degrading microorganisms

“…Previous mesocosm experiments using water from the sGoM have demonstrated the significant role of the genus Alteromonas in hydrocarbon degradation within this region (Régimbeau et al, 2021). While this outcome diverges from reports concerning the nGoM, where the most commonly reported genera for hydrocarbon degradation are Alcanivorax, Cycloclasticus and Colwellia (Hazen et al, 2016;Kimes et al, 2014;Linda et al, 2018), the genus Alteromonas appears to hold greater significance in the sGoM. The measurements obtained for alkB and CHB in bottom water (Table 3) suggest that the greatest degradation activity occurs in surface water.…”

From Surface Water to the Deep Sea: A Review on Factors Affecting the Biodegradation of Spilled Oil in Marine Environment

“…In the natural environment, it has been observed that the initial microbial community can contribute to up to 19% of the oil-degrading bacterial community [39]. Initial bacterial communities prior to an oil spill, in particular the naturally present oil-degrading microorganisms, may be important in controlling the development of oil-degrading communities [158]. Recent studies have identified bacteria from more than 79 genera that have the capabilities to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons [159].…”

Biodegradation of binary mixtures of octane with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene or xylene (BTEX): insights on the potential of Burkholderia, Ralstonia, Pseudomonas, and Cupriavidus isolates

“…In polluted sites, hydrocarbons undergo biodegradation by actions of natural bacterial populations capable of utilizing these compounds as carbon and energy sources (Bacosa et al 2016;Adzigbli et al 2018;Dominguez et al 2019;. Upon the introduction of hydrocarbons, the natural micro ora shifts to favor the growth of oil-degrading bacterial populations and often result in a signi cant shift in community structure (Severin et al 2016;Gemmell et al 2018;Bacosa et al 2018;Kamalanathan et al 2019;Steichen et al 2020).…”