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Identities of Epilithic Hydrocarbon-Utilizing Diazotrophic Bacteria from the Arabian Gulf Coasts, and Their Potential for Oil Bioremediation Without Nitrogen Supplementation

  • Microbiology of Aquatic Systems
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Abstract

Gravel particles from four sites along the Arabian Gulf coast in autumn, winter, and spring were naturally colonized with microbial consortia containing between 7 and 400 × 102 cm−2 of cultivable oil-utilizing bacteria. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of 70 representatives of oil-utilizing bacteria revealed that they were predominantly affiliated with the Gammaproteobacteria and the Actinobacteria. The Gammaproteobacteria comprised among others, the genera Pseudomonas, Pseudoalteromonas, Shewanella, Marinobacter, Psychrobacter, Idiomarina, Alcanivorax, Cobetia, and others. Actinobacteria comprised the genera Dietzia, Kocuria, Isoptericola, Rhodococcus, Microbacterium, and others. In autumn, Firmicutes members were isolated from bay and nonbay stations while Alphaproteobacteria were detected only during winter from Anjefa bay station. Fingerprinting by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of amplified 16S rRNA genes of whole microbial consortia confirmed the culture-based bacterial diversities in the various epilithons in various sites and seasons. Most of the representative oil-utilizing bacteria isolated from the epilithons were diazotrophic and could attenuate oil also in nitrogen-rich (7.9–62%) and nitrogen-free (4–54%) cultures, which, makes the microbial consortia suitable for oil bioremediation in situ, without need for nitrogen supplementation. This was confirmed in bench-scale experiments in which unfertilized oily seawater was bioremediated by epilithon-coated gravel particles.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Kuwait University, Research project grant no. RS02/04. Thanks are also due to the SAF, Kuwait University, for their help in DNA sequencing through GS 01/02, and to Mr. Mohammad Elyas for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology program, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat, 13060, Kuwait

    Samir Radwan, Huda Mahmoud, Majida Khanafer, Aamar Al-Habib & Redha Al-Hasan

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  1. Samir Radwan
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  2. Huda Mahmoud
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  3. Majida Khanafer
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  4. Aamar Al-Habib
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  5. Redha Al-Hasan
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Correspondence to Samir Radwan or Huda Mahmoud.

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Radwan, S., Mahmoud, H., Khanafer, M. et al. Identities of Epilithic Hydrocarbon-Utilizing Diazotrophic Bacteria from the Arabian Gulf Coasts, and Their Potential for Oil Bioremediation Without Nitrogen Supplementation. Microb Ecol 60, 354–363 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9702-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9702-x

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