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Microbial Community Analysis of Soils Contaminated with Lead, Chromium and Petroleum Hydrocarbons

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Abstract

The impact on the microbial community of long-term environmental exposure to metal and organic contamination was investigated. Twenty-four soil samples were collected along a transect dug in soils contaminated with road paint and paint solvents, mainly toluene. Chemical analysis along the transect revealed a range from high to low concentrations of metals (lead and chromium) and organic solvent compounds. Principal components analysis of microbial community structure based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene and fatty acid methyl esters derived from phospholipids (phospholipid fatty acid analysis) showing samples with similar fingerprints also had similar contaminant concentrations. There was also a weak positive correlation between microbial biomass and the organic carbon concentration. Results indicated that microbial populations are present despite some extreme contaminant levels in this mixed-waste contaminated site. Nucleotide sequence determination of the 16S rRNA gene indicated the presence of phylogenetically diverse bacteria belonging to the α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Proteobacteria, the high and low G + C Gram-positive bacteria, green nonsulfur, OP8, and others that did not group within a described division. This indicates that soils contaminated with both heavy metals and hydrocarbons for several decades have undergone changes in community composition, but still contain a phylogenetically diverse group of bacteria (including novel phylotypes) that warrant further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Departmentof Energy's Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program (Grant # DE-FG02-98ER62681).

Our thanks to Indiana Department of Transport and in particular Bill Jervis for giving us access to this site, Dr. Linda Lee for discussion on soil chemical status of the site, Dr. Jayson Wilbur for discussion on community analysis methods, to Corinne Ackerman and the Purdue University statistical consulting service for advice on statistical analyses, and to Andre Hudson for assisting in sample collection.

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  1. Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2054, USA

    Janet Joynt, Marianne Bischoff, Ron Turco & Cindy H. Nakatsu

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Allan Konopka

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  1. Janet Joynt
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  2. Marianne Bischoff
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  5. Cindy H. Nakatsu
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Correspondence to Cindy H. Nakatsu.

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Joynt, J., Bischoff, M., Turco, R. et al. Microbial Community Analysis of Soils Contaminated with Lead, Chromium and Petroleum Hydrocarbons. Microb Ecol 51, 209–219 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-005-0205-0

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