Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Diesel oil is the main source of energy used in Antarctica. Since diesel is composed of toxic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, it represents a constant threat to the organisms inhabiting this continent. In the present study, we characterized the chemical an...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-2607/8/11/1749/ 2023-08-20T04:02:25+02:00 Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica Alejandro Gran-Scheuch Javiera Ramos-Zuñiga Edwar Fuentes Denisse Bravo José M. Pérez-Donoso agris 2020-11-07 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Environmental Microbiology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Microorganisms; Volume 8; Issue 11; Pages: 1749 Antarctica co-contamination microbial population PAHs cadmium PAH-degrading bacteria Text 2020 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 2023-08-01T00:25:28Z Diesel oil is the main source of energy used in Antarctica. Since diesel is composed of toxic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, it represents a constant threat to the organisms inhabiting this continent. In the present study, we characterized the chemical and biological parameters of diesel-exposed soils obtained from King George Island in Antarctica. Contaminated soils present PAH concentrations 1000 times higher than non-exposed soils. Some contaminated soil samples also exhibited high concentrations of cadmium and lead. A 16S metagenome analysis revealed the effect of co-contamination on bacterial communities. An increase in the relative abundance of bacteria known as PAH degraders or metal resistant was determined in co-contaminated soils. Accordingly, the soil containing higher amounts of PAHs exhibited increased dehydrogenase activity than control soils, suggesting that the microorganisms present can metabolize diesel. The inhibitory effect on soil metabolism produced by cadmium was lower in diesel-contaminated soils. Moreover, diesel-contaminated soils contain higher amounts of cultivable heterotrophic, cadmium-tolerant, and PAH-degrading bacteria than control soils. Obtained results indicate that diesel contamination at King George island has affected microbial communities, favoring the presence of microorganisms capable of utilizing PAHs as a carbon source, even in the presence of heavy metals. Text Antarc* Antarctica King George Island South Shetland Islands MDPI Open Access Publishing King George Island South Shetland Islands Microorganisms 8 11 1749 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctica co-contamination microbial population PAHs cadmium PAH-degrading bacteria |
spellingShingle |
Antarctica co-contamination microbial population PAHs cadmium PAH-degrading bacteria Alejandro Gran-Scheuch Javiera Ramos-Zuñiga Edwar Fuentes Denisse Bravo José M. Pérez-Donoso Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Antarctica co-contamination microbial population PAHs cadmium PAH-degrading bacteria |
description |
Diesel oil is the main source of energy used in Antarctica. Since diesel is composed of toxic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, it represents a constant threat to the organisms inhabiting this continent. In the present study, we characterized the chemical and biological parameters of diesel-exposed soils obtained from King George Island in Antarctica. Contaminated soils present PAH concentrations 1000 times higher than non-exposed soils. Some contaminated soil samples also exhibited high concentrations of cadmium and lead. A 16S metagenome analysis revealed the effect of co-contamination on bacterial communities. An increase in the relative abundance of bacteria known as PAH degraders or metal resistant was determined in co-contaminated soils. Accordingly, the soil containing higher amounts of PAHs exhibited increased dehydrogenase activity than control soils, suggesting that the microorganisms present can metabolize diesel. The inhibitory effect on soil metabolism produced by cadmium was lower in diesel-contaminated soils. Moreover, diesel-contaminated soils contain higher amounts of cultivable heterotrophic, cadmium-tolerant, and PAH-degrading bacteria than control soils. Obtained results indicate that diesel contamination at King George island has affected microbial communities, favoring the presence of microorganisms capable of utilizing PAHs as a carbon source, even in the presence of heavy metals. |
format |
Text |
author |
Alejandro Gran-Scheuch Javiera Ramos-Zuñiga Edwar Fuentes Denisse Bravo José M. Pérez-Donoso |
author_facet |
Alejandro Gran-Scheuch Javiera Ramos-Zuñiga Edwar Fuentes Denisse Bravo José M. Pérez-Donoso |
author_sort |
Alejandro Gran-Scheuch |
title |
Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
title_short |
Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
title_full |
Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica |
title_sort |
effect of co-contamination by pahs and heavy metals on bacterial communities of diesel contaminated soils of south shetland islands, antarctica |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 |
op_coverage |
agris |
geographic |
King George Island South Shetland Islands |
geographic_facet |
King George Island South Shetland Islands |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica King George Island South Shetland Islands |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica King George Island South Shetland Islands |
op_source |
Microorganisms; Volume 8; Issue 11; Pages: 1749 |
op_relation |
Environmental Microbiology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111749 |
container_title |
Microorganisms |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
1749 |
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1774712854788702208 |