Specialized Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacteria Prevailing in Seawater around a Port in the Strait of Malacca.

ABSTRACT: Major degraders of petroleum hydrocarbons in tropical seas have been indicated only by laboratory culturing and never through observing the bacterial community structure in actual environments. To demonstrate the major degraders of petroleum hydrocarbons spilt in actual tropical seas, indigenous bacterial community in seawater at Sentosa (close to a port) and East Coast Park (far from a port) in Singapore was analyzed. Bacterial species was more diverse at Sentosa than at the Park, and the composition was different: γ-Proteobacteria (57.3%) dominated at Sentosa, while they did not at the Park. Specialized hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (SHCB), which use limited carbon sources with a preference for petroleum hydrocarbons, were found as abundant species at Sentosa, indicating petroleum contami

SUBMITTER: Teramoto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3688937 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature