Characterization of sediment microbial communities at two sites with low hydrocarbon pollution in the southeast Gulf of Mexico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Coastal ecosystems are prone to hydrocarbon pollution due to human activities, and this issue has a tremendous impact on the environment, socioeconomic consequences, and represents a hazard to humans. Bioremediation relies on the ability of bacteria to metabolize hydrocarbons with the aim of cleaning up polluted sites.

Methods

The potential of naturally occurring microbial communities as oil degraders was investigated in Sisal and Progreso, two port locations in the southeast Gulf of Mexico, both with a low level of hydrocarbon pollution. To do so, we determined the diversity and composition of bacterial communities in the marine sediment during the dry and rainy seasons using 16S rRNA sequencing. Functional profile analysis (PICRUTSt2) was used to predict metabol

SUBMITTER: Suarez-Moo P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7731659 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature