This paper describes the application of two direct and one indirect methods for the extraction of microbial community DNA from soils polluted with heavy metals. DNA was extracted directly from soil using a gentle method based on soil incubation at 37°C with proteinase K and SDS, or the method was modified by the addition of a bead beating step. The indirect approach was based on the RNA/DNA ext...

List of Abbreviations CIIAPTER ONE General Introduction Pollution of Saudi Arabian soil with crude oil Chemistry and biodegradability of petroleum hydrocarbon Environmental fate of petroleum Factors influencing petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation Distribution of petroleum-utilizing microorganisms in the environment Biological degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon Bacterial degradation of oil Fu...

biodegradation of phenol is a major focus of toxic organic compound degradation by microorganisms isolated from polluted areas. an increasing number of bacteria and fungi possessing unique biodegradation capabilities have been isolated in recent years. in this study a new isolate, rhodococcus erythropolis sko-1, from polluted soils in the tehran oil refinery region, is reported. identificati...

Earlier phases of economic expansion and urban development have resulted in significant sources of urban soil contamination. Petroleum hydrocarbons are one of the most common groups of persistent organic contaminants in the environment. In this study, two types of treatment in 3 concentrations were prepared that were included plant treated by 1% oil pollution, treatment by 1% contamination with...

Concentration levels of hexavalent chromium in contaminated soil and in Zea mays plant parts were determined and Cr(VI) bioaccumulation and bioconcentration capacity of this plant were discussed. Zea mays seeds were sown in 40 mg Cr(VI)/kg dw polluted soil. After harvesting it was observed that hexavalent chromium concentrations in plant organs decreased in the following order: roots > stems > ...

Establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in plant roots can affect plant physiological and morphological characteristics and may induce tolerance to heavy metals in plants grown in polluted soils; therefore, it can play an important role in phytoremediation. In present study, to investigate the effect of mycorrhizae on alfalfa growth and Pb uptake, a factorial experiment was designed w...

The introduction of behavioural aspects of soil animals in ecological risk assessment would allow us to better assess soil quality, all the more if a range of animal populations are considered. We compared the avoidance behaviour of several strains of springtails (Arthropoda: Collembola) obtained from different soils. Naphthalene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), widely represented in s...

Abstract Nickel is a heavy metal distributed ubiquitously in nature. It accumulates in soil as a result of human activities, including mining and industries development. It may be poisonous to plants, humans, animals and microorganisms. The present study was implemented as a factorial experiment with a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), of three replications in calcareous soils of Karaj...