Resource-ratio theory is one of the major logical frameworks used in ecology to predict how competition for growth-limiting resources influences biological diversity and function within a biological community. This paper presents experimental and other evidence that resourceratio theory can also be applied to nutrient supplementation in hydrocarbon biodegradation. The theory makes two major pre...

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC)was used to investigate theBouchard 120 oil spill. The latter occurred on April 25, 2003, when the barge Bouchard 120 spilled ∼375,000 liters of No. 6 fuel oil into Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. In order to gain a better understanding of the natural processes affecting the fate of the spilled product, we collected and analyzed oil-covered r...

Microbial enumeration and identification were carried out on several oil contaminated soil samples collected from gasoline and diesel stations. Bacteria were the most dominant microbiota and were therefore classified to generic level. Eleven main genera were detected and Corynebacterium was the predominant genus in all the samples. Biochemical characterisation and substrate utilisation showed h...

Little is known about the fate of subsurface hydrocarbon plumes from deep-sea oil well blowouts and their effects on processes and communities. As deepwater drilling expands in the Faroe-Shetland Channel (FSC), oil well blowouts are a possibility, and the unusual ocean circulation of this region presents challenges to understanding possible subsurface oil pathways in the event of a spill. Here,...

Alkanes are the major components of crude oil and the most abundant and available carbon and energy sources in reservoirs. Microorganisms are common inhabitants of these environments and may have effective biodegrading strategies, based on specialized enzyme systems and metabolic pathways, as a form to access hydrocarbons as carbon and energy sources. However, the current knowledge of the micro...

The methanogenic biodegradation of crude oil involves the conversion of hydrocarbons to methanogenic substrates by syntrophic bacteria and subsequent methane production by methanogens. Assessing the metabolic roles played by various microbial species in syntrophic communities remains a challenge, but such information has important implications for bioremediation and microbial enhanced energy re...

Methods to enhance crude oil biodegradation by mixed bacterial cultures, for example, (bio)surfactant addition, are complicated by the diversity of microbial populations within a given culture. The physical and metabolic interactions between Rhodococcus sp. strain F9-D79 and Pseudomonas sp. strain JA5-B45 were examined during growth on Bow River crude oil. The effects of a nonionic chemical sur...

Halomonas species are recognized for producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) exhibiting amphiphilic properties that allow these macromolecules to interface with hydrophobic substrates, such as hydrocarbons. There remains a paucity of knowledge, however, on the potential of Halomonas EPS to influence the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. In this study, the well-characterized amphiphilic EPS produced by...

poly aromatic hydrocarbons are hydrophobic organic compound found as major contaminants in soil. soil biological activities are vital for the restoration of soil contaminated with hydrocarbons. successful application of bioremediation technology to contaminated soil requires knowledge of the characteristics of the site and the parameters that affect the microbial biodegradation of pollutants. t...