Dataset Information

Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: 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.

SUBMITTER: Gran-Scheuch A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7695015 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

Gran-Scheuch Alejandro A Ramos-Zuñiga Javiera J Fuentes Edwar E Bravo Denisse D Pérez-Donoso José M JM

Microorganisms 20201107 11

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 contaminate ...[more]

PMID: 33171767

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Project description:Prokaryotes in coastal sediments are fundamental players in the ecosystem functioning and regulate processes relevant in the global biogeochemical cycles. Nevertheless, knowledge on benthic microbial diversity patterns across spatial scales, or as function to anthropogenic influence, is still limited. We investigated the microbial diversity in two of the most chemically polluted sites along the coast of Italy. One site is the Po River Prodelta (Northern Adriatic Sea), which receives contaminant discharge from one of the largest rivers in Europe. The other site, the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea), is a chronically polluted area due to steel production plants, oil refineries, and intense maritime traffic. We collected sediments from 30 stations along gradients of contamination, and studied prokaryotic diversity using Illumina sequencing of amplicons of a 16S rDNA gene fragment. The main sediment variables and the concentration of eleven metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured. Chemical analyses confirmed the high contamination in both sites, with concentrations of PCBs particularly high and often exceeding the sediment guidelines. The analysis of more than 3 millions 16S rDNA sequences showed that richness decreased with higher contamination levels. Multivariate analyses showed that contaminants significantly shaped community composition. Assemblages differed significantly between the two sites, but showed wide within-site variations related with spatial gradients in the chemical contamination, and the presence of a core set of OTUs shared by the two geographically distant sites. A larger importance of PCB-degrading taxa was observed in the Mar Piccolo, suggesting their potential selection in this historically polluted site. Our results indicate that sediment contamination by multiple contaminants significantly alter benthic prokaryotic diversity in coastal areas, and suggests considering the potential contribution of the resident microbes to contaminant bioremediation actions.

Project description:BackgroundEnvironmental contamination with heavy metals and metalloids due to industrial, smelting and mining activities have become common in large and growing cities. Kumasi is one of the most industrialized cities in Ghana and experiences metal pollution due to recent and past activities. Although metals are naturally abundant in the area, their accumulation in soils could potentially lead to adverse effects on local ecosystems.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to determine the distribution, enrichment, geoaccumulation and sources of metals in Kumasi soils and to estimate the contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) of these metals in soils.MethodsConcentrations of eight heavy metals and a metalloid were determined in 112 soil samples randomly collected from 31 sampling sites in the area. In addition, 5 soil samples were collected from a pristine site (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Botanical Gardens) for data comparison, to determine the local background values for metal concentrations and to evaluate the extent of metal pollution in the study area.ResultsHeavy metals such as zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) were enriched in 65, 32, 58 and 93% of the sampling sites, respectively, and geo-accumulation indexes for Cr, Zn, Cd, mercury (Hg) and Pb showed moderate to extreme contamination in 100, 97, 77, 65 and 45% of the sampling sites, respectively. Principal component and cluster analyses revealed that industrial activities including mining were the major sources of metals in Kumasi soils with high metal input in the community of Suame. Distribution maps revealed hotspots of Cd, nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu) and Pb in Suame. The highest CFs for Cu, Cd, Ni, As, Co and Pb highlighted anthropogenic inputs in Suame, while Hg was highest in Mbrom, Zn in Suntreso, and Cr in Aboabo.ConclusionsThe PLI of metals revealed Suame as the most polluted study site, while Anomangye and Bomso were the least polluted.

Dataset Information

Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

Publications

Effect of Co-contamination by PAHs and Heavy Metals on Bacterial Communities of Diesel Contaminated Soils of South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.

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