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Howe KL, Zaugg J, Mason OU. Novel, active, and uncultured hydrocarbon-degrading microbes in the ocean. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0122424. [PMID: 39177328 PMCID: PMC11409719 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01224-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the vast quantity of oil and gas input to the marine environment annually, hydrocarbon degradation by marine microorganisms is an essential ecosystem service. Linkages between taxonomy and hydrocarbon degradation capabilities are largely based on cultivation studies, leaving a knowledge gap regarding the intrinsic ability of uncultured marine microbes to degrade hydrocarbons. To address this knowledge gap, metagenomic sequence data from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill deep-sea plume was assembled to which metagenomic and metatranscriptomic reads were mapped. Assembly and binning produced new DWH metagenome-assembled genomes that were evaluated along with their close relatives, all of which are from the marine environment (38 total). These analyses revealed globally distributed hydrocarbon-degrading microbes with clade-specific substrate degradation potentials that have not been reported previously. For example, methane oxidation capabilities were identified in all Cycloclasticus. Furthermore, all Bermanella encoded and expressed genes for non-gaseous n-alkane degradation; however, DWH Bermanella encoded alkane hydroxylase, not alkane 1-monooxygenase. All but one previously unrecognized DWH plume member in the SAR324 and UBA11654 have the capacity for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation. In contrast, Colwellia were diverse in the hydrocarbon substrates they could degrade. All clades encoded nutrient acquisition strategies and response to cold temperatures, while sensory and acquisition capabilities were clade specific. These novel insights regarding hydrocarbon degradation by uncultured planktonic microbes provides missing data, allowing for better prediction of the fate of oil and gas when hydrocarbons are input to the ocean, leading to a greater understanding of the ecological consequences to the marine environment.IMPORTANCEMicrobial degradation of hydrocarbons is a critically important process promoting ecosystem health, yet much of what is known about this process is based on physiological experiments with a few hydrocarbon substrates and cultured microbes. Thus, the ability to degrade the diversity of hydrocarbons that comprise oil and gas by microbes in the environment, particularly in the ocean, is not well characterized. Therefore, this study aimed to utilize non-cultivation-based 'omics data to explore novel genomes of uncultured marine microbes involved in degradation of oil and gas. Analyses of newly assembled metagenomic data and previously existing genomes from other marine data sets, with metagenomic and metatranscriptomic read recruitment, revealed globally distributed hydrocarbon-degrading marine microbes with clade-specific substrate degradation potentials that have not been previously reported. This new understanding of oil and gas degradation by uncultured marine microbes suggested that the global ocean harbors a diversity of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, which can act as primary agents regulating ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L. Howe
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Julian Zaugg
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Olivia U. Mason
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
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2
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Zito P, Podgorski DC, Tarr MA. Emerging Chemical Methods for Petroleum and Petroleum-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2023; 16:429-450. [PMID: 37314877 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-091522-110825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Despite the fact that oil chemistry and oils spills have been studied for many years, there are still emerging techniques and unknown processes to be explored. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a revival of oil spill research across a wide range of fields. These studies provided many new insights, but unanswered questions remain. Over 1,000 journal articles related to the Deepwater Horizon spill are indexed by the Chemical Abstract Service. Numerous ecological, human health, and organismal studies were published. Analytical tools applied to the spill include mass spectrometry, chromatography, and optical spectroscopy. Owing to the large scale of studies, this review focuses on three emerging areas that have been explored but remain underutilized in oil spill characterization: excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy, black carbon analysis, and trace metal analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe Zito
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;
- Chemical Analysis and Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - David C Podgorski
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;
- Chemical Analysis and Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Matthew A Tarr
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;
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3
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Wise JP, Wise JTF, Wise CF, Wise SS, Gianios C, Xie H, Walter R, Boswell M, Zhu C, Zheng T, Perkins C, Wise JP. A three year study of metal levels in skin biopsies of whales in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil crisis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018; 205:15-25. [PMID: 29277452 PMCID: PMC5825280 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In response to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and the massive release of oil that followed, we conducted three annual research voyages to investigate how the oil spill would impact the marine offshore environment. Most investigations into the ecological and toxicological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil crisis have mainly focused on the fate of the oil and dispersants, but few have considered the release of metals into the environment. From studies of previous oil spills, other marine oil industries, and analyses of oil compositions, it is evident that metals are frequently encountered. Several metals have been reported in the MC252 oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including the nonessential metals aluminum, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and lead; genotoxic metals, such as these are able to damage DNA and can bioaccumulate in organisms resulting in persistent exposure. In the Gulf of Mexico, whales are the apex species; hence we collected skin biopsies from sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), and Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera edeni). The results from our three-year study of monitoring metal levels in whale skin show (1) genotoxic metals at concentrations higher than global averages previously reported and (2) patterns for MC252-relevant metal concentrations decreasing with time from the oil spill.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - James T F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, Division of Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Catherine F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Sandra S Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Christy Gianios
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Hong Xie
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Ron Walter
- Texas State University, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Mikki Boswell
- Texas State University, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Cairong Zhu
- West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, No.17 Section 3, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610044, China
| | | | - Christopher Perkins
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA.
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4
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Shiller AM, Chan EW, Joung DJ, Redmond MC, Kessler JD. Light rare earth element depletion during Deepwater Horizon blowout methanotrophy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10389. [PMID: 28871146 PMCID: PMC5583346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11060-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Rare earth elements have generally not been thought to have a biological role. However, recent work has demonstrated that the light REEs (LREEs: La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) are essential for at least some methanotrophs, being co-factors in the XoxF type of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). We show here that dissolved LREEs were significantly removed in a submerged plume of methane-rich water during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout. Furthermore, incubation experiments conducted with naturally methane-enriched waters from hydrocarbon seeps in the vicinity of the DWH wellhead also showed LREE removal concurrent with methane consumption. Metagenomic sequencing of incubation samples revealed that LREE-containing MDHs were present. Our field and laboratory observations provide further insight into the biochemical pathways of methanotrophy during the DWH blowout. Additionally, our results are the first observations of direct biological alteration of REE distributions in oceanic systems. In view of the ubiquity of LREE-containing MDHs in oceanic systems, our results suggest that biological uptake of LREEs is an overlooked aspect of the oceanic geochemistry of this group of elements previously thought to be biologically inactive and an unresolved factor in the flux of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Shiller
- Center for Trace Analysis, University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 39529, United States.
| | - E W Chan
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - D J Joung
- Center for Trace Analysis, University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, 39529, United States
| | - M C Redmond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
| | - J D Kessler
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
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5
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Granneman JE, Jones DL, Peebles EB. Associations between metal exposure and lesion formation in offshore Gulf of Mexico fishes collected after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2017; 117:462-477. [PMID: 28214010 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine patterns of short- and long-term metal exposure within the otoliths of six offshore fish species in varying states of health, as indicated by the presence of external skin lesions, and (2) determine if there was a change in otolith metal concentrations concurrent with the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Otoliths collected from 2011 to 2013 in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) were analyzed for a suite of trace metals known to be associated with DWH oil. We found that lesioned fish often had elevated levels of otolith 60Ni and 64Zn before, during, and after the DWH oil spill. In addition, metal exposure varied according to species-specific life history patterns. These findings indicate that lesioned individuals were exposed to a persistent source of trace-metals in the GoM prior to the oil spill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Granneman
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
| | - David L Jones
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
| | - Ernst B Peebles
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA
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6
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López-Duarte PC, Fodrie FJ, Jensen OP, Whitehead A, Galvez F, Dubansky B, Able KW. Is Exposure to Macondo Oil Reflected in the Otolith Chemistry of Marsh-Resident Fish? PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162699. [PMID: 27682216 PMCID: PMC5040417 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic and physiological responses in Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) in the northern Gulf of Mexico have confirmed oil exposure of resident marsh fish following the Macondo blowout in 2010. Using these same fish, we evaluated otolith microchemistry as a method for assessing oil exposure history. Laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze the chemical composition of sagittal otoliths to assess whether a trace metal signature could be detected in the otoliths of F. grandis collected from a Macondo-oil impacted site in 2010, post-spill relative to pre-spill, as well as versus fish from areas not impacted by the spill. We found no evidence of increased concentrations of two elements associated with oil contamination (nickel and vanadium) in F. grandis otoliths regardless of Macondo oil exposure history. One potential explanation for this is that Macondo oil is relatively depleted of those metals compared to other crude oils globally. During and after the spill, however, elevated levels of barium, lead, and to a lesser degree, copper were detected in killifish otoliths at the oil-impacted collection site in coastal Louisiana. This may reflect oil contact or other environmental perturbations that occurred concomitant with oiling. For example, increases in barium in otoliths from oil-exposed fish followed (temporally) freshwater diversions in Louisiana in 2010. This implicates (but does not conclusively demonstrate) freshwater diversions from the Mississippi River (with previously recorded higher concentrations of lead and copper), designed to halt the ingress of oil, as a mechanism for elevated elemental uptake in otoliths of Louisiana marsh fishes. These results highlight the potentially complex and indirect effects of the Macondo oil spill and human responses to it on Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, and emphasize the need to consider the multiple stressors acting simultaneously on inshore fish communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola C. López-Duarte
- Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Tuckerton, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - F. Joel Fodrie
- Institute of Marine Sciences & Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Olaf P. Jensen
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Andrew Whitehead
- Environmental Toxicology Department, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Fernando Galvez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Dubansky
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, United States of America
| | - Kenneth W. Able
- Rutgers University Marine Field Station, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Tuckerton, New Jersey, United States of America
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7
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Yan B, Passow U, Chanton JP, Nöthig EM, Asper V, Sweet J, Pitiranggon M, Diercks A, Pak D. Sustained deposition of contaminants from the Deepwater Horizon spill. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E3332-40. [PMID: 27247393 PMCID: PMC4914201 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1513156113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in 1.6-2.6 × 10(10) grams of petrocarbon accumulation on the seafloor. Data from a deep sediment trap, deployed 7.4 km SW of the well between August 2010 and October 2011, disclose that the sinking of spill-associated substances, mediated by marine particles, especially phytoplankton, continued at least 5 mo following the capping of the well. In August/September 2010, an exceptionally large diatom bloom sedimentation event coincided with elevated sinking rates of oil-derived hydrocarbons, black carbon, and two key components of drilling mud, barium and olefins. Barium remained in the water column for months and even entered pelagic food webs. Both saturated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon source indicators corroborate a predominant contribution of crude oil to the sinking hydrocarbons. Cosedimentation with diatoms accumulated contaminants that were dispersed in the water column and transported them downward, where they were concentrated into the upper centimeters of the seafloor, potentially leading to sustained impact on benthic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beizhan Yan
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964;
| | - Uta Passow
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106;
| | - Jeffrey P Chanton
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306
| | - Eva-Maria Nöthig
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Vernon Asper
- Department of Marine Science, The University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
| | - Julia Sweet
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Masha Pitiranggon
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964
| | - Arne Diercks
- Department of Marine Science, The University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
| | - Dorothy Pak
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
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8
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Mason OU, Han J, Woyke T, Jansson JK. Single-cell genomics reveals features of a Colwellia species that was dominant during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:332. [PMID: 25071745 PMCID: PMC4085564 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a deep-sea hydrocarbon plume developed resulting in a rapid succession of bacteria. Colwellia eventually supplanted Oceanospirillales, which dominated the plume early in the spill. These successional changes may have resulted, in part, from the changing composition and abundance of hydrocarbons over time. Colwellia abundance peaked when gaseous and simple aromatic hydrocarbons increased, yet the metabolic pathway used by Colwellia in hydrocarbon disposition is unknown. Here we used single-cell genomics to gain insights into the genome properties of a Colwellia enriched during the DWH deep-sea plume. A single amplified genome (SAG) of a Colwellia cell isolated from a DWH plume, closely related (avg. 98% 16S rRNA gene similarity) to other plume Colwellia, was sequenced and annotated. The SAG was similar to the sequenced isolate Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H (84% avg. nucleotide identity). Both had genes for denitrification, chemotaxis, and motility, adaptations to cold environments and a suite of nutrient acquisition genes. The Colwellia SAG may be capable of gaseous and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation, which contrasts with a DWH plume Oceanospirillales SAG which encoded non-gaseous n-alkane and cycloalkane degradation pathways. The disparate hydrocarbon degradation pathways are consistent with hydrocarbons that were abundant at different times in the deep-sea plume; first, non-gaseous n-alkanes and cycloalkanes that could be degraded by Oceanospirillales, followed by gaseous, and simple aromatic hydrocarbons that may have been degraded by Colwellia. These insights into the genomic properties of a Colwellia species, which were supported by existing metagenomic sequence data from the plume and DWH contaminated sediments, help further our understanding of the successional changes in the dominant microbial players in the plume over the course of the DWH spill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia U Mason
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - James Han
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - Janet K Jansson
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Ecology Department Berkeley, CA, USA ; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, CA, USA
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9
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Wise CF, Wise JTF, Wise SS, Thompson WD, Wise JP, Wise JP. Chemical dispersants used in the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis are cytotoxic and genotoxic to sperm whale skin cells. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 152:335-40. [PMID: 24813266 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Revised: 04/12/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico drew attention to the need for toxicological studies of chemical dispersants. We are still learning the effects these spills had on wildlife. Little is known about the toxicity of these substances in marine mammals. The objective of this study was to determine the toxicity of the two dispersants (Corexit 9500 and 9527). Corexit 9500 and 9527 were both cytotoxic to sperm whale skin fibroblasts. Corexit 9527 was less cytotoxic than 9500. S9 mediated metabolism did not alter cytotoxicity of either dispersant. Both dispersants were genotoxic to sperm whale skin fibroblasts; S9 mediated metabolism increased Corexit 9527 genotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
| | - James T F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
| | - Sandra S Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
| | - W Douglas Thompson
- Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, Portland, ME 04103, USA; Department of Applied Medical Science, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
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10
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Kappell AD, Wei Y, Newton RJ, Van Nostrand JD, Zhou J, McLellan SL, Hristova KR. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation potential of Gulf of Mexico native coastal microbial communities after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:205. [PMID: 24847320 PMCID: PMC4023046 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout resulted in oil transport, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. The microbial communities of these shorelines are thought to be responsible for the intrinsic degradation of PAHs. To investigate the Gulf Coast beach microbial community response to hydrocarbon exposure, we examined the functional gene diversity, bacterial community composition, and PAH degradation capacity of a heavily oiled and non-oiled beach following the oil exposure. With a non-expression functional gene microarray targeting 539 gene families, we detected 28,748 coding sequences. Of these sequences, 10% were uniquely associated with the severely oil-contaminated beach and 6.0% with the non-oiled beach. There was little variation in the functional genes detected between the two beaches; however the relative abundance of functional genes involved in oil degradation pathways, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were greater in the oiled beach. The microbial PAH degradation potentials of both beaches, were tested in mesocosms. Mesocosms were constructed in glass columns using sands with native microbial communities, circulated with artificial sea water and challenged with a mixture of PAHs. The low-molecular weight PAHs, fluorene and naphthalene, showed rapid depletion in all mesocosms while the high-molecular weight benzo[α]pyrene was not degraded by either microbial community. Both the heavily oiled and the non-impacted coastal communities showed little variation in their biodegradation ability for low molecular weight PAHs. Massively-parallel sequencing of 16S rRNA genes from mesocosm DNA showed that known PAH degraders and genera frequently associated with oil hydrocarbon degradation represented a major portion of the bacterial community. The observed similar response by microbial communities from beaches with a different recent history of oil exposure suggests that Gulf Coast beach communities are primed for PAH degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Kappell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Yin Wei
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ryan J Newton
- School of Freshwater Sciences, Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Joy D Van Nostrand
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma Norman, OK, USA
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma Norman, OK, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI, USA
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11
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Wise JP, Wise JTF, Wise C, Wise SS, Gianios C, Xie H, Thompson WD, Perkins C, Falank C, Wise JP. Concentrations of the genotoxic metals, chromium and nickel, in whales, tar balls, oil slicks, and released oil from the gulf of Mexico in the immediate aftermath of the deepwater horizon oil crisis: is genotoxic metal exposure part of the deepwater horizon legacy? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:2997-3006. [PMID: 24552566 PMCID: PMC3983321 DOI: 10.1021/es405079b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 01/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Concern regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil crisis has largely focused on oil and dispersants while the threat of genotoxic metals in the oil has gone largely overlooked. Genotoxic metals, such as chromium and nickel, damage DNA and bioaccumulate in organisms, resulting in persistent exposures. We found chromium and nickel concentrations ranged from 0.24 to 8.46 ppm in crude oil from the riser, oil from slicks on surface waters and tar balls from Gulf of Mexico beaches. We found nickel concentrations ranged from 1.7 to 94.6 ppm wet weight with a mean of 15.9 ± 3.5 ppm and chromium concentrations ranged from 2.0 to 73.6 ppm wet weight with a mean of 12.8 ± 2.6 ppm in tissue collected from Gulf of Mexico whales in the wake of the crisis. Mean tissue concentrations were significantly higher than those found in whales collected around the world prior to the spill. Given the capacity of these metals to damage DNA, their presence in the oil, and their elevated concentrations in whales, we suggest that metal exposure is an important understudied concern for the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Pierce Wise
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - James T. F. Wise
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - Catherine
F. Wise
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - Sandra S. Wise
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - Christy Gianios
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - Hong Xie
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - W. Douglas Thompson
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
- Department
of Applied Medical Sciences, University
of Southern Maine, 96
Falmouth Street, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, Maine 04104-9300, United States
| | - Christopher Perkins
- Center
for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
| | - Carolyne Falank
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise
Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04104, United States
- Maine
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine 04101, United States
- Department
of Applied Medical Sciences, University
of Southern Maine, 96
Falmouth Street, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, Maine 04104-9300, United States
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