Bioremediation of the Diesel-Contaminated Soil of the Brazilian Antarctic Station

Cury, José; Jesus, Hugo Emiliano de; Villela, Helena; Peixoto, Raquel S.; Schaefer, Carlos Ernesto Gonçalves Reynaud; Bı́cego, Márcia Caruso; Jurelevicius, Diogo; Seldin, Lucy; Rosado, Alexandre Soares

doi:10.4322/apa.2014.087

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Many natural terrestrial and aquatic environments (e.g., deserts, polar regions, geothermal environments, supersaturated salt pools, acidic or soda lakes, and the deep sea) were originally thought to be too harsh to harbor life (Carré et al, 2022). However, more recent studies have demonstrated the occurrence of a wide diversity of organisms in these extreme habitats (Jurelevicius et al, 2012;Cury et al, 2015;Lopez et al, 2019;Shu and Huang, 2022). Microorganisms able to tolerate, survive, or require extreme conditions to grow optimally are known as extremophiles (Brock and Freeze, 1969;MacElroy, 1974;Rothschild and Mancinelli, 2001), whereas those that grow optimally under multiple extreme stress conditions are known as polyextremophiles (Capece et al, 2013).…”

Section: Bioprospecting the Metabolic Potential Of Cultured Extremoph...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shedding light on the composition of extreme microbial dark matter: alternative approaches for culturing extremophiles

et al. 2023

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More than 20,000 species of prokaryotes (less than 1% of the estimated number of Earth’s microbial species) have been described thus far. However, the vast majority of microbes that inhabit extreme environments remain uncultured and this group is termed “microbial dark matter.” Little is known regarding the ecological functions and biotechnological potential of these underexplored extremophiles, thus representing a vast untapped and uncharacterized biological resource. Advances in microbial cultivation approaches are key for a detailed and comprehensive characterization of the roles of these microbes in shaping the environment and, ultimately, for their biotechnological exploitation, such as for extremophile-derived bioproducts (extremozymes, secondary metabolites, CRISPR Cas systems, and pigments, among others), astrobiology, and space exploration. Additional efforts to enhance culturable diversity are required due to the challenges imposed by extreme culturing and plating conditions. In this review, we summarize methods and technologies used to recover the microbial diversity of extreme environments, while discussing the advantages and disadvantages associated with each of these approaches. Additionally, this review describes alternative culturing strategies to retrieve novel taxa with their unknown genes, metabolisms, and ecological roles, with the ultimate goal of increasing the yields of more efficient bio-based products. This review thus summarizes the strategies used to unveil the hidden diversity of the microbiome of extreme environments and discusses the directions for future studies of microbial dark matter and its potential applications in biotechnology and astrobiology.

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Section: Bioprospecting the Metabolic Potential Of Cultured Extremoph...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shedding light on the composition of extreme microbial dark matter: alternative approaches for culturing extremophiles

et al. 2023

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“…Rubbish dumps of these abandoned stations, for example, continue to leach chemicals and traces of heavy metals into the surrounding ice‐free areas (Deprez et al ) and warming temperatures will likely accelerate this damage (CEP ). Increased human activity also brings the risk of damage to the environment, particularly from fuel spills (Cury et al ), and the introduction of invasive species (Vidas ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cleaning up after human activity in Antarctica: legal obligations and remediation realities

Hodgson-Johnston

Jackson

Jabour

et al. 2016

Restoration Ecology

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National Antarctic Programmes do not have a strict legal obligation to remediate the Antarctic environment following human activity. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the "Madrid Protocol") obliges parties to conduct environmental impact assessments to prevent adverse impacts on the polar environment and to "clean up" pollution from waste disposal sites. The obligations stemming from the Madrid Protocol are not clearly defined, and give potential scope for parties to neglect past sites of human activity on the continent. This scope is narrowed by the work of the Committee for Environmental Protection in implementing clear practical clean-up guidelines for National Antarctic Programmes based on scientific-based recommendations from the Antarctic Treaty Parties. Despite better modern practice, Parties are still faced with damage from past activities. Some of these sites are deemed to be "beyond help." This article proposes that rather than abandoning waste disposal sites because of widely acknowledged difficulties, that National Antarctic Programmes prioritize research into restorative methodologies and techniques, while increasing cooperation with other parties to overcome the enormous logistical and economic costs of cleaning up pollution in Antarctica.

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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

et al. 2020

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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.

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Bioremediation of the Diesel-Contaminated Soil of the Brazilian Antarctic Station

Abstract: Antarctic soils are under constant risks of oil contamination due the presence of scienti c stations. Bioremediation is

Cited by 3 publications

References 9 publications

Shedding light on the composition of extreme microbial dark matter: alternative approaches for culturing extremophiles

Shedding light on the composition of extreme microbial dark matter: alternative approaches for culturing extremophiles

Cleaning up after human activity in Antarctica: legal obligations and remediation realities

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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