Response of Rhizosphere Microbial Community in High-PAH-Contaminated Soil Using Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench

Abstract

Under polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution conditions (149.17–187.54 mg/kg), we had found the dominant flora of PAHs by observing the response of the soil microbial community after planting purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench). In this study, pot experiments were conducted in a growth chamber to explore the changes in the rhizosphere microbial community structure during remediation of heavily PAH-contaminated soil using purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench). The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) content in the soil was measured during four periods before and after planting, and the results showed that: (i) at 120 days, E. purpurea can regulate the microbial community structure but had no significant effect on soil microbial diversity, (ii) at 120 days, the number of PLFAs characterizing actinomycetes, bacteria, and fungi increased, and both Gram-negative bacteria and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were significant with the observed PLFA level (p < 0.05), and (iii) the results indicated that AMF and Gram-negative bacteria represent some of the main factors that can promote the degradation of PAHs. The results obtained in this work are important to future research on PAH-degradation-functional genes and degradation mechanisms of the selection of flora.

Molecular Defensive Mechanism of Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench against PAH Contaminations

“…Numerous plant species, such as aquatic weeds, grasses, sedges, legumes, and trees, have been verified as strong candidates for crude oil and/or PAH remediation [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. E. purpurea , an Asteraceae family ornamental plant, has attracted particular interest in the phytoremediation of PAH soil contamination in the past decade [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. E. purpurea can survive under various soil conditions and stresses, such as saline, drought, and cold, owing to its highly developed fibrous root system, strong growth, and large biomass [ 14 ].…”

“…E. purpurea can survive under various soil conditions and stresses, such as saline, drought, and cold, owing to its highly developed fibrous root system, strong growth, and large biomass [ 14 ]. PAH phytoremediation with E. purpurea has further advantages in revegetation cover and beautification of green spaces [ 13 , 15 ]. PAH detoxification in plants is a multi-enzyme multi-step process, and a three-phase transformation model for xenobiotics has been proposed [ 16 , 17 ].…”