Hydrocarbon contamination affects deep-sea benthic oxygen uptake and microbial community composition

C. E. Main; H. A. Ruhl; D. O. B. Jones; A. Yool; B. Thornton; D. J. Mayor

doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2014.12.008

Hydrocarbon contamination affects deep-sea benthic oxygen uptake and microbial community composition

C. E. Main^*, H. A. Ruhl, D. O. B. Jones, A. Yool, B. Thornton, D. J. Mayor

^*Corresponding author for this work

Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Accidental oil well blowouts have the potential to introduce large quantities of hydrocarbons into the deep sea and disperse toxic contaminants to midwater and seafloor areas over ocean-basin scales. Our ability to assess the environmental impacts of these events is currently impaired by our limited understanding of how resident communities are affected. This study examined how two treatment levels of a water accommodated fraction of crude oil affected the oxygen consumption rate of a natural, deep-sea benthic community. We also investigated the resident microbial community's response to hydrocarbon contamination through quantification of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and their stable carbon isotope (delta C-13) values. Sediment community oxygen consumption rates increased significantly in response to increasing levels of contamination in the overlying water of oil-treated microcosms, and bacterial biomass decreased significantly in the presence of oil. Multivariate ordination of PLFA compositional (mol%) data showed that the structure of the microbial community changed in response to hydrocarbon contamination. However, treatment effects on the delta C-13 values of individual PLFAs were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that deep-sea benthic microbes respond to hydrocarbon exposure within 36 h. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	79-87
Number of pages	9
Journal	Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
Volume	100
Early online date	7 Jan 2015
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2014.12.008
Publication status	Published - Jun 2015

Bibliographical note

Date of Acceptance: 27/12/2015

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all scientists and crew from the Autonomous Ecological Surveys of the Abyss (AESA) 2012 cruise, Alice Horton for assistance with the experiment at sea, Ben Boorman for design and building of apparatus and Maureen Procée and Gillian Martin for technical assistance and tuition in the laboratory. This work was carried out as part of the SERPENT project www.serpentproject.com. DJM was part-funded by NERC, UK (NE/G014744/1). BT received funding from the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division, UK (RESAS).

Keywords

Benthic respiration
experimental incubations
PLFA
blowout
contamination
bacteria
remineralisation
water-accomodated fractions
margin Goban Spur
Horizon oil-spill
Gulf-of-Mexico
degrading bacteria
marine-sediments
fatty-acids
mass-spectrometry
lipid phosphate
organic-matter

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Hydrocarbon contamination affects deep-sea benthic oxygen uptake and microbial community composition
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Cite this

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title = "Hydrocarbon contamination affects deep-sea benthic oxygen uptake and microbial community composition",

abstract = "Accidental oil well blowouts have the potential to introduce large quantities of hydrocarbons into the deep sea and disperse toxic contaminants to midwater and seafloor areas over ocean-basin scales. Our ability to assess the environmental impacts of these events is currently impaired by our limited understanding of how resident communities are affected. This study examined how two treatment levels of a water accommodated fraction of crude oil affected the oxygen consumption rate of a natural, deep-sea benthic community. We also investigated the resident microbial community's response to hydrocarbon contamination through quantification of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and their stable carbon isotope (delta C-13) values. Sediment community oxygen consumption rates increased significantly in response to increasing levels of contamination in the overlying water of oil-treated microcosms, and bacterial biomass decreased significantly in the presence of oil. Multivariate ordination of PLFA compositional (mol%) data showed that the structure of the microbial community changed in response to hydrocarbon contamination. However, treatment effects on the delta C-13 values of individual PLFAs were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that deep-sea benthic microbes respond to hydrocarbon exposure within 36 h. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.",

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author = "Main, {C. E.} and Ruhl, {H. A.} and Jones, {D. O. B.} and A. Yool and B. Thornton and Mayor, {D. J.}",

note = "Date of Acceptance: 27/12/2015 Acknowledgements We would like to thank all scientists and crew from the Autonomous Ecological Surveys of the Abyss (AESA) 2012 cruise, Alice Horton for assistance with the experiment at sea, Ben Boorman for design and building of apparatus and Maureen Proc{\'e}e and Gillian Martin for technical assistance and tuition in the laboratory. This work was carried out as part of the SERPENT project www.serpentproject.com. DJM was part-funded by NERC, UK (NE/G014744/1). BT received funding from the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division, UK (RESAS).",

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doi = "10.1016/j.dsr.2014.12.008",

language = "English",

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AU - Main, C. E.

AU - Ruhl, H. A.

AU - Jones, D. O. B.

AU - Yool, A.

AU - Thornton, B.

AU - Mayor, D. J.

N1 - Date of Acceptance: 27/12/2015 Acknowledgements We would like to thank all scientists and crew from the Autonomous Ecological Surveys of the Abyss (AESA) 2012 cruise, Alice Horton for assistance with the experiment at sea, Ben Boorman for design and building of apparatus and Maureen Procée and Gillian Martin for technical assistance and tuition in the laboratory. This work was carried out as part of the SERPENT project www.serpentproject.com. DJM was part-funded by NERC, UK (NE/G014744/1). BT received funding from the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division, UK (RESAS).

PY - 2015/6

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N2 - Accidental oil well blowouts have the potential to introduce large quantities of hydrocarbons into the deep sea and disperse toxic contaminants to midwater and seafloor areas over ocean-basin scales. Our ability to assess the environmental impacts of these events is currently impaired by our limited understanding of how resident communities are affected. This study examined how two treatment levels of a water accommodated fraction of crude oil affected the oxygen consumption rate of a natural, deep-sea benthic community. We also investigated the resident microbial community's response to hydrocarbon contamination through quantification of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and their stable carbon isotope (delta C-13) values. Sediment community oxygen consumption rates increased significantly in response to increasing levels of contamination in the overlying water of oil-treated microcosms, and bacterial biomass decreased significantly in the presence of oil. Multivariate ordination of PLFA compositional (mol%) data showed that the structure of the microbial community changed in response to hydrocarbon contamination. However, treatment effects on the delta C-13 values of individual PLFAs were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that deep-sea benthic microbes respond to hydrocarbon exposure within 36 h. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

AB - Accidental oil well blowouts have the potential to introduce large quantities of hydrocarbons into the deep sea and disperse toxic contaminants to midwater and seafloor areas over ocean-basin scales. Our ability to assess the environmental impacts of these events is currently impaired by our limited understanding of how resident communities are affected. This study examined how two treatment levels of a water accommodated fraction of crude oil affected the oxygen consumption rate of a natural, deep-sea benthic community. We also investigated the resident microbial community's response to hydrocarbon contamination through quantification of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and their stable carbon isotope (delta C-13) values. Sediment community oxygen consumption rates increased significantly in response to increasing levels of contamination in the overlying water of oil-treated microcosms, and bacterial biomass decreased significantly in the presence of oil. Multivariate ordination of PLFA compositional (mol%) data showed that the structure of the microbial community changed in response to hydrocarbon contamination. However, treatment effects on the delta C-13 values of individual PLFAs were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that deep-sea benthic microbes respond to hydrocarbon exposure within 36 h. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

KW - Benthic respiration

KW - experimental incubations

KW - PLFA

KW - blowout

KW - contamination

KW - bacteria

KW - remineralisation

KW - water-accomodated fractions

KW - margin Goban Spur

KW - Horizon oil-spill

KW - Gulf-of-Mexico

KW - degrading bacteria

KW - marine-sediments

KW - fatty-acids

KW - mass-spectrometry

KW - lipid phosphate

KW - organic-matter

U2 - 10.1016/j.dsr.2014.12.008

DO - 10.1016/j.dsr.2014.12.008

M3 - Article

SN - 0967-0637

VL - 100

SP - 79

EP - 87

JO - Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

JF - Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

ER -

Hydrocarbon contamination affects deep-sea benthic oxygen uptake and microbial community composition

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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