Composition and dynamics of the bacterial community associated with the cosmopolitan marine diatom Skeletonema costatum during exposure to crude oil. Diatom-associated oil degraders

Here, we conducted a laboratory-based oil-spill simulated experiment using a non-axenic culture of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum to investigate its response to crude oil and that of its associated bacterial community. 16S rRNA gene pyrosequence analysis and qPCR was used to monitor the response of the total bacterial community and that of specific hydrocarbon-degrading taxa in oil-amended and non-amended incubations, as well as infer their possible contribution to the overall biodegradation of the oil.