Oiling effects on sulfate-reducing bacteria in coastal marine sediment microcosms

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) can efficiently degrade hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon contamination has shown to increase the activity of SRB in several environments. Few studies have demonstrated how SRB communities are affected by hydrocarbon contamination.We hypothesize that the addition of hydrocarbons to subtidal sediment will decrease oxygen concentrations in favor of anaerobic degradation, and that sediment microbial communities will be enriched by SRB groups with known hydrocarbon-degrading capabilities.We studied SRB diversity with two molecular markers: (1) 16S rRNA gene and (2) dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase (dsrB) gene. Our comparative approach may shed light on the ecological significance of SRB in oil degradation in subtidal sediment.