T87 New Advances in Geobiology (Posters)

Monday, 11 October 2021
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Exhibit Hall A

MICROBIAL ISOLATION AND DNA ANALYSIS OF TURNER HALL WOODS’ NATURAL HYDROCARBON SEEP ON THE ISLAND OF BARBADOS

Paper number: T87-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

The island of Barbados is home to a number of natural hydrocarbon seeps. These hydrocarbon seeps typically occur along fault lines and often breach water sources (Weber et al., 2012). Observational data suggests that microorganisms could be degrading the hydrocarbon material and may prove useful for economic bioremediation. Natural populations of hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms represent one of the leading mechanisms by which hydrocarbon pollutants are eliminated from the environment (Leahy and Colwell, 1990). The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify the microbial organisms coinciding with the natural hydrocarbons of Barbados. Samples were collected from two locations on Barbados using sterile field sampling procedures. This study focused on samples collected from the Turner Halls Woods’ inland freshwater location. Once the samples arrived back in the lab, they were plated onto petri dishes and placed in an incubator to cultivate for at least 24 hours. Over the next several weeks, individual colonies were isolated using a sterile streaking technique. Isolated plates were then sent for DNA sequencing to MIDI Labs. Once the microorganism was identified, the DNA signature was compared with other known hydrocarbon degraders and was determined to be the species of Alcaligenes faecalis. Alcaligenes faecalis is an aerobic bacterium known to produce biosurfactants, which reduces surface tension, allowing hydrocarbons to be emulsified with the water (Bharali et al., 2011). Further bioremediation using A. faecalis has shown promise in a study conducted by Lakshmi and Velan (2011), with a clear result of A. faecalis oxidizing a polycyclic hydrocarbon. These findings subsequently suggest the capacity of A. faecalis to be a capable bioremediation agent.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 53, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2021AM-366849

© Copyright 2021 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.