Tar patties are hotspots of hydrocarbon turnover and nitrogen fixation during a nearshore pollution event in the oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean Sea

Maxim Rubin-Blum, Yana Yudkovsky, Sophi Marmen, Ofrat Raveh, Alon Amrani, Ilya Kutuzov, Tamar Guy-Haim, Eyal Rahav

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Weathered oil, that is, tar, forms hotspots of hydrocarbon degradation by complex biota in marine environment. Here, we used marker gene sequencing and metagenomics to characterize the communities of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes that colonized tar patties and control samples (wood, plastic), collected in the littoral following an offshore spill in the warm, oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean Sea (SEMS). We show potential aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon catabolism niches on tar interior and exterior, linking carbon, sulfur and nitrogen cycles. Alongside aromatics and larger alkanes, short-chain alkanes appear to fuel dominant populations, both the aerobic clade UBA5335 (Macondimonas), anaerobic Syntropharchaeales, and facultative Mycobacteriales. Most key organisms, including the hydrocarbon degraders and cyanobacteria, have the potential to fix dinitrogen, potentially alleviating the nitrogen limitation of hydrocarbon degradation in the SEMS. We highlight the complexity of these tar-associated communities, where bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes co-exist, likely exchanging metabolites and competing for resources and space.

Original languageEnglish
Article number115747
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume197
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This study is funded by the Israel Ministry of Energy (grants 219-17-015 and 221-17-002 ) to MR-B and ER, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Israel (grant # 001126 ) to MR-B and ER, the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection (grant 195-5-1 ) to MR-B and ER and the National Monitoring Program of Israel's Mediterranean Waters .

FundersFunder number
Ministry of Environmental Protection195-5-1
Ministry of science and technology, Israel001126
Ministry of Energy, Israel219-17-015, 221-17-002

    Keywords

    • Hydrocarbons
    • Marine microbes
    • Microbiome
    • Nitrogen fixation
    • Oil
    • Short-chain alkanes

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