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Sediment Microbes of Deep-Sea Bioherms on the Northwest Shelf of Australia

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Abstract

The northwest shelf of Australia is a region with known petroleum reserves. Recent geological investigations have revealed carbonate knolls postulated to be of biological origin. Sediment microbial populations at three sites on the northwest shelf, Pee Shoal, Mermaid Reef, and Scott Reef, were investigated for the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. From two sampling trips, 246 bacterial strains were purified, and 182 of these strains displayed preferential growth on hydrocarbon-selective media. Strains were tested for nutrient specificity using single hydrocarbon fermentations. Metabolic profiles were constructed using biochemical testing, fatty acid analysis, and metabolic rate experiments. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of four strains identified these strains as members of the genera Sphingomonas, Bacillus, and Microbacterium, and one strain as a member of the α-Proteobacteria. The potential of these strains as bioindicators of hydrocarbon pollutants or for bioremediation in marine environments is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Eliane Abou-Mansour for assistance with fatty acid analysis, Katherine Burns and Susan Codi for help with GC/MS analysis of sediments, and Nicole Webster for assistance with sequence analysis. Andrew Heyward and Andrew Negri are thanked for the discussions which stimulated this study and for logistical assistance in Dampier, Australia. The Australian Institute of Marine Science provided financial, field and laboratory assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville Mail Centre, Queensland, 4810, Australia

    J. E. Johnson

  2. Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA

    R. T. Hill

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  1. J. E. Johnson
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  2. R. T. Hill
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Correspondence to J. E. Johnson.

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Johnson, J., Hill, R. Sediment Microbes of Deep-Sea Bioherms on the Northwest Shelf of Australia . Microb Ecol 46, 55–61 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-002-2031-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-002-2031-y

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