Assessment of soil potential to natural attenuation and autochthonous bioaugmentation using microarray and functional predictions from metagenome profiling

Purpose The use of autochthonous microorganisms for the bioaugmentation of areas contaminated with hydrocarbons has a high potential to overcome the limitations associated with the difficulty of allochthonous microorganisms to adapt. The prediction of bioremediation effects of autochthonous bioaugmentation can be improved by employing the rapid methods of the direct detection of genes crucial to the hydrocarbon biodegradation. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of microflora originating from soils with different levels of anthropogenization for application in autochthonous bioaugmentation by using microarray and functional predictions from metagenome profiling. Methods Analyses based on the modern techniques of molecular biology-DNA microarrays and next-generation sequencing-coupled with the functional predictions of metagenome profiling. Results Studies indicated that the metapopulations of all analyzed stations possess the ability to biodegrade petroleum hydrocarbons. It was established that the long-term supply of hydrocarbons in the areas characterized by strong anthropogenization resulted in increasing the biological decomposition of aromatic and polycyclic aromatic compounds. In contrast, areas with a low level of anthropogenization were characterized by a higher potential to decompose aliphatic hydrocarbons. Although alpha-biodiversity decreased when the consortia was isolated and cultivated under laboratory conditions with hydrocarbons as the sole carbon source, microbial communities with genetic biodegradation potential increased, which was confirmed by the analysis involving the loss of selected hydrocarbon fractions in aqueous systems. Conclusions The presented studies indicated the vast potential for the application of isolated autochthonous microflora on soils permanently contaminated with hydrocarbons. The prediction of bioremediation effects may be improved by employing the rapid method of the direct detection of genes crucial to the biological decomposition of hydrocarbons, with DNA microarrays developed in the framework of this study.