Vertical distribution characteristics and interactions of polycyclic aromatic compounds and bacterial communities in contaminated soil in oil storage tank areas

Polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) contamination in soil as a result of oil spills is a serious issue because of the huge global demand for fossil energy. This study assessed the vertical variation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), derivatives of PAHs (dPAHs) and bacterial community structure in deep soil with long-term contamination by oil spillage. Our results suggest that the content of total PACs ranged from 1196.6 mu g/kg to 14980.9 mu g/kg and decreased with depth at all sites. PAHs were the most abundant PACs, with a mean concentration of 6640.7 mu g/kg, followed by oxygenated PAHs (mean 156.3 mu g/kg) and nitrated PAHs (mean 33.4 mu g/kg). PAHs are mainly low molecular weight PACs such as naphthalene, fluorene and phenanthrene, while derivatives of PAHs are all low molecular weight PACs and mainly oxygenated PAHs. Low molecular weight PAHs were an important source of dPAHs under specific conditions. The bacterial community structure showed higher bacterial diversity and lower bacterial richness in shallow soil (2-6 m in depth) than in deep soil (8-10 m in depth). Spearman's analysis confirmed that dramatic bacterial community shifts are a response to contamination. At the genus level, the presence of PACs highly selected for Pseudomonas, belonging to Proteobacteria. Moreover, functional predictions based on Tax4Fun revealed that soil with long-term contamination had a strong potential for PAC degradation. In addition, statistical analysis showed that oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) was closely related to variations of bacterial community composition and function. Finally, Ramlibacter, Pseudomonas, Pseudonocardia, c_MB-A2-108, f_Amb-16S-1323, and Qipengyuania were identified by cooccurrence network analysis as keystone taxa contributing to the maintenance of bacterial ecological function. Together, our results provide evidence of tight bacterial effects of PAHs and dPAHs and a more complete understanding of the fate of PACs in deep contaminated soils.

Automated summary

Contamination of soil by polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) as a result of oil spills is a serious global issue. This study examined the vertical variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), derivatives of PAHs (dPAHs), and bacterial community structure in deep soil with long-term oil spillage contamination. Results showed that the content of total PACs decreased with depth, with PAHs being the most abundant PACs. Bacterial community structure varied with depth, with higher diversity in shallow soil. The presence of PACs favored the presence of Pseudomonas in the bacterial community.