Microbial Community of a Waste- Dump Site

Abstract

A total of 48 soil samples were collected fortnightly in the months of June, July and August 1995, from four different stations of a waste-dump site. The samples were examined for temperature, pH and for the frequency of isolation of viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi. The mean temperature values of the soils ranged from 27oC to 28oC while the mean pH values ranged from pH 5.4 to 7.9. The mean total viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria population ranged from 0.38 x 106 CFU/g soil to 2.00x106 CFU/g soil while the mean total viable fungal population ranged from 1.9 x 104 CFU/g soil to 7.1 x 104 CFU/g soil. The bacteria with their frequency of isolation from the waste-dump soils were: Arthrobacter (4.7%), Bacillus (15.2%), Escherichia coli (12.1%), Klebsiella (9.6%), Micrococcus (2.5%), Proteus (10.2%), Pseudomonas (5.4%), Serratia (2.5%), Staphylococcus (21%) and Streptococcus (16.8%). Only Bacillus, E. coli, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were isolated from all the stations. The fungi with their frequency of isolation were; Aspergillus (25.3%), Fusarium (5.4%), Mucor (11.5%), Penicillium (12.6%), Rhizopus (2.5%) and Saccharomyces (42.8%). All the fungi were isolated from all the stations. Statistical analysis using ANOVA (F — test) showed that there were no significant differences in the bacterial and fungal populations between the four stations. However, there was significant difference at 5% level for fungal populations between different sampling periods. (Journal of Applied Sciences & Environmental Management: 2002 6(1): 78-83)