The distribution and characteristic of microorganisms involved in the destruction of hydrocarbons in marine sediments (Literature review)

Abstract

The review is devoted to the biodiversity of microorganisms capable of degrading oil hydrocarbons in sea deep sediments and their relationship with the accompanying microbiota, which includes sulfate-reducing and denitrifying prokaryotes. Particular attention is paid to the biodiversity of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria, in particular thermo- and hyperthermophilic bacteria, in the areas of oil fields. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms are widespread in them. Some of them are capable not only of sulfate reduction, but also of hydrocarbon oxidation. Such microorganisms were generally classified in the Deltaproteobacterium class. The relationship between the number of oil-oxidizing and denitrifying microorganisms is most often presented in areas with a high anthropogenic load and in the coastal zone. Possible mechanisms of anaerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons and the coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms in a single community are briefly considered.

Keywords

• sediments
• oil degradation
• sulfate-reducing microorganisms