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Remote Sensing Detection of Algal Blooms in a Lake Impacted by Petroleum Hydrocarbons. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14010121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to combine all available information on the state of Lake Pertusillo (Basilicata, Italy), both in the field and published, which included Sentinel-2A satellite data, to understand algal blooms in a lacustrine environment impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons. Sentinel-2A data was retrospectively used to monitor the state of the lake, which is located near the largest land-based oil extraction plant in Europe, with particular attention to chlorophyll a during algal blooms and petroleum hydrocarbons. In winter 2017, a massive dinoflagellate bloom (10.4 × 106 cell/L) of Peridinium umbonatum and a simultaneous presence of hydrocarbons were observed at the lake surface. Furthermore, a recent study using metagenomic analyses carried out three months later identified a hydrocarbonoclastic microbial community specialized in the degradation aromatic and nitroaromatic hydrocarbons. In this study, Sentinel-2A imagery was able to detect the presence of chlorophyll a in the waters, while successfully distinguishing the signal from that of hydrocarbons. Remotely sensed results confirmed surface reference measurements of lacustrine phytoplankton, chlorophyll a, and the presence of hydrocarbons during algal blooms, thereby explaining the presence of the hydrocarbonoclastic microbial community found in the lake three months after the oil spill event. The combination of emerging methodologies such as satellite systems and metagenomics represent an important support methodology for describing complex contaminations in diverse ecosystems.
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D'Ugo E, Bertuccini L, Spadaro F, Giuseppetti R, Iosi F, Santavenere F, Giuliani F, Gricia M, Rodomonte A, Lovecchio N, Mukherjee A, Bucci P, Bruno M, Stellacci E, Bernardo A, Magurano F. Electrogenic and hydrocarbonoclastic biofilm at the oil-water interface as microbial responses to oil spill. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 197:117092. [PMID: 33831774 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The oil-water interface formed during an oil spill represents a challenging environment for pelagic communities living in aquatic ecosystems. At this anoxic barrier, we report the formation of a microbial hydrocarbonoclastic biofilm capable of electron transfer along the water column. This biofilm generated a membrane of surface-active compounds that allowed the spontaneous separation of electrical charges, causing the establishment of an anodic and a cathodic region and, as a result, the spontaneous creation of a liquid microbial fuel cell. Such floating biofilm was connected to the water column underneath by floating filaments that could contribute to oxygen reduction at distance. The filaments revealed an unusual lipid content induced by anoxic conditions, with prominent ultrastructural features similar to myelin found in oligodendrocytes of the vertebrate nervous system. Furthermore, these filaments showed an interesting cross-reactivity towards different epitopes of the myelin basic protein (MBP) and Claudin 11 (O4) of human oligodendrocytes. The presence of a network of filaments similar to myelin suggests the probable existence of evolutionary connections between very distant organisms. Collectively these results suggest a possible mechanism for how lake microbial communities can adapt to oil spills while offering an interesting starting point for technological developments of liquid microbial fuel cells related to the study of hydrocarbon-water interfaces. The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in figshare at https://figshare.com/s/72bc73ae14011dc7920d.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio D'Ugo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | - Roberto Giuseppetti
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Iosi
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Santavenere
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Fausto Giuliani
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Gricia
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Rodomonte
- National Centre for the Control and Evaluation of Medicines, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Lovecchio
- Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Arghya Mukherjee
- Centre for Genetic Engineering and the Department of Biotechnology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
| | - Paola Bucci
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Milena Bruno
- Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Emilia Stellacci
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonietta Bernardo
- National Center for Research and Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of Drugs, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Magurano
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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D’Ugo E, Bruno M, Mukherjee A, Chattopadhyay D, Giuseppetti R, De Pace R, Magurano F. Characterization of microbial response to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in a lacustrine ecosystem. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:26187-26196. [PMID: 33871774 PMCID: PMC8154760 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13885-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbiomes of freshwater basins intended for human use remain poorly studied, with very little known about the microbial response to in situ oil spills. Lake Pertusillo is an artificial freshwater reservoir in Basilicata, Italy, and serves as the primary source of drinking water for more than one and a half million people in the region. Notably, it is located in close proximity to one of the largest oil extraction plants in Europe. The lake suffered a major oil spill in 2017, where approximately 400 tons of crude oil spilled into the lake; importantly, the pollution event provided a rare opportunity to study how the lacustrine microbiome responds to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. Water samples were collected from Lake Pertusillo 10 months prior to and 3 months after the accident. The presence of hydrocarbons was verified and the taxonomic and functional aspects of the lake microbiome were assessed. The analysis revealed specialized successional patterns of lake microbial communities that were potentially capable of degrading complex, recalcitrant hydrocarbons, including aromatic, chloroaromatic, nitroaromatic, and sulfur containing aromatic hydrocarbons. Our findings indicated that changes in the freshwater microbial community were associated with the oil pollution event, where microbial patterns identified in the lacustrine microbiome 3 months after the oil spill were representative of its hydrocarbonoclastic potential and may serve as effective proxies for lacustrine oil pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio D’Ugo
- Department of Infection Diseases, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Milena Bruno
- Core Facilities, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Arghya Mukherjee
- Center for Genetic Engineering and the Department of Biotechnology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
| | - Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay
- Center for Genetic Engineering and the Department of Biotechnology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India
| | - Roberto Giuseppetti
- Department of Infection Diseases, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Rita De Pace
- Department of Foggia, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Puglia and Basilicata Regions, Foggia, Italy
| | - Fabio Magurano
- Department of Infection Diseases, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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