Abstract:

This dataset is from a 21-day laboratory incubation in rotating glass bottles (roller bottles) and has enzymatic activities and cell numbers of microbes associated with macroscopic oil aggregates (marine oil snow) that formed in water with an oil slick from the blowout. Oil aggregates that formed in roller bottles were densely colonized by heterotrophic bacteria, exhibiting high rates of enzymatic activity (lipase hydrolysis) indicative of oil degradation. Ambient waters surrounding aggregates also showed enhanced microbial activities not directly associated with primary oil-degradation (β-glucosidase; peptidase), as well as a twofold increase in DOC. Concurrent changes in fluorescence properties of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) suggest an increase in oil-derived, aromatic hydrocarbons in the DOC pool. Thus our data indicate that oil aggregates mediate, by two distinct mechanisms, the transfer of hydrocarbons to the deep sea: a microbially-derived flux of oil-derived DOC from sinking oil aggregates into the ambient water column, and rapid sedimentation of the oil aggregates themselves, serving as vehicles for oily particulate matter as well as oil aggregate-associated microbial communities.

Suggested Citation:

Kai Ziervogel. 2016. Enzymatic activity of microorganisms associated with macroscopic oil aggregates, May 2010. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7PG1PSD

Publications:

Arnosti, C., Ziervogel, K., Yang, T., & Teske, A. (2014). Oil-derived marine aggregates – hot spots of polysaccharide degradation by specialized bacterial communities. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.12.008

Gutierrez, T., Berry, D., Yang, T., Mishamandani, S., McKay, L., Teske, A., & Aitken, M. D. (2013). Role of Bacterial Exopolysaccharides (EPS) in the Fate of the Oil Released during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. PLoS ONE, 8(6), e67717. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067717

Gutierrez, T., Singleton, D. R., Berry, D., Yang, T., Aitken, M. D., & Teske, A. (2013). Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria enriched by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill identified by cultivation and DNA-SIP. ISME J, 7(11), 2091–2104. doi:10.1038/ismej.2013.98

Ziervogel, K., McKay, L., Rhodes, B., Osburn, C. L., Dickson-Brown, J., Arnosti, C., & Teske, A. (2012). Microbial Activities and Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics in Oil-Contaminated Surface Seawater from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Site. PLoS ONE, 7(4), e34816. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0034816

Purpose:

Determine the enzymatic activity of microorganisms associated with macroscopic oil aggregates.

Data Parameters and Units:

polysaccharide hydrolysis rates.xlsx: polysaccharide rates ((hydrolysis rates of polysaccharides (arabinogalactan, fucoidan, chondroitin sulfate, laminarin, xylan, pullulan); samples were incubated in replicate vials (sample 1, sample 2) and hydrolysis rates were calculated from the changes in chromatograms over time (gel permeation chromatography)); control (chromatograms of all six substrates at t=0 days and t=14 days indicating only minor changes over time); latitude (lat, decimal degrees); longitude (long, decimal degrees); volume (L); Oil aggregates (macroscopic aggregates that formed in roller bottles); Oil water (remaining bottle water after removal of oil aggregates); Ambient water (surface seawater w/o visible oil contamination); Incubation time (hrs); pullulan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); laminarin hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); xylan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); fucoidan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); arabinogalactan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); chondroitin hydrolysis (nmol/L/h) bacterial cell counts.xlsx: bacteria cells bottles (bacterial cell counts from water of bottles 1-6; cells were stained with DAPI); bacteria cells aggregates (bacterial cell counts of aggregates that formed in bottles); latitude (lat, decimal degrees); longitude (long, decimal degrees); volume (L); bottle #; microscopic picture #; sampling day; average cell #; standard deviation; bacterial abundance (cells/filter); bacterial abundance (cells/mL); filter area (um2); area of pic (um2); volume of sample (ml); dilution DOC.xlsx: latitude (lat, decimal degrees); longitude (long, decimal degrees); volume (L); bottle #; time (days); sample #; concentration; concentration * dilution; DOC (umol/L); average; standard deviation Arnosti et al_enzyme data.xlsx: Oil aggregates (macroscopic aggregates that formed in roller bottles); Oil water (remaining bottle water after removal of oil aggregates); Ambient water (surface seawater w/o visible oil contamination); Incubation time (days); pullulan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); laminarin hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); xylan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); fucoidan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); arabinogalactan hydrolysis (nmol/L/h); chondroitin hydrolysis (nmol/L/h) CDOM fluorescence.xlsx: latitude (lat, decimal degrees); longitude (long, decimal degrees); volume (L); bottle #; time (days); sample ID; voltage (hv or mv); relative CDOM fluorescence; enzyme activity.xlsx: latitude (lat, decimal degrees); longitude (long, decimal degrees); volume (L); numbers indicate bottle # and replicate # (e.g. 1-1 means bottle 1, replicate 1); time (days); t0 (beginning of the roller bottle incubation); t1 (day 02 of the roller bottle incubation); t2 (day 07 of the roller bottle incubation); t3 (day 10 of the roller bottle incubation); t4 (day 14 of the roller bottle incubation); t5 (day 16 of the roller bottle incubation); t6 (day 21 of the roller bottle incubation); t0_060710 (enzyme assays at the beginning of the roller bottle incubation); t1_060710 (enzyme assays at day 02 of the roller bottle incubation); t2_060710 (enzyme assays at day 07 of the roller bottle incubation); t3_060710 (enzyme assays at day 10 of the roller bottle incubation); t4_060710 (enzyme assays at day 14 of the roller bottle incubation); t5_060710 (enzyme assays at day 16 of the roller bottle incubation); t6_060710 (enzyme assays at day 21 of the roller bottle incubation); flocs_070110 (enzyme assays with aggregates after day 21 of the roller bottle incubation); t0 fl (fluorescence reading at the beginning of the incubation); start (start time); end (end time); fl end (fluorescence reading at the end of the incubation); t elapsed (elapsed time); fl elapsed (fluorescence reading end time - start time); G (glucosidase); P (phosphatase); B (lipase); L (leucine aminopeptidase).

Individual Files: