Petroleum hydrocarbons inhibit decomposition of organic matter in seawater

Ilan Chet*, Ralph Mitchell

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

MOTILE marine bacteria, like higher animals, have the capacity to detect and be attracted to organic substances1, including living microbial prey2. Mitchell et al.3 found that this chemotactic response was inhibited by low concentrations of hydrocarbons such as toluene, phenol and crude oil. The bacterial population was not killed but did lose its ability to detect non-living substrates as well as living prey, such as algae and enteric bacteria3-5. It seems that the ability of a marine bacterium to degrade a substrate is augmented by its attraction to that substance. This report describes the role of bacterial chemotaxis in organic matter decomposition in seawater and its inhibition by sublethal concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)308-309
Number of pages2
JournalNature
Volume261
Issue number5558
DOIs
StatePublished - 1976

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