PLFA Analyses of Microbial Communities Associated with PAH-Contaminated Riverbank Sediment

Sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems. The microbial community structure of riverbank PAH-contaminated sediments was investigated using phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Surface and subsurface riverbank sediment was collected from a highly contaminated site and from an uncontaminated site along the Mahoning River, OH. PAH concentrations, physical sediment characteristics, and other microbial community parameters (biomass as phospholipid phosphate (PLP) and activity) were also measured. PAHs were detected in all samples but were only quantifiable in the contaminated (250 μg/g g⁻¹) subsurface sediment. Subsurface samples from both locations showed very similar PLP values and distribution of PLFAs, with 27-37% of the microbial community structure being composed of sulfate reducing and other anaerobic bacteria. Principal components analysis indicated no correlation between PAH contamination and PLFA diversity. Although PLP and phospholipid fatty acid measurements of bacterial communities did not reflect the environmental differences among sites, the highly PAH-contaminated sediment showed the highest measured microbial activity (reduction of 1,200 nmol INT g⁻¹ h⁻¹), likely from a population adapted to environmental pollutants, rates that are much higher than measured in many uncontaminated soil and sediment systems. These data warrant further investigation into community structure at the genetic level and indicate potential for bioremediation by indigenous microbes.