Phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in subarctic regions relies on the successful establishment of plants that stimulate petroleum-degrading microorganisms, which can be challenging due to the extreme climate, limited nutrients, and difficulties in maintaining sites in remote locations. A long-term phytoremediation experiment was initiated in Alaska in 1995 with the introduction of grasses and/or fertilizer to petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC)-contaminated soils that were subsequently left unmanaged. In 2011, the PHC concentrations were below detection limits in all soils tested and the originally planted grasses had been replaced by volunteer plant species that had colonized the site. Here, we sought to understand how the original treatments influenced the structure of prokaryotic communities associated with plant species that colonized the soils and to assess the interactions between the rhizospheric and endophytic communities of the colonizing vegetation 20 years after the experiment was established. Metataxonomic analysis performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the original type of contaminated soil and phytoremediation strategy influenced the structure of both rhizospheric and endophytic communities of colonizing plants, even 20 years after the treatments were applied and following the disappearance of the originally planted grasses. Our findings demonstrate that the choice of initial phytoremediation strategy drove the succession of microorganisms associated with the colonizing vegetation. The outcome of this study provides new insight into the establishment of plant-associated microbial communities during secondary succession of subarctic areas previously contaminated by PHCs and indicates that the strategies for restoring these ecosystems influence the plant-associated microbiota in the long term. IMPORTANCE Subarctic ecosystems provide key services to local communities, yet they are threatened by pollution caused by spills and disposal of petroleum waste. Finding solutions for the remediation and restoration of subarctic soils is valuable for reasons related to human and ecosystem health, as well as environmental justice. This study provides novel insight into the long-term succession of soil and plant-associated microbiota in subarctic soils that had been historically contaminated with different sources of PHCs and subjected to distinct phytoremediation strategies. We provide evidence that even after the successful removal of PHCs and the occurrence of secondary succession, the fingerprint of the original source of contamination and the initial choice of remediation strategy can be detected as a microbial legacy in the rhizosphere, roots, and shoots of volunteer vegetation even 2 decades after the contamination had occurred. Such information needs to be borne in mind when designing and applying restoration approaches for PHC-contaminated soils in subarctic ecosystems.

• Klíčová slova
• bacterial communities, endophyte, petroleum hydrocarbons, phytoremediation, rhizosphere, rhizosphere-inhabiting microbes, secondary succession, subarctic,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soils represent a major treat for ecosystems health. Plant biostimulation of autochthonous microbial PCB degraders is a way to restore polluted sites where traditional remediation techniques are not sustainable, though its success requires the understanding of site-specific plant-microbe interactions. In an historical PCB contaminated soil, we applied DNA stable isotope probing (SIP) using 13C-labeled 4-chlorobiphenyl (4-CB) and 16S rRNA MiSeq amplicon sequencing to determine how the structure of total and PCB-degrading bacterial populations were affected by different treatments: biostimulation with Phalaris arundinacea subjected (PhalRed) or not (Phal) to a redox cycle and the non-planted controls (Bulk and BulkRed). Phal soils hosted the most diverse community and plant biostimulation induced an enrichment of Actinobacteria. Mineralization of 4-CB in SIP microcosms varied between 10% in Bulk and 39% in PhalRed soil. The most abundant taxa deriving carbon from PCB were Betaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Comamonadaceae was the family most represented in Phal soils, Rhodocyclaceae and Nocardiaceae in non-planted soils. Planted soils subjected to redox cycle enriched PCB degraders affiliated to Pseudonocardiaceae, Micromonosporaceae and Nocardioidaceae. Overall, we demonstrated different responses of soil bacterial taxa to specific rhizoremediation treatments and we provided new insights into the populations active in PCB biodegradation.

• MeSH
• Actinomycetales * genetika   MeSH
• Bacteria MeSH
• biodegradace MeSH
• DNA bakterií genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• DNA metabolismus   MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• izotopy metabolismus   MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu * metabolismus   MeSH
• polychlorované bifenyly * metabolismus   MeSH
• půda chemie   MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• rostliny metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• DNA bakterií MeSH
• DNA MeSH
• izotopy MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu * MeSH
• polychlorované bifenyly * MeSH
• půda MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH

Extended soil contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) represents a global environmental issue that can hardly be addressed with the conventional remediation treatments. Rhizoremediation is a sustainable alternative, exploiting plants to stimulate in situ the degradative bacterial communities naturally occurring in historically polluted areas. This approach can be enhanced by the use of bacterial strains that combine PCB degradation potential with the ability to promote plant and root development. With this aim, we established a collection of aerobic bacteria isolated from the soil of the highly PCB-polluted site "SIN Brescia-Caffaro" (Italy) biostimulated by the plant Phalaris arundinacea. The strains, selected on biphenyl and plant secondary metabolites provided as unique carbon source, were largely dominated by Actinobacteria and a significant number showed traits of interest for remediation, harbouring genes homologous to bphA, involved in the PCB oxidation pathway, and displaying 2,3-catechol dioxygenase activity and emulsification properties. Several strains also showed the potential to alleviate plant stress through 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity. In particular, we identified three Rhodococcus strains able to degrade in vitro several PCB congeners and to promote lateral root emergence in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in vivo. In addition, these strains showed the capacity to colonize the root system and to increase the plant biomass in PCB contaminated soil, making them ideal candidates to sustain microbial-assisted PCB rhizoremediation through a bioaugmentation approach.

• MeSH
• Arabidopsis růst a vývoj   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• bakteriální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• biodegradace MeSH
• exprese genu MeSH
• katechol-2,3-dioxygenasa genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• kořeny rostlin růst a vývoj   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu metabolismus   MeSH
• lyasy štěpící vazby C-C genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• oxidace-redukce MeSH
• Phalaris růst a vývoj   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• polychlorované bifenyly metabolismus   MeSH
• půda chemie   MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
• Rhodococcus enzymologie   genetika   MeSH
• sekundární metabolismus genetika   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase MeSH Prohlížeč
• bakteriální proteiny MeSH
• katechol-2,3-dioxygenasa MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu MeSH
• lyasy štěpící vazby C-C MeSH
• polychlorované bifenyly MeSH
• půda MeSH

Cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cDCE), which is a common hazardous compound, often accumulates during incomplete reductive dechlorination of higher chlorinated ethenes (CEs) at contaminated sites. Simple monoaromatics, such as toluene and phenol, have been proven to induce biotransformation of cDCE in microbial communities incapable of cDCE degradation in the absence of other carbon sources. The goal of this microcosm-based laboratory study was to discover non-toxic natural monoaromatic secondary plant metabolites (SPMEs) that could enhance cDCE degradation in a similar manner to toluene and phenol. Eight SPMEs were selected on the basis of their monoaromatic molecular structure and widespread occurrence in nature. The suitability of the SPMEs chosen to support bacterial growth and to promote cDCE degradation was evaluated in aerobic microbial cultures enriched from cDCE-contaminated soil in the presence of each SPME tested and cDCE. Significant cDCE depletions were achieved in cultures enriched on acetophenone, phenethyl alcohol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and trans-cinnamic acid. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of each microbial community revealed ubiquitous enrichment of bacteria affiliated with the genera Cupriavidus, Rhodococcus, Burkholderia, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. Our results provide further confirmation of the previously stated secondary compound hypothesis that plant metabolites released into the rhizosphere can trigger biodegradation of environmental pollutants, including cDCE.

• MeSH
• acetofenony metabolismus   MeSH
• aerobióza MeSH
• Bacteria genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• biodegradace MeSH
• cinnamáty metabolismus   MeSH
• dichlorethyleny metabolismus   MeSH
• fenethylalkohol metabolismus   MeSH
• fenoly metabolismus   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• hydroxybenzoáty metabolismus   MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu metabolismus   MeSH
• mikrobiální společenstva genetika   MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH
• rostliny metabolismus   MeSH
• sekundární metabolismus MeSH
• toluen metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• 1,2-dichloroethylene MeSH Prohlížeč
• acetofenony MeSH
• acetophenone MeSH Prohlížeč
• cinnamáty MeSH
• cinnamic acid MeSH Prohlížeč
• dichlorethyleny MeSH
• fenethylalkohol MeSH
• fenoly MeSH
• hydroxybenzoáty MeSH
• látky znečišťující půdu MeSH
• phenolic acid MeSH Prohlížeč
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH
• toluen MeSH

Plant-microbe interactions are of particular importance in polluted soils. This study sought to determine how selected plants (horseradish, black nightshade and tobacco) and NPK mineral fertilization shape the structure of soil microbial communities in legacy contaminated soil and the resultant impact of treatment on the soil microbial community functional potential. To explore these objectives, we combined shotgun metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene amplicon high throughput sequencing with data analysis approaches developed for RNA-seq. We observed that the presence of any of the selected plants rather than fertilization shaped the microbial community structure, and the microbial populations of the root zone of each plant significantly differed from one another and/or from the bulk soil, whereas the effect of the fertilizer proved to be insignificant. When we compared microbial diversity in root zones versus bulk soil, we observed an increase in the relative abundance of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria or Bacteroidetes, taxa which are commonly considered copiotrophic. Our results thus align with the theory that fast-growing, copiotrophic, microorganisms which are adapted to ephemeral carbon inputs are enriched in the vegetated soil. Microbial functional potential indicated that some genetic determinants associated with signal transduction mechanisms, defense mechanisms or amino acid transport and metabolism differed significantly among treatments. Genetic determinants of these categories tend to be overrepresented in copiotrophic organisms. The results of our study further elucidate plant-microbe relationships in a contaminated environment with possible implications for the phyto/rhizoremediation of contaminated areas.

• Klíčová slova
• contaminated soil, fertilization, functional potential, microbial community structure, plants,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH