Assessing interactions, predicting function and increasing degradation potential of a PAH-degrading bacterial consortium by effect of an inoculant strain

MACCHI M., ; MORELLI IS.; VEGA-VELA N.; FESTA S.; COPPOTELLI BM

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2019

0944-1344

A natural phenanthrene-degrading consortium CON was inoculated with an exogenous strain Sphingobium sp. (ex Sp. paucimobilis) 20006FA yielding the consortium called I-CON, in order to study ecological interactions into the bacterial community. DGGE and proteomic profiles and analysis by NGS technologies demonstrated inoculant establishment and changes on CON composition. Inoculation increased degradation efficiency in I-CON and prevented intermediate HNA accumulation. This could be explained not only by the inoculation, but also by enrichment in Achromobacter genus at expense of a decrease in Klebsiella genus. After inoculation, cooperation between Sphingobium and Achromobacter genera were improved, thereby, some competition could have been generated, and as a consequence, species in minor proportion (cheaters), as Inquilinus sp. and Luteibacter sp., were not detected. Sequences of Sphingobium (corresponding to the inoculated strain) did not vary. PICRUSt predicted a network with bacterial phylotypes connected with enzymes, showing functional redundancy in the pathway, with exception of the first enzymes that were only encoded in Sphingobium sp. This is the first report where a natural consortium that has been characterized by NGS technologies is inoculated with an exogenous strain in order to study competitiveness and interactions.