Variability of communities and physiological characteristics between free-living bacteria and attached bacteria during the PAH biodegradation in a soil/water system

The biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via free-living and attached micro-organisms in soil/water systems was observed in order to examine the variability in the community dynamics and physiological profiles of the micro-organisms. As determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the Domain Bacteria, consisting of three phyla α-, β- and γ-Proteobacteria, reached 41.27–56.05% of all organisms in the soil/water system for PAH biodegradation. Among the free-living species, Proteobacteria, including Brevundimonas (Pseudomonas) diminuta, Caulobacter spp., Mycoplana bullata, Acidovorax spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found to be dominant—making up 93.51–99.80% of the population—and therefore seem to be associated with PAH biodegradation. Total plate count numbers and the count of Pseudomonas sp. present in the free-living population increased to between 103 and 106 CFU ml−1 when clay with very low organic matter content was used as the matrix for PAH degradation. However, total plate count microbial numbers increased to only 101–102 CFU ml−1 using natural soil from Taichung containing 1.883% organic matter. The soil organic content (SOM) seemed to affect the mass transfer of PAH in soil, leading to the difference in PAH biodegradation. Two different approaches, which included community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) and ectoenzymatic activities, were used to explain the functional diversity between free-living and attached bacteria. The free-living and attached bacterial communities from the clay system showed proportionately greater differences using CLPP. Relatively high levels of esterases, aminopeptidases and some specific glycolysis-gluconeogenesis enzymes gave an identifiable correlation with PAH biodegradation. The differences in bacterial composition, numbers and physiological characteristics show that free-living and attached micro-organisms may play different biochemical roles in PAH degradation in soil.