Burdiyan N. Sulfate-reducing, thiobacteria and denitrifying bacteria in the coastal zone of the Black Sea and their role in oil hydrocarbon transformation.

The abundance and distribution of sulfate-reducing, thiobacteria and denitrifying bacteria inhabiting coastal and sea-bed sediments of Sevastopol (Black Sea) were investigated. The general presence of the examined bacterial groups has been proven. Each bacterial group developed largest abundance in the localities receiving heavy human loads; thiobacteria outnumbered sulfate-reducing by hundreds to thousands cells/g. Experiments were conducted to find out how the anaerobic community would form in the absence of hydrodynamic load. It was found that the three investigated bacterial groups are involved in microbial conversion of oil hydrocarbons. The study has shown that the coastal sediments which differ in granulometric composition and in oil hydrocarbon concentrations harbor some thiobacteria and denitrifying bacteria tolerant to changeable oxygen regime. The capacity to utilize oil hydrocarbons as the only carbon and energy supply was tested in continuous cultures of the sulfate-reducing, thiobacteria and denitrifying bacteria isolated from the coastal and sea-floor sediments. Correlation between bacterial abundances and oil hydrocarbon concentrations measured in the sea-bed and coastal sediments was computed.