Microbial Diversity In Oil Contaminated Areas Of Indian Thar Desert

Abstract

Abstract: The ability to isolate high numbers of certain oil degrading microorganisms from oil polluted environment in desert ecosystem is commonly taken as evidence that these microorganisms are the active degraders of the environment. Soil counts cannot be used for analysis of biodegradability of the spilled hydrocarbons, the diversity and the number of microorganisms at a given site may help to characterize that site with respect to the toxicity of these hydrocarbons to the microbiota, age of the spill and concentration of the pollutant. From 5 different sampling sites total 10 soil samples were collected. Samples were subjected to cultural experiments for the diversity and abundance of Hydrocarbon Utilizing Bacteria HUB and Hydrocarbon Utilizing Fungi HUF by sampling in three consecutive months. Although, hydrocarbon degraders may be expected to be readily isolated from an oil associated environment, the same degree of isolated from a total related environment such as soil. Therefore sampling experiments were performed both for oil spilled and non-oil spilled areas. A total of 24 isolates were isolated and it was reported that the introduction of oily wastes into soil caused appreciable increases in the number of both the groups.