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INFLUENCE OF EASILY DEGRADABLE NATURALLY OCCURRING CARBON SUBSTRATES ON BIODEGRADATION OF MONOSUBSTITUTED PHENOLS BY AQUATIC BACTERIA
Citation:
Shimp, R. AND F. Pfaender. INFLUENCE OF EASILY DEGRADABLE NATURALLY OCCURRING CARBON SUBSTRATES ON BIODEGRADATION OF MONOSUBSTITUTED PHENOLS BY AQUATIC BACTERIA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-85/023.
Description:
The influence of readily degradable, naturally occurring carbon substrates on the biodegradation of several monosubstitued phenols (m-cresol, m-aminophenol, p-chlorophenol) was examined. The natural substrate classes used were amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Samples of the microbial community from Lake Michie, a mesotrophic reservoir, were adapted to different levels of representatives from each natural substrate class in chemostats. After an extended adaptation period, the ability of the microbial community to degrade the monosubstituted phenols was determined by using a radiolabeled substrate uptake and mineralization method. The mechanism responsible for the enhancement of monosubstituted phenol metabolism was not clearly identified, but the observation that adaptation to amino acids also increased the biodegradation of glucose and, to a lesser extent, naphthalene suggests a general stimulation of microbial metabolism. This study demonstrates that prior exposure to labile, natural substrates can significantly enhance the ability of aquatic microbial communities to respond to xenobiotics.