Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2013 Jul 30;72(2):364-74. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.08.029. Epub 2012 Sep 24.
Certain coral reef systems north of the Arabian Gulf are characterized by corals with a unique ability to thrive and flourish despite the presence of crude oil continuously seeping from natural cracks in the seabed. Harboring oil-degrading bacteria as a part of the holobiont has been investigated as a potential mechanism of adaptation and survival for corals in such systems. The use of conventional and molecular techniques verified a predominance of bacteria affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes in the mucus and tissues of Acropora clathrata and Porites compressa. These bacteria were capable of degrading a wide range of aliphatic (C9-C28) aromatic hydrocarbons (Phenanthrene, Biphenyl, Naphthalene) and crude oil. In addition, microcosms supplied with coral samples and various concentrations of crude oil shifted their bacterial population toward the more advantageous types of oil degraders as oil concentrations increased.
阿拉伯湾北部的某些珊瑚礁系统的特点是，尽管海床的自然裂缝中不断渗出原油，但珊瑚仍具有茁壮成长的独特能力。作为整个共生体的一部分，栖息在石油降解细菌被认为是珊瑚在这些系统中适应和生存的潜在机制。常规和分子技术的使用证实了粘珊瑚和多孔鹿角珊瑚的粘液和组织中与γ变形菌门、放线菌门和厚壁菌门相关的细菌占优势。这些细菌能够降解多种脂肪族（C9-C28）芳烃（菲、联苯、萘）和原油。此外，向含有珊瑚样本和不同浓度原油的微宇宙中添加各种浓度的原油，随着原油浓度的增加，其细菌种群向更有利的石油降解菌类型转移。
