Qi Xiaoxue, Bai Shijie, Cai Suyang, Li Xuegong, Xiao Qilin
College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, Hainan, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jul;13(7):e0168924. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01689-24. Epub 2025 May 28.
The diversity of prokaryotes and fungi in crude oils has not been understood clearly, though unique microbial communities may be hosted in crude oil. This study investigated the chemical compositions and microbial communities of crude oils from Henan, Bamianhe, and Jianghan oilfields of China. Statistical analysis revealed significant variations of both prokaryotic and fungal communities ( < 0.05) within different oilfields and oils with different biodegradation levels. Diversity analysis showed little difference in prokaryotic, but a significant difference in fungal ( < 0.05). Prokaryotic diversity was higher in heavily biodegraded oils than those in unaltered and slightly biodegraded oils; the opposite was true for fungal diversity ( < 0.05). Moreover, thermophilic prokaryotes were detected mainly in biodegraded heavy oils produced by the practice of thermal recovery from Henan and Bamianhe oilfields, and halophilic prokaryotes were detected mainly in oils from sandstone reservoirs containing hypersaline formation water from Jianghan Oilfield. Accordingly, microbial communities in oils are affected by oil biodegradation, extraction practices, and natural environments of native inhabitants in subsurface petroleum reservoirs.IMPORTANCEThe biological activities of endogenous microorganisms in crude oil play an important role in the production and development of crude oil. Although there have been many microbiological investigations of crude oil-contaminated sites, our understanding of the phylogenetic diversity, metabolic capabilities, and community dynamics of microbial communities within crude oil is far from complete. In this paper, the prokaryotic and fungal communities of three oil fields in different regions of China were analyzed, and several factors affecting microbial degradation were further identified. This study provides a new direction for the subsequent investigation of microbial activities inside crude oil.
尽管原油中可能存在独特的微生物群落，但原核生物和真菌在原油中的多样性尚未得到清晰的认识。本研究调查了中国河南、八面河和江汉油田原油的化学成分和微生物群落。统计分析表明，不同油田以及不同生物降解水平的原油中，原核生物和真菌群落均存在显著差异（P<0.05）。多样性分析显示，原核生物多样性差异不大，但真菌多样性存在显著差异（P<0.05）。在重度生物降解原油中，原核生物多样性高于未改变和轻度生物降解的原油；而真菌多样性则相反（P<0.05）。此外，嗜热原核生物主要在河南和八面河油田热采生产的生物降解稠油中检测到，嗜盐原核生物主要在江汉油田含高盐地层水的砂岩油藏原油中检测到。因此，原油中的微生物群落受石油生物降解、开采方式以及地下油藏原生环境的影响。
重要性
原油中内源微生物的生物活性在原油生产和开发中发挥着重要作用。尽管对原油污染场地已经进行了许多微生物学研究，但我们对原油中微生物群落的系统发育多样性、代谢能力和群落动态的了解还远远不够。本文分析了中国不同地区三个油田的原核生物和真菌群落，并进一步确定了影响微生物降解的几个因素。本研究为后续原油内部微生物活性的研究提供了新方向。
