Microbial diversity around natural hydrocarbon seeps in relation to petroleum bioprospecting and oil spill bioremediation – Year two

Endospores of thermophilic, sulfate-reducing bacteria (TS-SRB) are widespread in the marine rare biosphere and have been proposed as model organisms for studying microbial dispersal. Hot subsurface oil reservoirs could potentially be ‘deep biosphere’ source environments for these organisms, whereby TS-SRB are transported into the cold seabed through natural hydrocarbon seeps. Thus these endospores could be potential bioindicators of hydrocarbon seeps and might be useful in oil and gas prospection. If so, they would co-occur with hydrocarbon-degrading microbes that colonize seep sediments. This postdoctoral research project will evaluate the diversity and abundance of ‘thermospores’ in marine sediments in and around hydrocarbon seeps. The findings of this project will determine whether thermo-spore detection technology should be integrated in microbial seep prospection as well as used to potentially map marine areas capable of rapid hydrocarbon biodegradation, i. e., for effective bioremediation of oil spills.

Faculty Supervisor:

Casey Hubert

Student:

Partner:

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering;ExxonMobil Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Mining

University:

University of Calgary

Program: