Colonization of contaminated soil by an introduced bacterium: Effects of initial pentachlorophenol levels on the survival of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica strain RA2

Abstract

The survival of a Sphingomonas species that was introduced into pentachlorophenol (PCP)-contaminated soil was monitored with two complementary methods, a respiration-based assay and a most probable number (MPN) technique. Sphingomonas chlorophenolica strain RA2 is a PCP- mineralizing bacterium that was introduced into soil contaminated with a range of PCP concentrations (0-300 μg PCP g-1 soil). The population of introduced microorganisms was followed for 170 days using a substrate-induced growth-response method and a MPN assay that specifically targets PCP- mineralizing bacteria. Varying the initial PCP concentration resulted in the emergence of three distinct patterns of survival. In soil contaminated with 300 μg PCP g-1 the population of S. chlorophenolica strain RA2 immediately declined following introduction, increased by 200-fold and leveled off by the end of the 170day incubation. In contrast, populations of S. chlorophenolica strain RA2 declined to levels below detection limits in uncontaminated soil by the end of the experiment. Intermediate PCP concentrations (10-100 μg PCP g-1 soil) resulted in the establishment of S. chlorophenolica strain RA2 that slowly declined in numbers. These results indicate that Sphingomonas chlorophenolica strain RA2 is an effective colonizer of PCP-contaminated soil but will not persist in the absence of PCP.