Ocean Microbes That Eat Oil and Pollution

0:00When oil spills occur, the images that dominate the news are coated birds, damaged coastlines, and blackened water. But beneath the surface, something remarkable often happens. Microbes begin to eat the oil. Within days of the spill, entire microbial communities can shift. Bacteria that were previously rare, suddenly multiply, feeding on the hydrocarbons released into the water. Scientists often describe these microbes as oceans first responders. Because long before humans can deploy clean-up chips or skimmers, microbes are already at work. This is the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, your weekday news update for oceans. If you care about staying up informed on the ocean every week day, hit the follow button right now so you don't miss tomorrow's story. Here's the problem. We have ocean pollution. It comes in all forms. And it's one of the biggest environmental challenges facing marine ecosystems. Oil spills happen all over the world on a regular basis more than we think, not necessarily large oil spills

1:02although those happen. But we started to get a lot of little spills. Oil spills release massive quantities of hydrocarbons into the environments, into any ocean environment. One of the most famous examples, of course, of the deep water horizon spill in 2010, which released about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest marine oil spill in US history. Oil spreads quickly across the ocean surface, but it also dissolves and dissipates through the water column, exposing fish, plankton, and deep sea ecosystems to toxic compounds. And oil is only one part of the pollution problem. The ocean is also accumulating plastic debris, synthetic chemicals, industrial pollutants, and agricultural runoff. Plastics also are estimated to reach 11 million metric tons entering the ocean every year, if current trends continue. Many of these pollutants persist for decades or centuries. Traditional cleanup methods such as giving oil from the surface or collecting debris can help, but they are expensive and rarely remove everything.

2:04However, the ocean has its own response, microbes. One of the most important discoveries about microbial pollution cleanup came after the deep sea horizon spill. Scientists studying the Gulf of Mexico noticed something unusual. Certain bacteria began to explode in population. Researchers analyzing seawater samples discovered large microbial blooms composed of oil degrading bacteria. These microbes were feeding on hydrocarbons released from the spill. The bacteria were not introduced by humans. They were already present in the ocean waiting for an energy source. When the oil arrived, they multiplied rapidly. Key findings from these studies included oil degrading bacteria increased dramatically and contaminated waters. Micros metabolized hydrocarbons as an energy source. An entire microbial communities reorganized around oil degradation. Several bacteria groups became dominant during the spill. Important genera, and I'm gonna try and pronounce this properly, included alkanivorex bacteria specialized in breaking down alkanes, a common type of hydrocarbons found in crude oil.

3:07In normal ocean conditions, these microbes are relatively rare, but after oil spills, they can dominate microbial communities. In some contaminated waters they have been shown to make up up to 90% of microbial populations. Also, there's cycloclasticus. This bacteria targets aromatic hydrocarbons, which are some of the most toxic compounds of crude oil. These compounds include polysic like aromatic hydrocarbons, often called PAGes. PAGes can damage fish development and accumulate in food webs. Cycloclasticus bacteria break these compounds down, reducing their persistence in the environment. Marino bacteria are versatile oil degraders. They can metabolize a wide range of hydrocarbons and often work alongside other microbes in mixed communities. These microbial teams called consortia collectively break down different parts of the oil mixture. Together, these microbes act like the biochemical cleanup crew. Crude oil is made up of complex hydrocarbon molecules. These molecules store energy,

4:08which microbes can use to grow and reproduce. Some bacteria produce specialized enzymes that allow them to break hydrocarbons apart. The process generally works like this. First, the enzymes attack large hydrocarbon molecules. These molecules are broken down into smaller compounds. The bacteria then metabolize these compounds as fuel. Through this metabolism, hydrocarbons are converted into carbon dioxide, water, and new microbial mass. Essentially, microbes are transforming oil into biological material. In some environments, this process can remove a significant portion of spilt oil naturally over time. For example, studies in the deep water horizon still suggest that my microbial degradation remove large quantities of dissolved hydrocarbons from the deep plume within months. Microbes are therefore acting as chemical recyclers of the ocean. They transform pollutants into compounds that can reenter natural biogeochemical cycles. Scientists are now exploring how microbial processes could be enhanced to help clean pollution more effectively. One research also involves bio stimulation.

5:10This strategy adds nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus to polluted waters to stimulate growth of oil degradating microbes. Because microbial growth is often limited by nutrients, adding small amounts can accelerate bio degradation. This technique was used during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, where nutrient fertilizers were applied to contaminated shorelines to stimulate microbial oil degradation. Another emerging field is plastic degrading microbes. For decades, scientists believed plastic were almost impossible for microbes to digest. But in 2016, researchers discovered a bacterium called Indionella, Sakyasis. I butchered that, I apologize. But they could break down PET plastics, the type that are used in many bottles. The bacterium produces enzymes that degrade PET into its chemical building blocks. Researchers are now studying whether similar microbes exist in marine environments. Other studies have identified marine fungi and bacteria capable of slowing degrading polyethylene,

6:10the most common plastic in the ocean. Scientists are now exploring microbial consortia, where multiple microbes work together to degrade complex pollutants. One species might break down large plastic polymers while another consumes a smaller fragments. Together, they complete the entire process. The research is still developing, but it could transform how we approach pollution cleanup. Now, I want to just let you know that there are limits. Microbial cleanup is powerful, but it is not a magic solution. Large spills can cause severe ecological damage right off the bat. Oil can smother coral reefs, poison fish larvae, and destroy coastal habitats. And some pollutants are extremely resistant to microbial breakdown. Examples include certain types of plastics, persists in organic pollutants, and heavy metals. In many cases, microbial cleanup can take years or decades. Even after the deep water horizon spill, traces of oil remained in sediments and deep sea ecosystems for years. Microbes help mitigate damage, but they cannot fully reverse it.

7:11The best solution to pollution remains prevention. I want to reiterate how important it is to understand how these microbes work, but all in small doses. The immediate effect of having these pollutants in the water can be detrimental to all ocean ecosystems and the species that live within it. This is not a cure and to say, hey, this is how we solve oil spills. This is where we can use oil on a regular basis because we don't have to worry about about our spills anymore. No, this is just what we're discovering what happens in the ocean. Maybe in some cases we'll be able to get it at some point, but not today, not tomorrow, and not for the near future. We need to divest ourselves away from oil products, away from using oil and drilling for oil to protect our oceans for a myriad of reasons. All right, if you love this type of episode, if you love this breakdown, if you love learning about microbes in the ocean and all these different things about the ocean, hit that follow button right now. We're trying to get to the top of the charts

8:12in almost every country. And certain countries were in the top 100, which is fantastic, but I want to get to the top. I want you guys to help me in each and every one of your countries to get how to protect the ocean to the top. And by doing that, if you hit that follow button, that helps get us to the top of those charts. So if you want to help us get to the top, if you want to help us be a great community and build our community, that would be amazing. And I have something for you as a way to interact and the way to talk in just a second. If you just let me finish these last final thoughts. All right, microbes, remind us of something important about the ocean that life evolves solutions to environmental challenges. Over millions of years, microbes evolved ways to break down natural hydrocarbons that seep from sea floor. Today, those same microbes help clean up human pollution with, of course, some limits. They are part of the ocean's resilience, but the resilience has limits. Microbes can help repair damage. They cannot undo all of it. Tomorrow, we're going to explore a new frontier. Scientists are now engineering microbes

9:13to help solve climate challenges. And that is where synthetic biology enters the ocean conservation. So honestly, if you want to help this show grow, if you want to learn more about oceans and you want more people to learn about oceans, hit that follow button right away, share this episode with somebody you think that would be interested in this knowledge. I started this podcast because when I was a kid that didn't have internet, I had to rely on my library that didn't have a lot of information on oceans because I lived in Ontario. I still live in Ontario, but here I am, providing you with the information that you need to learn about the ocean and act for a better ocean. Live for a better ocean. So if you want to see this show grow and you want more people to listen to it, let's grow our community because you love it as well. That would be great. Just hit that follow button. This is the special thing. If you want to have your say and comment on this information and comment on this episode, you can do that. Go to speakupforblue.com forward slash feedback. That speakupforblue.com forward slash feedback. I would love to hear what you have to say about microbes in general, the ocean in general if you want to hear a specific topic.

10:14If you haven't noticed, I've changed obviously things that are going on these days. I've been doing four solo episodes for Monday to Thursday and an interview episode on the Friday, they all relate all in one theme. I really like this way of doing this stuff and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well. So hit that follow button. Go to speakupforblue.com forward slash feedback. That speakupforblue.com forward slash feedback. And I want to thank you so much for joining me on today's episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Lewin. Have a great day. We'll talk to you next time and happy conservation.