A Comparative Study of the Ecology of Fungi in Crude Oil Polluted Sediments of Brackish and Fresh Water in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Abstract
The ecology of fungi associated with oil polluted sediments of brackish and fresh water was analyzed using microbiological methods. Physicochemical characteristics of sediment revealed that available Phosphorus ranged between 18.8 - 22.3 (20.58±1.83) mg/g and 9.9 - 16.3(13.03±2.84) mg/g; electrical conductivity, 4050 – 10600 (6697.50±2681.87) µS/cm and 1.38 - 608 (196.60±277.44) µS/cm; pH, 3,51 - 4.03(3.77±0.30) and 4.63 - 5.5(5.00±0.39); salinity, 2.5 - 5.9 (3.58±1.59)% and 0.1 - 0.2 (0.13±0.10)%; total hydrocarbon 151.66 - 394.02(219.93±116.62) mg/kg and 9.48 - 403.56 (164.01±169.53) mg/kg; total nitrogen, 0.32 – 0.46 (0.37±0.07)% and 0.15 - 0.3 (0.21±0.06)%; total organic carbon, 2.15 - 2.93 (2.62±0.36)% and 0.7 - 1.68 (1.11±0.42)%; in both brackish and fresh water sediments respectively. Heterotrophic fungal counts ranged between 29.2 - 77.1 x 103sfu/g (55.68±21.62 x 103) sfu/g and 13.7 - 36.0 x 103 (22.6±9.56 x 103) sfu/g for brackish and fresh water sediments respectively. Percentage Petroleum degrading fungi in brackish water sediments ranged between 10.4 - 88 (58.95±33.67)% while fresh water sediment ranged between 8.5 - 74.1 (29.9 ± 30.57)%. Eight genera of petroleum degrading fungi were isolated from both types of sediment samples and they include Aspergillus, Candida, Fusarium, Gliocladium, Mucor spp, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Torulopsis spp. with Penicillium (70%) occurring most and Fusarium (1.2%) least in brackish water sediment; in fresh water sediment samples, however, Torulopsis (23.3%) occurred most while Fusarium spp (1.1%) was least. Petroleum degrading fungi were more abundant in the brackish water sediments while the reverse was the case for heterotrophic fungi. Pure cultures of these fungi in these sediments can be isolated and used for bioremediation
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