Soil Microbiome Structure and Function in Ecopiles Used to Remediate Petroleum-Contaminated Soil

The soil microbiome consists of a vast variety microorganisms which contribute to essential ecosystem services including nutrient recycling, protecting structure, and pathogen suppression. Recalcitrant organic compounds present in soils contaminated with fuel oil can lead decrease functional redundancy within microbiomes. Ecopiling is passive bioremediation technique involving biostimulation indigenous hydrocarbon degraders, bioaugmentation through inoculation known petroleum-degrading consortia, phytoremediation. current study investigates the assemblage microbial communities pollutant-degrading potential undergoing process, amplicon marker gene metagenomics analysis soil. key community members bacteria, fungi, nematodes revealed surprisingly diverse composition bacterial was found be dominated by Alphaproteobacteria (60–70%) most abundant genera such as Lysobacter , Dietzia Pseudomonas Extensimonas . fungal consisted mainly Ascomycota (50–70% relative abundance). Soil sequencing data allowed identification enzymes involved biodegradation hydrocarbons, providing novel window into function individual groups Ecopile. Although genus identified (11–46%) all samples, metagenomic were unable confirm role for this group petrochemical degradation. Conversely, relatively low abundance (0.4–9.0%), Pusillimonas (0.7–2.3%), Bradyrhizobium (0.8–1.8%) did possess genes aliphatic or aromatic compound