Response of mangrove propagules to the presence of oil- and hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria during an experimental oil spill

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of marine diesel oil on the development and survival of three different species of mangrove propagules with or without a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium and the possible use of propagules for the recovery of mangroves impacted by oil. The study was conducted in a greenhouse, near a mangrove from which we collected samples of sediments and propagules of Laguncularia racemosa, Avicennia schaueriana and Rhizophora mangle. The bacterial consortium comprised Bacillus spp., Rhizobium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Ochrobactrum spp. and Brevundimonas spp. After six months, L. racemosa and A. schaueriana only survived in control treatments and R. mangle showed the highest survival rates of the three species, indicating that different mangrove species do not respond uniformly to oil spills. Propagules of R. mangle are much more resistant and the hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium we tested can be applied in the phytoremediation of pollutants.