ABSTRACT
Fungi of the Ascomycota phylum were isolated from oil-soaked sand patties collected from beaches following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To examine their ability to degrade oil, fungal isolates were grown on oiled quartz at 20°C, 30°C and 40°C. Consistent trends in oil degradation were not related to fungal species or temperature and all isolates degraded variable quantities of oil (32-65%). Fungal isolates preferentially degraded short (Subject(s)
Ascomycota/isolation & purification
, Ascomycota/metabolism
, Petroleum Pollution
, Petroleum/metabolism
, Alkanes/chemistry
, Alkanes/metabolism
, Biodegradation, Environmental
, Environmental Pollutants/chemistry
, Environmental Pollutants/metabolism
, Gulf of Mexico
, Molecular Weight
, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/chemistry
, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/metabolism
, Quartz
, Silicon Dioxide