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

The aim of this work was investigate the effect of marine diesel oil on the development and survives of three different species of mangrove propagules with and without hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria consortium and the possible use of propagules for recovery of mangroves impacted by oil. The study was conducted in a greenhouse, near the mangrove where they collected samples of sediments and propagules of A. schaueriana, L. racemosa and R. mangle. The bacterial consortium used was compounded by Bacillus spp., Rhizobium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Ochrobactrum spp. and Brevundimonas spp. Results suggested that Bacillus species are more tolerant to high levels of hydrocarbons. After six months, L. racemosa and A. schaueriana only survived in the control treatment and R. mangle showed the highest survival rates among the three species. The results indicate that different mangrove species do not respond uniformly to oil spill. In fact, the propagules of R. mangle are much more resistant to dispersed and undispersed oil and t he hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium can be applied in the phytoremediation of pollutants .