Muhammad Atikul Islam Khan
University of South Australia, Australia
Title: Effect of Hydrocarbon Toxicity on Soil Microbial Community
Biography
Biography: Muhammad Atikul Islam Khan
Abstract
Hydrocarbon contamination of soil is one of the most common pollution issues faced by many regulators, industry and communities. This research aims to identify the ecological impact of hydrocarbon contamination. Soil environmental condition changes may shift the composition and diversity of soil microbial community. Microbial diversity can be defined as the variety of bacterial species in ecosystems along with the genetic variability within each species. Microbial community composition and diversity at diesel-contaminated spiked soils were investigated to understand the interrelationships among soil physical and geochemical properties, pollution level, and microbial community. Forty samples from four different types of soil with various physiochemical characteristics and contaminant concentrations were investigated. Changes in microbial populations due to the presence and concentration of contaminants are dependent on the physiochemical properties of the soil that include geographic region, soil type, and soil pH. Because of environmental stresses or disturbances, the microbial community structure changes and diversity decreases. Still because of vast genotypic and phenotypic diversity it is difficult to characterize soil microbial community.
