Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to the group of recalcitrants that on reaching wastewater can irreversibly inhibit some sensitive biological processes in activated sludge such as nitrification. This situation leads to wastewater treatment failure due to the influence of these substances on bacteria responsible for important biochemical processes. Observation of the changes in bacterial diversity using molecular tools, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), could be the first step in finding a way of preventing wastewater treatment failure. The aim of this experiment was to monitor bacterial biodiversity in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) dealing with synthetic wastewater contaminated with high concentration of petroleum organic compounds (POCs) and to study the influence of POCs contamination on bacterial changeability in activated sludge. COD removal in investigated membrane bioreactors was at a level of 93%. The organics removal efficiency was not affected by the maximal tested dose of petroleum contamination ( l OOO μl POCs/l of wastewater) and the MBRs wastewater treatment performance was undisturbed. DGGE analysis revealed that the biodiversity fluctuated slightly in control MBR, while in experimental MBR the biodiversity index decreased drastically after adding the highest experimental concentration of POCs. These results suggest that concentrations of POCs at levels from 50 μl/l to 500 μl/l stimulate biodiversity growth, while the concentration I OOO μI POCs/1 of wastewater seems to inhibit the most sensitive processes in wastewater treatment by influencing the bacterial biocenosis.

The human movement to and from Antarctica has increased significantly in recent decades, particularly to the South Shetland Islands, King George Island (KGI), and Deception Island (DCI). Such movements may result in unintentional soil transfer to other warmer regions, such as tropical countries. However, the ability of Antarctic bacteria to survive in tropical climates remained unknown. Hence, the objectives of this work were (i) to determine the bacterial diversity of the soils at the study sites on the two islands, and (ii) to determine if simulated tropical-like growth climate conditions would impact overall diversity and increase the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria in the Antarctic soils. KGI and DCI soils were incubated for 12 months under simulated tropical conditions. After 6 and 12-months, samples were collected and subjected to metagenomic DNA extraction, 16S rDNA amplification, sequencing, and alignment analysis. The 12-month denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis revealed changes in fingerprinting patterns and bacterial diversity indices. Following that, bacterial diversity analyses for KGI and DCI soils were undertaken using V3-V4 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Major bacterial phyla in KGI and DCI soils comprised Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. Except for Proteobacteria in KGI soils and Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi in DCI soils, most phyla in both soils did not acclimate to simulated tropical conditions. Changes in diversity were also observed at the genus level, with Methylobacterium spp. predominating in both soils after incubation. After the 12-month incubation, the abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Mycobacterium, Massilia, and Williamsia spp. increased. Overall, there was a loss of bacterial diversity in both Antarctic soils after 12 months, indicating that most bacteria from both islands' sampling sites cannot survive well if the soils were accidentally transported into warmer climates.