Understanding the diversity and functions of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms in marine environments is crucial for both advancing knowledge of biogeochemical processes and improving bioremediation methods. In this study, we leveraged nearly 20,000 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), recovered from a wide array of marine samples across the global oceans, to map the diversity of aerobic hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms. A broad bacterial diversity was uncovered, with a notable preference for degrading aliphatic hydrocarbons over aromatic ones, primarily within and . Three types of broad-spectrum hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were identified for their ability to degrade various hydrocarbons and possession of multiple copies of hydrocarbon biodegradation genes. These bacteria demonstrate extensive metabolic versatility, aiding their survival and adaptability in diverse environmental conditions. Evidence of gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer in these microbes suggested a potential enhancement in the diversity of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. Positive correlations were observed between the abundances of hydrocarbon-degrading genes and environmental parameters such as temperature (−5 to 35 °C) and salinity (20 to 42 PSU). Overall, our findings offer valuable insights into marine hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and suggest considerations for selecting microbial strains for oil pollution remediation.

中文翻译：

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全球海洋宏基因组中的广谱碳氢化合物降解微生物

了解海洋环境中碳氢化合物降解微生物的多样性和功能对于推进生物地球化学过程的知识和改进生物修复方法至关重要。在这项研究中，我们利用从全球海洋的大量海洋样本中回收的近 20,000 个宏基因组组装基因组 (MAG) 来绘制需氧碳氢化合物降解微生物的多样性。发现了广泛的细菌多样性，与芳香族碳氢化合物相比，细菌更倾向于降解脂肪族碳氢化合物，主要是在 和 。鉴定出三种类型的广谱碳氢化合物降解细菌，它们具有降解各种碳氢化合物的能力并拥有碳氢化合物生物降解基因的多个拷贝。这些细菌表现出广泛的代谢多功能性，有助于它们在不同环境条件下的生存和适应。这些微生物中基因复制和水平基因转移的证据表明碳氢化合物降解细菌的多样性有可能增强。碳氢化合物降解基因的丰度与温度（-5 至 35 °C）和盐度（20 至 42 PSU）等环境参数之间观察到正相关。总的来说，我们的研究结果为海洋碳氢化合物降解微生物提供了宝贵的见解，并提出了选择用于石油污染修复的微生物菌株的考虑因素。