Oil Eating Bacteria Bioremediation Investigation

Oil Eating Bacteria Bioremediation Investigation

Name: ______Date: ______Block: ______

Oil–Eating Bacteria Bioremediation Investigation

Further Analysis:Answer to following question in your composition notebook using the data collected throughout the last week. Make sure to number each question and write the answer in complete sentences. You may use diagrams and information from your tables to support your answers.

  1. Why was the “OO” Petri dish, oil only, used in Part I of this experiment? What purpose did it serve?
  2. Describe the sequence of changes that were observed in the “OEB” Petri dish in Part I. Assuming that these changes illustrate biodegradation, write a working definition of this term. This definition should be in your own words.
  3. Explain which beach material seemed to “absorb” oil in a small concentrated area versus allowing it to spread quickly? What problem does absorption in a small area cause the oil-eating bacteria?
  4. Which beach material was the easiest to bioremediate? Explain.
  5. What evidence would support the claim, “the bacteria ingested the oil in the Petri dish”?
  6. What factors might explain the difference in biodegradation on each beach? Remember that the oil-eating bacteria need oxygen as well as oil to thrive and grown.
  7. What other uses would oil-eating bacteria have besides cleaning up oil spill disaster? Who else might make use of the oil-eating bacteria?

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Table 3: The three beach environments exposed to oil slick but lacking the additional bacteria

Day / Fine Sand Beach / Fine Gravel Beach / Course Gravel Beach
1 / Sand covered slightly with pond water. Oil accumulated in one spot, yellow and noticeable / Gravel coved slightly with pond water. Oil not noticeable in gravel / Gravel covered slightly with pond water. Oil not noticeable in gravel.
2 / Yellow oil visible on perimeter / No oil noticeable / No oil noticeable
3 / Weekend / Weekend / Weekend
4 / Weekend / Weekend / Weekend
5 / Small sample of oil visible on perimeter. Added several drops of pond water / Small water movement. Oil not noticeable. Added several drops of pond water / Colorless oil residue on petri dish side. Water moves freely. Added several drops of pond water
6 / Yellow oil slightly visible around perimeter / Yellow oil slightly visible around perimeter / Yellow oil clump visible when viewed from underneath
7 / Very thin yellow oil layer noticeable around perimeter. No cloudiness. Added pond water / Oil, yellow and very thin layer, around perimeter. No cloudiness. Added pond water / Oil, yellow and very thin around perimeter, small clump visible if viewed from underneath (in corner). No cloudiness. Added pond water
8 / Yellow oil, very thin, barely noticeable. No cloudiness. / Oil yellow, very thin layer around perimeter. No cloudiness. / Yellow oil clump when viewed from underneath. No cloudiness.