Protocols for investigating hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial communities in polar seas and ice

The chapter describes different methods that can be adopted, simultaneously or separately, in the study of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial communities in polar seas and ice. Three different phases are described. The first deals with the collection and preservation of samples, including techniques and methods that differ depending on the subsequent analyses to be performed. The second step is the enrichment and isolation of hydrocarbon-degrading psychrophiles, while the third one is about several methods for assaying for hydrocarbon-degradation efficiency of strains in enrichments and pure cultures. In this regard, the isolation of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria can be performed from both natural samples and enrichment cultures, along with analyses that can be carried out to confirm/explore the ability of cold-adapted bacterial isolates to degrade hydrocarbons. The chapter deals also with the study of bacterial community dynamics, both in terms of abundance and composition, after enrichment with hydrocarbons.