Changes in soil microbiota under the effect of acrylonitrile in a model experiment

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of acrylonitrile (20, 200, and 2000 mg/kg soil) on the abundance and structure of soil microbial community. The results of direct inoculation showed that acrylonitrile at 200 mg/kg stimulated the development of nitrile-utilizing prokaryotes, whereas at 2000 mg/kg it inhibited all test groups of microorganisms, including nitrile- and amide-utilizing bacteria. According to real-time PCR data, representatives of α- and ß-Proteobacteria were the most labile members of the soil microbial community, while Bacteroidetes and Fungi proved to be highly resistant to the effect of the pollutant.