Evaluation of the microbial community of soils contaminated by atrazine

• Grant number: 17/03982-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: April 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Guedes Stehling
• Grantee: Ana Flavia Tonelli Scaranello
• Supervisor: Michael J. Sadowsky
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Minnesota, St. Paul (U of M), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/02806-5 - Development of bacterial consortia for the biodegradation of atrazine, BP.DR

Abstract

Soil is considered an important economic resource and its preservation is fundamental for the maintenance of life. It has a wide diversity of microorganisms which play crucial functions in maintenance of the ecosystem. Although soil is able to absorb a large amount of contaminants without undergoing major transformations, over time these transformations are almost irreversible and damage to the environment makes it difficult to recover. One of the major forms of soil degradation is the inadequate use of agrochemicals. Atrazine is an herbicide of the s-triazine family. It is used to control broadleaf weeds in maize, sorghum, soybean, sugar cane and is considered to be moderately toxic, being often detected as a pollutant in surface and groundwater. The aim of this study is to verify changes caused in bacterial community in response to the selective pressure exerted by the presence of atrazine in soil. For this, total DNA will be extracted directly from soil samples contaminated with atrazine. 16S rRNA sequencing will be performed in order to analyze bacterial community and Genome Survey Sequencing will be use to evaluate bacterial diversity and to detect the abundance of microbes in soil samples. qPCR for atrazine degradation genes will be perform in order to verify the presence of atrazine degraders. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TONELLI FERNANDES, ANA FLAVIA; WANG, PING; STALEY, CHRISTOPHER; SILVA MORETTO, JESSICA APARECIDA; ALTARUGIO, LUCAS MIGUEL; CAMPANHARO, SARAH CHAGAS; STEHLING, ELIANA GUEDES; SADOWSKY, MICHAEL JAY. Impact of Atrazine Exposure on the Microbial Community Structure in a Brazilian Tropical Latosol Soil. MICROBES AND ENVIRONMENTS, v. 35, n. 2, 2020. (15/18990-2, 17/03982-0)