Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) by a Hypersaline Microbial Mat and Related Functional Changes in the Mat Community

Microbial mats possibly possess degradation capacities for haloorganic pollutants because of their wide range of different functional groups of microorganisms combined with extreme diurnal changes in pH, oxygen, and sulfide gradients. In this study, 20 mg/l of the chlorinated herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was applied to a pristine hypersaline cyanobacterial mat from Guerrero Negro, Mexico, under a light regime of 12 h dark/12 h light (600 mol photons/m²s). The loss of 2,4-D was followed by chemical GC analysis; functional changes within the mat were determined with microelectrodes for oxygen, photosynthesis, pH, and sulfide. The depletion of 2,4-D due to photooxidation or sorption processes was checked in control experiments. Within 13 days, the light/dark incubated mats degraded 97% of the herbicide, while in permanent darkness only 35% were degraded. Adsorption of 2,4-D to the mat material, agar, or glass walls was negligible (4.6%), whereas 21% of the herbicide was degraded photochemically. The 2,4-D removal rate in the light/dark incubations was comparable to values reported for soils. The phototrophic community of the mat was permanently inhibited by the 2,4-D addition by 17% on average. The sulfate reduction in the entire mat and the respiration in the photic zone were inhibited more strongly but returned to original levels. Since at the end of the experiment the photosynthetic and respiratory activity of the mats were almost as high as in the beginning and 2,4-D almost completely disappeared, we conclude that the examined mats represent a robust and effective system for the degradation of the herbicide where probably the aerobic heterotrophic population is a major player in the degradation process.This revised version was published online in November 2004 with corrections to Volume 48.