Oil Spill Response and Bacterial Degradation

The video discusses the response to oil spills, highlighting the role of bacteria like Alkanovorax in degrading oil. It explains how biofilms form around oil droplets, with different formations like dendritic and spherical biofilms affecting degradation rates. The video also explores the mechanics of biofilm formation and the potential for using bacteria in future oil spill cleanup strategies.

What is one of the initial actions taken by responders to manage an oil spill?

• Adding nutrients to the water

• Deploying barriers to contain the oil

• Using bacteria to consume the oil

• Introducing new marine species

Which organism is known to thrive in oil spill environments by consuming oil?

• Sea turtles

• Coral reefs

• Dolphins

• Alkanovorax borcomensis

What was used as a proxy for oil in the bacterial study?

• Olive oil

• Petroleum jelly

• Hexadecane

• Crude oil

How did the biofilm formed by five-day-old cultures differ from that of one-day-old cultures?

• It was thicker and more spherical

• It formed branching dendritic tubes

• It did not form at all

• It was less effective at degrading oil

What role do biosurfactants play in the degradation of oil by bacteria?

• They repel the bacteria from the oil

• They increase the oil's viscosity

• They soften the boundary between oil and water

• They make the oil more solid

What happens when dendritic-forming bacteria converge on the oil surface?

• The bacteria stop dividing

• The surface buckles and defects form

• The oil droplet becomes more spherical

• The oil becomes more viscous

How do dendritic biofilms increase the rate of oil degradation?

• By reducing the number of bacteria

• By forming tubes that increase surface area

• By making the oil more solid

• By decreasing the oil's temperature

What is a potential downside of using chemical dispersants in oil spill cleanup?

• They increase oil viscosity

• They attract more oil spills

• They make the oil more visible

• They can harm marine organisms

What effect did chemical dispersants have on the biofilm in the lab?

• They strengthened the biofilm

• They had no effect

• They made the biofilm more hydrophobic

• They caused the biofilm to slip off the oil

What is a future prospect for oil spill cleanup mentioned in the video?

• Building barriers around the ocean

• Introducing new fish species

• Stockpiling bacteria to consume oil spills

• Using robots to clean oil