Microbial Eukaryotes in Oil Sands Environments: Heterotrophs in the Spotlight.

摘要: Hydrocarbon extraction and exploitation is a global, trillion-dollar industry. However, for decades it has also been known that fossil fuel usage environmentally detrimental; the burning of hydrocarbons results in climate change, environmental damage during transport can occur. Substantial global efforts into mitigating this disruption are underway. The petroleum industry moving more exploiting unconventional oil reserves, such as sands shale oil. Albertan one example reserves; mixture sand heavy bitumen lying under boreal forest Northern Alberta represent world's largest hydrocarbon but requires disturbance delicate northern ecosystem. Considerable effort being made by various stakeholders to mitigate impact reclaim anthropogenically disturbed environments associated with extraction. In review, we discuss eukaryotic microbial communities ecosystem how affected extraction, particular emphasis on reclamation tailings ponds, where waste stored. Microbial eukaryotes, or protists, an essential part every ecosystem, our understanding they affect limited due fledgling these organisms hydrocarbon-associated difficulties studying them. We advocate DNA sequencing-based approach determine environments, importance heterotrophic components gain full operate thus be integrated natural watersheds region.