The Bacterias Environment And Its Unusual Ability May...

Alcanivorax borkumensis is a bacteria that found in aquatic areas of the world. It is an unusual bacteria because it has the ability to break down oil found in the oceans. In the following pages, I will discuss the size and shape of the bacteria. Also, I will discuss how the bacteria’s environment and its unusual ability may help mankind in controlling pollution of the world’s oceans. First, we will discuss the basic makeup of the bacteria. A. borkumensis is a rod shaped bacteria with no flagella that was discovered in 1998. It is aerobic and halophilic, meaning it gains energy from oxygen and tends to thrive in salty environments, such as seas and oceans. Also, A. borkumensis is considered an alkane degrader, as it can eat alkanes, and use this as a source of energy (Alcanivorax, n.d.). A single A. borkumensis is 2.0 to 3.0 micrometers in length; unless they survived solely on an n-alkane diet, where they were found to only be 1.0 to 1.5 micrometers in length. The bacteria is roughly 0.4 to 0.7 micrometers in diameter (Buss, 2010). Now that we know how the bacteria survives, we will discuss the basic components of its environment. It was first discovered in sediments found in the North Sea, where there is an abundance of oil and gas wells. A. borkumensis is found naturally in seawater. While A. borkumensis has been found in non-polluted water, it is most commonly found in oceans that contain petroleum oil. This oil can be found naturally or from oil spills. It is found in