{"id":{"repo_id":"calgary","oai_identifier":"oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2930"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/calgary/oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2930","repository":{"repo_id":"calgary","name":"University of Calgary","base_url":"https://ucalgary.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Methanogenic Paraffin Biodegradation and the Underlying Syntrophic Relationships","abstract":"Petroleum hydrocarbons are important for their energy value and the environmental concerns they pose when spilled. Methanogenic biodegradation through syntrophy plays an important role in their degradation, with implications for remediation and oil recovery. There is still much to learn about methanogenic biodegradation of recalcitrant hydrocarbons such as paraffinic n-alkanes, or the overall syntrophic metabolism underlying these processes. Here, methanogenic solid and liquid paraffin-degrading enrichments were established, with Smithella identified as the hydrocarbon degrader. Fumarate addition was identified as the putative hydrocarbon activation mechanism through alkylsuccinate synthase gene presence and expression, and factors (biosurfactant production) which affect biodegradation were determined. In addition, gene families related to energy transfer were found to distinguish known and potentially syntrophic environments using metagenomic analysis. This approach was used to determine gene families which may play unknown roles in syntrophy. Together, these studies give key insights into how hydrocarbons are degraded under methanogenic conditions.","abstract_html":"Petroleum hydrocarbons are important for their energy value and the environmental concerns they pose when spilled. Methanogenic biodegradation through syntrophy plays an important role in their degradation, with implications for remediation and oil recovery. There is still much to learn about methanogenic biodegradation of recalcitrant hydrocarbons such as paraffinic n-alkanes, or the overall syntrophic metabolism underlying these processes. Here, methanogenic solid and liquid paraffin-degrading enrichments were established, with Smithella identified as the hydrocarbon degrader. Fumarate addition was identified as the putative hydrocarbon activation mechanism through alkylsuccinate synthase gene presence and expression, and factors (biosurfactant production) which affect biodegradation were determined. In addition, gene families related to energy transfer were found to distinguish known and potentially syntrophic environments using metagenomic analysis. This approach was used to determine gene families which may play unknown roles in syntrophy. Together, these studies give key insights into how hydrocarbons are degraded under methanogenic conditions.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Oberding, Lisa Kara"],"institution":"Graduate Studies","degree_name":"Master of Science (MSc)","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Biological Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Gieg, Lisa"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Voordouw, Gerrit","Hubert, Casey"],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016","date_published":"2016","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:30:27Z","subjects":["Microbiology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26892"],"render_values":[{"text":"http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26892","href":"http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26892","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2930","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Gieg, Lisa"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Voordouw, Gerrit","Hubert, Casey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Oberding, Lisa Kara"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2016-05-03T14:30:02Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-05-03T14:30:02Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2016"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Calgary"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["master thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biological Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MSc)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Calgary"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Microbiology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26892"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2930"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Petroleum hydrocarbons are important for their energy value and the environmental concerns they pose when spilled. Methanogenic biodegradation through syntrophy plays an important role in their degradation, with implications for remediation and oil recovery. There is still much to learn about methanogenic biodegradation of recalcitrant hydrocarbons such as paraffinic n-alkanes, or the overall syntrophic metabolism underlying these processes. Here, methanogenic solid and liquid paraffin-degrading enrichments were established, with Smithella identified as the hydrocarbon degrader. Fumarate addition was identified as the putative hydrocarbon activation mechanism through alkylsuccinate synthase gene presence and expression, and factors (biosurfactant production) which affect biodegradation were determined. In addition, gene families related to energy transfer were found to distinguish known and potentially syntrophic environments using metagenomic analysis. This approach was used to determine gene families which may play unknown roles in syntrophy. Together, these studies give key insights into how hydrocarbons are degraded under methanogenic conditions."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Methanogenic Paraffin Biodegradation and the Underlying Syntrophic Relationships"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Gieg, Lisa"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Voordouw, Gerrit","Hubert, Casey"],"dc:creator":["Oberding, Lisa Kara"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2016-05-03T14:30:02Z"],"dc:date.available":["2016-05-03T14:30:02Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2016"],"dc:description.abstract":["Petroleum hydrocarbons are important for their energy value and the environmental concerns they pose when spilled. Methanogenic biodegradation through syntrophy plays an important role in their degradation, with implications for remediation and oil recovery. There is still much to learn about methanogenic biodegradation of recalcitrant hydrocarbons such as paraffinic n-alkanes, or the overall syntrophic metabolism underlying these processes. Here, methanogenic solid and liquid paraffin-degrading enrichments were established, with Smithella identified as the hydrocarbon degrader. Fumarate addition was identified as the putative hydrocarbon activation mechanism through alkylsuccinate synthase gene presence and expression, and factors (biosurfactant production) which affect biodegradation were determined. In addition, gene families related to energy transfer were found to distinguish known and potentially syntrophic environments using metagenomic analysis. This approach was used to determine gene families which may play unknown roles in syntrophy. Together, these studies give key insights into how hydrocarbons are degraded under methanogenic conditions."],"dc:identifier.doi":["http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26892"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2930"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Calgary"],"dc:rights":["University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission."],"dc:subject":["Microbiology"],"dc:title":["Methanogenic Paraffin Biodegradation and the Underlying Syntrophic Relationships"],"dc:type":["master thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biological Sciences"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MSc)"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Calgary"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:30:27Z"}