„Who is responsible here?“ Linking transformation of organochlorines with specific bacterial populations

Organochlorines, such as chlorinated ethenes, polychlorinated biphenyls and their toxic metabolites constitute a large environmental problem due to actual and/or potential contamination of soils and drinking water sources. Although microbial degradation of organochlorines has been extensively studied, there is paucity of knowledge regarding metabolic processes occurring in individual populations and their metabolic interactions. In this project, we aim to (i) gain deeper understanding of biodegradative processes by linking phylogenetic and functional information in individual taxa through the use of epicPCR and to (ii) elucidate the role of lateral gene transfer in microbial adaptation on elevated concentrations of organochlorines employing shotgun and amplicon sequencing. Finally, we propose complex modelling approach which will connect together 16S rRNA sequencing data, chemical analyses and epicPCR data to enhance our understanding of metabolic pathways responsible for biodegradation and taxa involved in organochlorines degradation.