A microbial seedbank from a natural oil seep accelerates hydrocarbon degradation in freshwater oil spills
Rudolf Walter, Lea Willemsen, Lisa Voskuhl
The paper tests if microbes from natural oil seeps can accelerate oil degradation in freshwater spills, finding adapted microbes increase mineralization rates by 32%.
bioRxiv · Mar 16, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology