| This study set out to isolate and identify filamentous fungi from flare pits across western and northern Canada and determine whether they possess the potential to degrade hydrocarbons while using this substrate as the sole carbon source. Sixty-four species of filamentous fungi were isolated, and tested using gas chromatography for their ability to degrade crude oil. Some of the isolates were further tested (using radiorespirometry) for their ability to mineralize aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Results indicate that the ability to degrade hydrocarbons is relatively widespread among species of filamentous fungi, being expressed in five families across four orders within the Ascomycota. A unique hydrocarbon-degrading ascomycete, Pseudallescheria boydii, exhibited considerable variability in morphology, colony appearance, colony diameter, and temperature tolerance among strains. Conspecificity among strains was supported by RFLP analysis of the ITS region of rDNA. The study indicates that many of the species isolated from flare pits may be important agents for in situ bioremediation of aliphatics in oil-contaminated sites. |
