SHOWN BELOW IS A SAMPLING OF THE MICROORGANISMS THAT DWELL AT THIS MICROBIAL OBSERVATORY. INCLUDED ARE VIEWS OF GROUNDWATER BACTERIA AND PHOTOMICROGRAPHS OF A MICROBE FOUND IN SITE SEDIMENT THAT IS ACTIVE IN SITU IN BIODEGRADING THE SITE'S MAJOR CONTAMINANT, NAPHTHALENE.

TABLE LISTING ADDITIONAL NAPHTHALENE-DEGRADING BACTERIA THAT WE HAVE GROWN FROM SITE SAMPLES.

Photographs of groundwater microbial community probed for expression of naphthalene biodegradation genes (mRNA from nahAc). Each of the 3 pairs of photographs (100 X magnification) show all microorganisms (left panel in each pair, stained with the general DNA stain, DAPI) and cells that fluoresce due to positive hybridization with the biodegradation gene probe (right panel in each pair). A and B: all cells in this field hybridized with the biodegradation probe. C and D: no cells in this field hybridized. E and F: coccus, rod, and a chain of cells (arrows) hybridized with the biodegradation gene probe.