[Diversity of the microorganisms degrading aromatic hydrocarbons]

Aromatic hydrocarbons are biological xenobiotics. Indigenous microorganism groups turn from being unfamiliar with into active response to environmental changes by their adaptability to environment. There are changes in their genetic background, and then, the biodiversity turns into being. This paper reviewed the microorganism groups resources, biocharacters, genetic background, evolvement and their adaptability to environment; described the genetic information, expression and regulatory for some species in detail; and pointed out that the degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons depended mainly on new microorganisms formed by genetic engineering and on their highly efficient metabolic regulatory.