For the degradation of alkanes and surfactants through abstraction of acetyl-CoA [54], the genome contains a wealth of candidate genes for the entry into alkyl-chain degradation (omega-oxygenation to activate the chain) supplemented by a variety of genes predicted for omega-oxidations (to generate the corresponding fatty-acids) and fatty-acid beta-oxidations (to excise acetyl-CoA units). We are currently exploring this high abundance of genes for alkane/alkyl-utilization in strain DS-1T by transcriptional and translational analysis [unpublished]. For example, at least nine cytochrome-P450 (CYP) alkane monooxygenase (COG2124), 44 alcohol dehydrogenase (COG1028), 11 aldehyde dehydrogenase (COG1012), 20 acyl-CoA synthetase (COG0318), 40 acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (COG1960), 31 enoyl-CoA hydratase (COG1024), 14 acyl-CoA acetyl-transferase (COG0183), six thioesterase (COG0824), and 17 putative long-chain acyl-CoA thioester hydrolase (PF03061) candidate genes are predicted in the genome. Other predicted oxygenase genes comprise three putative Baeyer-Villiger-type FAD-binding monooxygenase genes (COG2072). Cyclohexanone and hydroxyacetophenone, which are putative substrates for such oxygenases (e.g [58,59]) were tested as carbon source for growth of strain DS-1T, as well as cycloalkanes (C6, C8, C12), however, none supported growth. The terpenoids camphor (for the involvement of a cytochrome-P450 oxygenase in the degradation pathway [60]) and geraniol, citronellol, linalool, menthol and eucalyptol (for the involvement of acyl-CoA interconversion enzymes in the degradation pathways) as substrates for growth were also tested negative. In contrast to the high abundance of genes for aliphatic-hydrocarbon degradation, the genome contains few genes for aromatic-hydrocarbon degradation. One gene set for an aromatic-ring dioxygenase component (Plav_1761 and 1762; BenAB-type), three aromatic-ring monooxygenase component genes (Plav_1541 and 0131, MhpA-type; Plav_1785, HpaB-type), and three valid candidate genes for extradiol ring-cleavage dioxygenase (Plav_1539 [61] and 1787, BphC-type; Plav_0983, LigB-type) were predicted in the genome. Strain DS-1T did not grow with benzoate, protocatechuate, phenylacetate, phenylpropionate, or phenylalanine and tyrosine as carbon source when tested. Finally, P. lavamentivorans DS-1T is predicted to store carbon in form of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoate/butyrate (PHB) as its genome encodes a PHB-synthase (PhbC) gene (Plav_1129), PHB-depolymerase (PhaZ) gene (Plav_0012), and PHB-synthesis repressor (PhaR) gene (Plav_1572). Acknowledgements We thank Joachim Hentschel for SEM operation. The work was supported by the University of Konstanz and the Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, the University of New South Wales and the Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG grant SCHL 1936/1-1 to D.S.). The work conducted by the U.S.