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Thesis
RESPONSES IN BACTERIOPLANKTON PRODUCTION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AFTER EXPOSURE TO OIL AND DISPERSANT IN THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO
University of West Florida
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2015
Abstract
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 significantly impacted the planktonic ecosystem of the northern Gulf of Mexico. A key element of this ecosystem is the bacterioplankton. They are the base to the food web and were the primary agents of oil degradation. It has been hypothesized that exposure to oil and or dispersants may change microbial community structure by selecting for those strains capable of utilizing oil carbon while selecting against others by toxic effects of oil and or dispersants. To view spatial and temporal variability in bacterioplankton community response, surface and near bottom water samples were collected at two sites, offshore Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida, in winter (December 2012) and summer (June 2013). Bioassays were performed on 1 L water samples amended with oil, oil and Corexit, and Corexit alone, and compared to an un-amended control. Samples were incubated at in situ temperatures for two days in the dark and 16S rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced. Community structure shifts and production changes were associated mostly with the oil treatment, while Corexit alone had the smallest effect. Trends for community response were more significantly influenced by collection site parameters, namely season and depth, than by treatments.
Details
- Title
- RESPONSES IN BACTERIOPLANKTON PRODUCTION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AFTER EXPOSURE TO OIL AND DISPERSANT IN THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Identifiers
- 99380090863806600
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Science (MS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida