Overview of Research into the Coastal Effects of the Macondo Blowout from the Coastal Waters Consortium: A GoMRI Consortium

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 604-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M Hooper-Bui ◽  
Nancy N Rabalais ◽  
Annette S Engel ◽  
R Eugene Turner ◽  
G McClenachan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizer ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Marsh Edge ◽  
Oil Transport ◽  
Barataria Bay ◽  
Freshwater Diversions

ABSTRACT The Coastal Waters Consortium (CWC) led by Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium is one of eight Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative research consortia. The CWC focuses on: oil transport and fate, chemical evolution and biological degradation, and environmental effects.The following is an overview of a portion of the research conducted within the consortium. The consortium works in a system that was impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and additionally impacted by freshwater diversions resulting in changes in salinity, tropical storms, and hurricanes. First, we conducted model simulations assessing oil transport into the Barataria Bay estuary, which indicate that easterly winds and feeding of the anticyclonic gyre in the Louisiana Bight pushed the oil into Barataria Bay. In subtidal sediments adjacent to oiled marshes, marsh detritus from eroding marsh edges eventually became entrained in the sediment column. Biotic impacts vary. The above-ground plant biomass appears healthy at the individual sampling sites; overall the most seaward (i.e., likely oil-impacted) areas of Terrebonne and Barataria Bay have shown, via satellite data, a distinct decline in marsh vegetation coverage since 2010. Oysters appear to be affected by predation and salinity variation. Microbial diversity from marsh-edge sediments is distinct from before and after the spill, and between unoiled and oiled marshes, with lower diversity in oiled marshes; but the greatest community composition shifts are in marshes affected by the freshwater diversions. Changes in microbial diversity in the water column at the stream-side edge of oiled marshes are extensive and are related to marsh edge erosion. In contrast, oiling of marshes had no impact on ammonia oxidizer or denitrifier abundances and on soil biogeochemical process rates 2+ years post-spill. Analysis of long-term offshore phytoplankton community and hypoxia data indicate some signal of the Macondo oil, but these components of the ecosystem remain mostly influenced by the fresh water and nutrients delivered by the Mississippi River. The consortium continues to work to tease apart oil impacts, effects of salinity, natural variation, and disturbance from tropical storms and hurricanes to determine the trajectory for health of shelf waters and Louisiana's marshes.

scholarly journals Improvement of Soil Microbial Diversity through Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Its Evaluation by -Omics Approaches: A Perspective for the Environment, Food Quality and Human Safety

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1400
Author(s):  
Marta Bertola ◽  
Andrea Ferrarini ◽  
Giovanna Visioli
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Plant Health ◽  
Soil Microbiome ◽  
Soil Microbial Diversity ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Soil Microbial

Soil is one of the key elements for supporting life on Earth. It delivers multiple ecosystem services, which are provided by soil processes and functions performed by soil biodiversity. In particular, soil microbiome is one of the fundamental components in the sustainment of plant biomass production and plant health. Both targeted and untargeted management of soil microbial communities appear to be promising in the sustainable improvement of food crop yield, its nutritional quality and safety. –Omics approaches, which allow the assessment of microbial phylogenetic diversity and functional information, have increasingly been used in recent years to study changes in soil microbial diversity caused by agronomic practices and environmental factors. The application of these high-throughput technologies to the study of soil microbial diversity, plant health and the quality of derived raw materials will help strengthen the link between soil well-being, food quality, food safety and human health.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of soil biodiversity impacts on the carbon cycle

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-A. de Graaff ◽  
J. Adkins ◽  
P. Kardol ◽  
H. L. Throop
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Cycling ◽  
Soil C Cycling ◽  
Group Diversity

Abstract. Loss of biodiversity impacts ecosystem functions, such as carbon (C) cycling. Soils are the largest terrestrial C reservoir, containing more C globally than the biotic and atmospheric pools together. As such, soil C cycling, and the processes controlling it, has the potential to affect atmospheric CO2 concentrations and subsequent climate change. Despite the growing evidence of links between plant diversity and soil C cycling, there is a dearth of information on whether similar relationships exist between soil biodiversity and C cycling. This knowledge gap occurs even though there has been increased recognition that soil communities display high levels of both taxonomic and functional diversity and are key drivers of fluxes of C between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we used meta-analysis and regression analysis to quantitatively assess how soil biodiversity affects soil C cycling pools and processes (i.e., soil C respiration, litter decomposition, and plant biomass). We compared the response of process variables to changes in diversity both within and across groups of soil organisms that differed in body size, a grouping that typically correlates with ecological function. When studies that manipulated both within- and across-body size group diversity were included in the meta-analysis, loss of diversity significantly reduced soil C respiration (−27.5%) and plant tissue decomposition (−18%) but did not affect above- or belowground plant biomass. The loss of within-group diversity significantly reduced soil C respiration, while loss of across-group diversity did not. Decomposition was negatively affected both by loss of within-group and across-group diversity. Furthermore, loss of microbial diversity strongly reduced soil C respiration (−41%). In contrast, plant tissue decomposition was negatively affected by loss of soil faunal diversity but was unaffected by loss of microbial diversity. Taken together, our findings show that loss of soil biodiversity strongly impacts on soil C cycling processes, and highlight the importance of diversity across groups of organisms (e.g., primary consumers and secondary decomposers) for maintaining full functionality of C cycle processes. However, our understanding of the complex relationships between soil biodiversity and C cycling processes is currently limited by the sheer number of methodological concerns associated with these studies, which can greatly overestimate or underestimate the impact of soil biodiversity on soil C cycling, challenging extrapolation to natural field settings. Future studies should attempt to further elucidate the relative importance of taxonomic diversity (species numbers) versus functional diversity.

scholarly journals Long-term cellulose enrichment selects for highly cellulolytic consortia and competition for public goods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina R. Lewin ◽  
Nicole M. Davis ◽  
Bradon R. McDonald ◽  
Adam J. Book ◽  
Marc G. Chevrette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Cellulose Degradation ◽  
Soluble Sugars ◽  
Mutual Exclusion ◽  
Breakdown Product ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Refuse Dumps

AbstractThe complexity of microbial communities hinders our understanding of how microbial diversity and microbe-microbe interactions impact community functions. Here, using six independent communities originating from the refuse dumps of leaf-cutter ants and enriched using the plant polymer cellulose as the sole source of carbon, we examine how changes in bacterial diversity and interactions impact plant biomass decomposition. Over up to 60 serial transfers (∼8 months), cellulolytic ability increased then stabilized in four enrichment lines and was variable in two lines. Bacterial community characterization using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed community succession differed between the highly cellulolytic and variably cellulolytic enrichment lines. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed that Cellvibrio and/or Cellulomonas dominated each enrichment line and produced the majority of cellulase enzymes, while diverse taxa were retained within these communities over the duration of transfers. Interestingly, the less cellulolytic communities had a higher diversity of organisms competing for the cellulose breakdown product cellobiose, suggesting that cheating slowed cellulose degradation. In addition, we found competitive exclusion as an important factor shaping all the communities, with the mutual exclusion of specific cellulolytic taxa within individual enrichment lines and the high expression of genes associated with the production of antagonistic compounds. Our results provide insights into how microbial diversity and competition affect the stability and function of cellulose-degrading communities.ImportanceMicrobial communities are a key driver of the carbon cycle through the breakdown of complex polysaccharides in diverse environments including soil, marine systems, and the mammalian gut.However, due to the complexity of these communities, the species-species interactions that impact community structure and ultimately shape the rate of decomposition are difficult to define. Here we performed serial enrichment on cellulose using communities inoculated from leaf-cutter ant refuse dumps, a cellulose-rich environment. By concurrently tracking cellulolytic ability and community composition and through metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing, we analyzed the ecological dynamics of the enrichment lines. Our data suggest that antagonism is prevalent in these communities and that competition for soluble sugars may slow degradation and lead to community instability. Together, these results help reveal the relationships between competition and polysaccharide decomposition, with implications in diverse areas ranging from microbial community ecology to cellulosic biofuels production.

scholarly journals MICROBIAL DIVERSITY OF COASTAL WATERS OF ODESA BAY OF THE BLACK SEA

2018 ◽  
Vol 0 (4(44)) ◽  
pp. 63-75
Author(s):  
Н. Ю. Васильєва ◽  
К. Д. Крилова ◽  
Й. Б. Кристофферсен ◽  
О. А. Дубровіна ◽  
В. О. Іваниця
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
The Black Sea

scholarly journals Biology of a marine estuarine-opportunist fish species in a microtidal estuary, including comparisons among decades and with coastal waters

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren J. Veale ◽  
Peter G. Coulson ◽  
Norman G. Hall ◽  
Ian C. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Biological Characteristics ◽  
Nursery Area ◽  
Marine Waters ◽  
Coastal Embayments ◽  
Associated Species

The biological characteristics of a marine and macrophyte-associated species (Pelates octolineatus) in a large microtidal, eutrophic estuary in 2008–10 were determined. Comparisons are made with those of individuals remaining in coastal waters and during two earlier periods in the estuary when plant biomass differed markedly. P. octolineatus start entering the Peel–Harvey Estuary in mid-summer, soon after metamorphosis, with many remaining there until autumn when they are ~15 months old. These individuals, and older fish that re-entered the estuary in summer, then return to the sea where they spawn from late spring to early summer. Most P. octolineatus in the estuary were less than or equal to the length at maturity and all were <4 years old, whereas individuals up to 10 years old were caught in coastal embayments, emphasising that the estuary acts mainly as a nursery for this terapontid. Growth in the estuary was seasonal and peaked earlier and was greater than in marine waters. Abundance of P. octolineatus in the estuary was greater in 2008–10 and 1980–81 than in 1996–97, when macrophytes were less abundant. The results demonstrate how a marine estuarine-opportunist can benefit from using both estuaries and coastal waters as a nursery area and capitalise on variations in environmental conditions.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of soil biodiversity impacts on the carbon cycle

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 907-945
Author(s):  
M.-A. de Graaff ◽  
J. Adkins ◽  
P. Kardol ◽  
H. L. Throop
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Cycling ◽  
Soil C Cycling ◽  
Group Diversity

Abstract. Loss of biodiversity can impact ecosystem functioning, such as altering carbon (C) cycling rates. Soils are the largest terrestrial C reservoir, containing more C globally than the biotic and atmospheric pools together. As such, soil C cycling, and the processes controlling it, have the potential to affect atmospheric CO2 concentrations and subsequent climate change. Despite the growing evidence of links between plant diversity and soil C cycling, there is a dearth of information on whether similar relationships exist between biodiversity of soil organisms (microbes and soil fauna) and C cycling. This is despite increasing recognition that soil communities display high levels of both taxonomic and functional diversity and are key drivers of fluxes of C between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we used meta-analysis and regression analysis to quantitatively assess how soil biodiversity affects soil C cycling pools and processes (i.e., soil C respiration, litter decomposition, and plant biomass). We compared the response of pool amd process variables to changes in biodiversity both within and across trophic groups of organisms. Overall, loss of soil diversity significantly reduced soil C respiration (−27.5%) and plant tissue decomposition (−18%), but did not affect above- and belowground plant biomass. Detailed analyses showed that loss of within-group biodiversity significantly reduced soil C respiration, while loss of across-group diversity did not. Decomposition was negatively affected by losses of both within-group and across-group diversity. Further, loss of microbial diversity strongly reduced soil C respiration (−41%). In contrast, plant tissue decomposition was negatively affected by loss of soil faunal diversity, but was unaffected by loss of microbial diversity. Taken together, our findings show that loss of soil biodiversity can strongly affect soil C cycling processes, and highlight the importance of diversity across organismal groups for maintaining full C cycling functionality. However, our understanding of the complex relationships between soil biodiversity and C cycling processes is currently limited by the sheer number of methodological concerns associated with these studies, which can greatly overestimate or underestimate the impact of soil biodiversity on soil C cycling. These limitations present challenges to extrapolation to natural field settings. Future studies should attempt to further elucidate the relative importance of taxonomic diversity vs. functional diversity.

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