SGER: Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on Water Quality and Bacterial Communities in Southeastern Louisiana

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0553138 LaMontague Hurricanes have long and lasting effects on the geology of coastal systems. Ecologists have also examined the effects of hurricanes on aquatic systems (Valiela et al., 1996; Paerl et al., 2003), but no previous studies have focused on bacterial dynamics that may occur in response to hurricanes. This proposal focuses on bacterial dynamics for basic ecological reasons, but also because of human health concerns. There are already signs that the bacterial responses are important and large in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Especially there is a threat from infectious disease also includes the virulent pathogen, Vibrio vulnificans. This pathogen is endemic in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Kelly, 1982), and appears responsible for several fatalities in areas effected by Hurricane Katrina.In this study, we propose to sample the waters overlying and adjoining New Orleans, to quantify the effects of Hurricane Katrina on this critical system. We will analyze bacterial community structure by analysis of terminal restriction fragment polymorphisms (TRFLP) of PCR-amplified ribosomal genes. The TRFLPs we generate will allow us to identify the dominant bacteria in this system and quantify the relative contribution of feces to the microbiota. We will track human contamination signals, as it enters into the food web, by analysis of naturally occurring stable isotopes in particulate organic matter.