RAPID on Gulf Oil Spill: Phytoplankton and environmental stressors as determinants of Vibrio ecology

快速应对海湾漏油事件：浮游植物和环境压力源作为弧菌生态的决定因素

• 批准号: 1043126
• 负责人: Crystal Johnson
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Louisiana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1043126&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Gulf; Oil; Spill; Phytoplankton

This NSF RAPID project will investigate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on the microbial, plankton and oyster systems of the region. The scientists will focus on investigating changes to the abundance and virulence of Vibrio bacteria in response to stress associated with exposure to the oil and/or indirect effects associated with biological interactions within biological communities impacted by the oil. The research team will evaluate whether there will be an increase in the abundance of Vibrio and prevalence of Type III Secretion System 2 (TTSS2) in the location of the oil spill. TTSS2 on Vibrio is carried on a pathogenic island (PAI) that includes numerous genes. Since some of these genes are necessary for environmental adaptation, and this PAI is mobile and transferable among Vibrio, the team hypothesizes there will be an increase in the abundance of Vibrio carrying genes associated with type III secretion systems. Bulk bacterial communities and plankton composition will also be evaluated in size-fractionated water column samples across salinity and oil gradients to understand how these communities will be affected by the oil spill and how these changes will affect Vibrio abundance. The team will quantify if there is an increase in concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in oysters and whether this increase will affect Vibrio abundance in oysters. Additionally, the team will study excretions from phytoplankton species that may be able to inhibit growth of Vibrio.Broader Impacts of this proposal include participation of one postdoctoral researcher and one PhD student. The results from this study will be useful for understanding the environmental consequences of future similar disasters.

这个NSF RAPID项目将调查墨西哥湾深水地平线石油泄漏对该地区微生物、浮游生物和牡蛎系统的影响。科学家们将重点研究弧菌的丰度和毒力的变化，以应对与石油暴露有关的压力和/或与受石油影响的生物群落内生物相互作用有关的间接影响。研究小组将评估在漏油地点是否会增加弧菌的丰度和III型分泌系统2 （TTSS2）的患病率。弧菌上的TTSS2携带在致病岛（PAI）上，其中包括许多基因。由于其中一些基因是环境适应所必需的，而且这种PAI在弧菌之间是可移动和可转移的，因此研究小组假设，携带与III型分泌系统相关的弧菌基因的丰度将会增加。总体细菌群落和浮游生物组成也将在盐度和油梯度的大小分馏水柱样本中进行评估，以了解这些群落如何受到石油泄漏的影响，以及这些变化将如何影响弧菌的丰度。该团队将量化牡蛎中石油碳氢化合物的浓度是否增加，以及这种增加是否会影响牡蛎中弧菌的丰度。此外，研究小组将研究浮游植物的排泄物，这些排泄物可能会抑制弧菌的生长。本提案的更广泛影响包括一名博士后研究员和一名博士生的参与。这项研究的结果将有助于了解未来类似灾害的环境后果。