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

美国国家科学基金会的这个快速项目将调查墨西哥湾深水地平线漏油事件对该地区微生物、浮游生物和牡蛎系统的影响。科学家们将重点研究弧菌丰度和毒力的变化，以应对与石油暴露相关的压力和/或与受石油影响的生物群落内的生物相互作用相关的间接影响。研究小组将评估漏油地点弧菌的丰度和III型分泌系统(TTSS2)的流行率是否会增加。弧菌上的TTSS2是在一个包含大量基因的致病岛(PAI)上携带的。由于这些基因中的一些是环境适应所必需的，而且这种PAI可以在弧菌之间移动和转移，研究小组假设弧菌携带与III型分泌系统相关的基因的丰度将会增加。还将评估跨盐度和石油梯度的大小分级水柱样本中的大量细菌群落和浮游生物组成，以了解这些群落将如何受到石油泄漏的影响，以及这些变化将如何影响弧菌丰度。该小组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，该团队将研究浮游植物物种的排泄物，这些排泄物可能能够抑制弧菌的生长。这项提议的广泛影响包括一名博士后研究人员和一名博士生参与。这项研究的结果将有助于理解未来类似灾害的环境后果。

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.