To Study The Impact of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Microbial Communities and Function

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This is a proposal to study the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April, 2010, on the bacterial community in general, and specifically on predation involving Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) and their prey bacteria.This new thrust is consistent with the general aim of an existing HBCU-RISE project which is to better understand predation by BALOs on their prey and the contributions of the predatory bacteria to bacterial mortality,and,thereby, the control of bacterial populations in aquatic systems. Microorganisms are responsible for many of the natural processes that maintain healthy aquatic and terrestial ecosystems. There is great concern that the oil deposits in Gulf waters and sediments will disrupt the microbial community and those system functions for which they are responsible.The project will monitor the changes in the bacterial community and investigate the changes on an important ecological function,which is predation. Broader Impacts:The project will engage both undergraduate and graduate students in studying the impact of the largest catastrophic oil spill event in the US.Intellectual Merit:This research will uncover new scientific data on both the impacts of oil spills on microbial communities and their functions, and in the ecological systems in general.