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R/CBT-11
Microbial degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons under alternating redox conditions in Chesapeake Bay sediments
Principal Investigator:
Douglas G. CaponeStart/End Year:
1991 - 1994Institution:
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceCo-Principal Investigator:
Jay Gooch, Joel E. Baker, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceTopic(s):
Description:
To examine the effect of altering redox conditions and length of exposure to halogenated organics on the capacity of the bacterial flora of surficial sediments to transform and degrade chlorinated hydrocarbons. For two sites in Chesapeake Bay which experience seasonal anoxia and have differing organic contaminant loads, samples will be collected before, during and after seasonal anoxia and examined for the chlorinated hydrocarbon concentration. The effect of anoxia in conditioning (through dechlorination) model chlorinated hydrocarbons for subsequent oxic catabolism will be determined in manipulative laboratory experiments of these sediments using a combination of 14C-tracer, GC/MS and HPLC. Sediments will also be returned to the laboratory for microcosm experiments. Microcosms will be dosed with specific compounds, held anoxic for periods comparable to the in situ duration of bottom water anoxia and then aerated. Rates of degradation will be determined on subsamples at various times during anoxia and after aeration.
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Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
