Biology Commons^™

Impacts Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Microbial-Mediated Cellulose Decomposition In Mississippi Gulf Coast Salt Marshes, Jerrid Shawn Boyette

Master's Theses

Field studies were conducted to examine the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on rates of marsh organic matter decomposition. Decomposition in surface and subsurface marsh sediments was assessed in stands of Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus in 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast marshes exposed to differing oiling intensities. The cotton strip bioassay technique was used as a proxy for cellulose decomposition. In addition, rates of microbial respiration, fungal biomass (ergosterol) and nutrients (C:N, C:P) of surface sediment cotton strips were also quantified. Subsurface cotton strip decay, as determined by losses in tensile strength, were significantly different among marsh …