Characterizing The Dormancy And Repair Of A Circumneutral Passive Remediation System Receiving Iron And Sulfate-Rich Amd,
2021
Duquesne University
Characterizing The Dormancy And Repair Of A Circumneutral Passive Remediation System Receiving Iron And Sulfate-Rich Amd, Garrett Struble
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Wingfield Pines remediation system is a ~20-acre circumneutral, gravity-fed system constructed in 2009 to passively remediate Fe from an ~2000 gallon/minute effluent. In 2017, a fracture to the system’s underground cavern caused the AMD effluent to bypass the system, flowing directly into Chartiers Creek and leaving the system decommissioned between 2017-2019. Soil slurry and water samples were collected in the weeks prior to the system’s reinstalment in September 2019 through January 2020 in order to determine the effect of the repair on remediation efficiency and microbial community composition. This study acted as the first to describe the temporary decommissioning …
Uncovering Potential Biofilm Modulators,
2021
CUNY Hunter College
Uncovering Potential Biofilm Modulators, Liliana Margent
Theses and Dissertations
Biofilms have negative and positive impacts depending on the context they develop. In this work, I optimized a biofilm assay to evaluate the effect of three different types of compounds indole derivatives, 2,5 Diketopiperazines, and 12-hydroxystearic acid on the biofilm formation of E. coli.
Biotic And Abiotic Dehalogenation Of Halogenated Methanes: Trichlorofluoromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, And Tetrachloromethane,
2021
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Biotic And Abiotic Dehalogenation Of Halogenated Methanes: Trichlorofluoromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, And Tetrachloromethane, Briana M. Mcdowell
Doctoral Dissertations
Trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), dichlorofluoromethane (CFC-12), and tetrachloromethane (CT) are fully halogenated methanes that were produced as refrigerants in the early part of the 1900s and later used in many industrial processes. They are ozone-depleting agents and common groundwater contaminants. They are volatile chemicals that are moderately soluble in water. Due to their volatility when released to the environment, they are predominantly found in the atmosphere, though they also dissolve into the groundwater. In anaerobic environments, they can undergo dehalogenation reactions with several redox-active compounds. This dissertation presents results from two treatability studies from sites contaminated with CFC-11, CFC-12, and CT. Additionally, …
Resistance Of The Freshwater Microbiome To A Combination Of Pesticides,
2021
Liberty University
Resistance Of The Freshwater Microbiome To A Combination Of Pesticides, Gabriel Hooper
Senior Honors Theses
Pesticides are used prevalently throughout the United States and can negatively affect non-target organisms. Rain run-off can move multiple pesticides into freshwater ecosystems and bring them in contact with non-target organisms that have variable tolerances to pollution. This study seeks to improve our understanding of how an acute exposure to a combination of pesticides may restructure microbial communities by examining the microbiome before and after a 48-hour exposure to 2000 ppb of herbicides (glyphosate, atrazine, and 2,4-D). Pesticide exposure did not significantly alter the alpha or beta diversity of the sample types, which demonstrates the ability of freshwater microbiomes to …
Mysteries And Uncertainties In Tracing Cryptic Viral Infections,
2021
William & Mary
Mysteries And Uncertainties In Tracing Cryptic Viral Infections, Melaina Jacoby
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth. Viral impacts are evident from the level of individual cells and population all the way up to ecosystems and global elemental cycles. Since bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) were first identified in the early twentieth century, the study of these fascinating entities has shown how viral dynamics within ecosystems can influence microbially-mediated processes at a large scale. Viral infections can impact hosts and host-mediated processes in in multiple ways, one of which is through cryptic infections. This state, in which a bacterium may harbor a cryptic phage infection, is known as …
How Historic Shipwrecks Influence Dispersal Of Deep-Sea Microbiomes,
2021
The University of Southern Mississippi
How Historic Shipwrecks Influence Dispersal Of Deep-Sea Microbiomes, Rachel Moseley
Master's Theses
This thesis investigates how historic shipwrecks potentially shape dispersal of deep-sea microbiomes. Processes impacting dispersal of microbiomes around artificial structures in the ocean and how they connect to other deep-sea habitats is unknown. Dispersal processes are explained for some macroorganisms by theories in ecology, specifically the Theory of Island Biogeography and the Wooden Stepping Stone hypothesis. These have not been investigated for microorganisms, and thus this work will probe if they are applicable to microbial biogeography in this habitat. Experiments were conducted to establish new “island-like” features in near proximity (25-125 m) to wooden-hulled historic shipwrecks in the northern Gulf …
Investigating Microbial Genes Involved In Plant Colonization And The Effects On Plant Microbiome Assembly,
2021
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Investigating Microbial Genes Involved In Plant Colonization And The Effects On Plant Microbiome Assembly, David Grant
Masters Theses
The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has had negative impacts on ecological systems and alternatives will be needed to both enhance agricultural production and remediate waste that has accumulated via fertilizer use. A promising alternative to tackle both problems utilizes beneficial organisms in microbial communities associated with plants, which are known as bioinoculants. However, the benefits of bioinoculants are inconsistent in field application and require more research in order to harness them in ways to make them a suitable replacement for chemical fertilizers. Here, I investigate characteristics required to enhance bioinoculant efficiency, including mechanisms required to increase microbial colonization …
A Novel Jumbo Phage Phima05 Inhibits Harmful Microcystis Sp.,
2021
Prince of Songkla University
A Novel Jumbo Phage Phima05 Inhibits Harmful Microcystis Sp., Ampapan Naknaen, Oramas Suttinun, Komwit Surachat, Eakalak Khan, Rattanaruji Pomwised
Civil & Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Publications
Microcystis poses a concern because of its potential contribution to eutrophication and production of microcystins (MCs). Phage treatment has been proposed as a novel biocontrol method for Microcystis. Here, we isolated a lytic cyanophage named PhiMa05 with high efficiency against MCs-producing Microcystis strains. Its burst size was large, with approximately 127 phage particles/infected cell, a short latent period (1 day), and high stability to broad salinity, pH and temperature ranges. The PhiMa05 structure was composed of an icosahedral capsid (100 nm) and tail (120 nm), suggesting that the PhiMa05 belongs to the Myoviridae family. PhiMa05 inhibited both planktonic and aggregated …
Microbially-Mediated Carbonate Dissolution And Precipitation; Towards A Protocol For Ex-Situ, Cave-Analogue Cultivation Experiments,
2021
Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
Microbially-Mediated Carbonate Dissolution And Precipitation; Towards A Protocol For Ex-Situ, Cave-Analogue Cultivation Experiments, Vanessa E. Johnston, Andrea Martín-Pérez, Sara Skok, Janez Mulec
International Journal of Speleology
Subterranean calcite dissolution and precipitation are often considered as strictly geochemical processes. The active involvement of microbes in these processes is commonly underestimated in the literature due to general oligotrophic conditions in caves, except in particular cave conditions, such as sulfidic caves and moonmilk deposits, where the presence of microbes likely plays a key role in mineral deposition. Here, we study the possible involvement of microbes from Postojna Cave, Slovenia, in carbonate dissolution (litholysis) and precipitation (lithogenesis). Microbes were sampled from small pools below hydrologically diverse drip sites and incubated on polished limestone tablets at 10 and 20°C for 2 …
Project Alien,
2021
Duquesne University
Project Alien, Rebecca Mccallin, Madelyn Hoying, Alex Evans, Matthew Nestler, Karli Rae Sutton, Garett Craig, Lucia Secaia Del Cid, Alexander Guy, Rachel Fernandez, Amanda Trusiak, Paige Aley, Ingabire Gakwerere, Nina Dorfner, Maria Mosbacher, Mary Flavin, Selvin Hernandez, Audrey Steen, Benjamin Kazimer
Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium
Project ALIEN is a comprehensive plan to send humans to Mars to look for life on the Martian surface while exploring the viability and adaptability of terrestrial microbes in Martian atmospheric conditions. ALIEN will use a ballistic capture trajectory to get to Mars and stay in aerostationary orbit for a 30-day surface mission, during which two surface crewmembers will perform a variety of experiments to achieve the mission’s goals of Martian microbial discovery within brines of the Gale Crater and terrestrial microbe adaptability and viability to Martian conditions. Experimentation is based on the presumption that Martian microbes are metabolically similar …
Microplastics: Nacogdoches County’S Hidden Threat,
2021
Stephen F Austin State University
Microplastics: Nacogdoches County’S Hidden Threat, Jordan Stanford, Sydney Matlock, Courtney Sims, Samantha Montes
Undergraduate Research Conference
Microplastics and their threat to marine environments are well known, but studies in freshwater environments are few and far between. Microplastics can be created by the breaking down of plastics or in the process of making plastics. They affect biological lifeforms in a multitude of ways, water temperature, permeability of the sediment. Pollution in Texas waterways have motivated groups like the Environmental Protection Agency, Trash Free Texas, and Environment Texas to get involved. The objectives of this study are two analyze Bonita and La Nana Bayou for microplastic presence and to educate and create awareness for Nacogdoches County on microplastics. …
Seasonal Variation Of E. Coli Abundance And Antibiotic Resistance Patterns In Water And Sediment Samples From Two Creeks With Different Potential Fecal Contamination Sources.,
2021
Governors State University
Seasonal Variation Of E. Coli Abundance And Antibiotic Resistance Patterns In Water And Sediment Samples From Two Creeks With Different Potential Fecal Contamination Sources., James S. Zumhagen, Timothy Gsell
GSU Research Day
Escherichia coli has served as the primary indicator for fecal contamination for the past 30 years, but more recent studies suggest that this bacteria may survive the cold weather in the soil making it difficult to tell whether it is new contamination or old contamination. Studies have found that exposure to various contaminants such as heavy metals, water treatment chemicals, agricultural runoff, fecal contamination, and antibiotics, creates an increase in the resistance of the microbes exposed to it. Wastewater treatment facilities, animal hospitals and wastewater sites increase the bacterial load and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance of bacteria residing bacteria …
Physiological Constraints, Mechanisms, And Mineral Transformations Of Iron Reduction In Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Physiological Constraints, Mechanisms, And Mineral Transformations Of Iron Reduction In Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea, Srishti Kashyap
Doctoral Dissertations
Dissimilatory iron reduction by hyperthermophilic archaea occurs in many geothermal environments and typically relies on microbe-mineral interactions that transform various iron oxide minerals. However, the kinds of iron oxides that can be used, growth rates, extent of iron reduction, and the mineral transformations that occur due to this metabolism are poorly understood. This dissertation improves our fundamental understanding of the physiological mechanisms and mineral transformations of hyperthermophilic iron reduction using two model crenarchaea, Pyrodictium delaneyi and Pyrobaculum islandicum. Using growth yields and metabolite production rates, we demonstrated that a broad range of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides of variable thermodynamic stability was …
Taxonomic Microbiome Profiling And Abundance Patterns In The Cacao (Theobroma Cacao L.) Rhizosphere Treated With Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi And Bamboo Biochar,
2021
Cavite State University, Indang Cavite
Taxonomic Microbiome Profiling And Abundance Patterns In The Cacao (Theobroma Cacao L.) Rhizosphere Treated With Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi And Bamboo Biochar, Angelbert D. Cortes, Nelly S. Aggangan, Rina B. Opulencia
The Philippine Agricultural Scientist
Biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are agricultural interventions adopted by farmers to improve the growth of crops in nutrient-deficient acidic soil, which relatively influence the biological properties in the rhizosphere. This greenhouse study investigated the changes in prokaryotic diversity in the rhizosphere of cacao plants grown in acidic soil with AMF and bamboo biochar (BB) for 15 months under nursery conditions. Metagenomic analysis of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of the rhizosphere with AMF, 15% BB, and AMF + 15% BB revealed that the addition of AMF and BB reduced the sample's diversity, but the treatments …
Distribution, Diversity, And Biogeography Of Anaerobic Carbon Monoxide Uptake By Microbial Communities In Soils And Sediments,
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Distribution, Diversity, And Biogeography Of Anaerobic Carbon Monoxide Uptake By Microbial Communities In Soils And Sediments, Amber N. Depoy
LSU Master's Theses
Carbon monoxide (CO) is primarily known for being a toxic gas. However, CO is used by microorganisms as an electron or carbon source in a variety of respiratory processes. Different kinds of microorganisms utilize CO aerobically and anaerobically, using two distinct CO dehydrogenases (CODHs). Aerobes oxidize CO using a molybdenum-dependent dehydrogenase (Mo-CODH), while anaerobes utilize a nickel-dependent CO dehydrogenase (Ni-CODH). Studies of the biochemistry and microbiology of aerobic and anaerobic CO oxidation are extensive, but relatively little is known about the ecology of anaerobic CO oxidation. In an effort to test new hypotheses about the ecology of anaerobic CO oxidation, …
A Comparison Of Intertidal Metazoan Biodiversity Between Previously Oiled Sheared And Intact Marsh Margins And Between Multiple Salinity Zones In The Coastal Marshes Of Louisiana,
2021
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
A Comparison Of Intertidal Metazoan Biodiversity Between Previously Oiled Sheared And Intact Marsh Margins And Between Multiple Salinity Zones In The Coastal Marshes Of Louisiana, Patrick M. Rayle
LSU Master's Theses
Marshes in Louisiana are under threat from numerous natural and anthropogenic sources. A consequence of these threats are sheared marsh margins, which result from the impact of storm surge on previously oiled, weakened marsh. These conditions occurred in Louisiana marshes after Hurricane Isaac in 2012 followed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, particularly in the shorelines surrounding Bay Jimmy. The second and third chapters of this thesis focus on the differences in biodiversity between the sheared and intact marsh margins in impacted sites in Bay Jimmy. Metabarcoding methods were used to determine community composition of the sediment within marsh …
Growth Of Diatom Fistulifera Alcalina In Bacterial Co-Culture And Comparative Mitogenomics Of Fistulifera Species,
2021
Florida International University
Growth Of Diatom Fistulifera Alcalina In Bacterial Co-Culture And Comparative Mitogenomics Of Fistulifera Species, Erwin David Berthold
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Diatoms are excellent biological models of growth and intracellular oil generation. The productivity and compounds of diatoms, especially oils, support aquatic food chains and human medical and industrial needs. The qualities that made diatoms prolific producers, specifically diatom physiological features such as growth rates with intracellular lipid storage in alkaline environments, are however poorly understood. Another physiological aspect that remains unexplored is the effects of bacteria on the growth and lipid production of alkaliphilic diatoms. More studies, especially co-cultures, are needed for advances in diatom biology and strain performance for the algal biotechnological field. Besides physiology, diatom genetics using next-generation …
Microbiological Study In A Gneissic Cave From Sri Lanka, With Special Focus On Potential Antimicrobial Activities,
2021
University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
Microbiological Study In A Gneissic Cave From Sri Lanka, With Special Focus On Potential Antimicrobial Activities, Ethige Isuru P. Silva, Pathmakumara Jayasingha, Saman Senanayake, Anura Dandeniya, Dona Helani Munasinghe
International Journal of Speleology
The emergence of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis, thus the search for novel antimicrobial compounds has become a continuous necessity. Underexplored and extreme environments, such as cave ecosystems, have been identified as a promising potential source for the discovery of novel microorganisms with novel antimicrobial compounds (AMC). This study presents the first cave microbiological investigation in Sri Lanka, with a special preference for bioprospecting of novel AMC. The cave sediment characterization demonstrated the presence of close to strong acidic conditions (pH 3.1 – 3.3) and thus indicates the possibility of isolating acidophilic microorganisms. Eight cave wall/ceiling fungal strains …
Inhibition Of Biofilm Formation By The Synergistic Action Of Egcg-S And Antibiotics,
2021
Miami University - Oxford
Inhibition Of Biofilm Formation By The Synergistic Action Of Egcg-S And Antibiotics, Shrameeta Shinde, Lee Lee, Tinchun Chu
Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
Biofilm, a stress-induced physiological state, is an established means of antimicrobial tolerance. A perpetual increase in multidrug resistant (MDR) infections associated with high mortality and morbidity have been observed in healthcare settings. Multiple studies have indicated that the use of natural products can prevent bacterial growth. Recent studies in the field have identified that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol, could disrupt bacterial biofilms. A modified lipid-soluble EGCG, epigallocatechin-3-gallate-stearate (EGCG-S), has enhanced the beneficial properties of green tea. This study focuses on utilizing EGCG-S as a novel synergistic agent with antibiotics to prevent or control biofilm. Different formulations of …
Metabolomics-Based Analysis Of Miniature Flask Contents Identifies Tobacco Mixture Use Among The Ancient Maya,
2021
Washington State University
Metabolomics-Based Analysis Of Miniature Flask Contents Identifies Tobacco Mixture Use Among The Ancient Maya, Mario Zimmermann, Korey J. Brownstein, Luis Pantoja Díaz, Iliana Ancona Aragón, Scott R. Hutson, Barry Kidder, Shannon Tushingham, David R. Gang
Anthropology Faculty Publications
A particular type of miniature ceramic vessel locally known as “veneneras” is occasionally found during archaeological excavations in the Maya Area. To date, only one study of a collection of such containers successfully identified organic residues through coupled chromatography–mass spectrometry methods. That study identified traces of nicotine likely associated with tobacco. Here we present a more complete picture by analyzing a suite of possible complementary ingredients in tobacco mixtures across a collection of 14 miniature vessels. The collection includes four different vessel forms and allows for the comparison of specimens which had previously formed part of museum exhibitions with recently …
