eukaryotic plankton environmental sample Transcriptome or Gene expression. eukaryotic plankton environmental sample

Microbially produced exopolymeric substances (EPS) are believed to play a critical role in the weathering and degradation of oil in marine environments. However, the mechanisms by which EPS promotes the aggregation and/or dispersion of oil and dispersants are not well understood. Furthermore, current understanding of microbial community dynamics, especially between bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes, after exposure to oil and/or Corexit is poorly resolved. We prepared 79L seawater mesocosms to investigate the responses of natural microbial communities to the water accommodated fraction of oil with and without Corexit (CWAF/WAF, respectively). Prior to experiment initiation, phytoplankton were collected from coastal Galveston, TX waters and added to each tank to stimulate interactions between phytoplankton, oil, and Corexit. The goal of this project is to monitor the composition and structure of microbial communities over time as they respond to the oil and/or Corexit and explore the relationships between hydrocarbon-degrading prokaryotes and phytoplankton. Data collected during these mesocosms will help elucidate the role microorganisms play in the aggregation, dispersion, and degradation of oil in marine environments.

微生物分泌的胞外聚合物（exopolymeric substances, EPS）被认为在海洋环境中石油的风化与降解过程中发挥关键作用。然而，EPS促进油类与分散剂聚集和/或分散的具体机制仍未被充分阐明。此外，当前学界对微生物群落动态（尤其是细菌、古菌与真核生物之间的相互作用）在暴露于石油和/或Corexit分散剂后的变化机制仍知之甚少。本研究构建了79升海水中型实验生态系（mesocosm），以探究自然微生物群落对添加与不添加Corexit分散剂的石油水可溶组分（分别记为CWAF与WAF）的响应。实验启动前，研究人员从德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿沿岸海域采集浮游植物，将其接入每一个实验容器中，以模拟浮游植物、石油与Corexit分散剂之间的相互作用过程。本项目的研究目标为：动态监测微生物群落在响应石油和/或Corexit分散剂过程中的组成与结构变化，并探究烃类降解原核生物与浮游植物之间的相互关系。本中型实验生态系研究中获取的数据，将有助于阐明微生物在海洋环境中石油聚集、分散与降解过程中所发挥的作用。