The role of macrobiota in structuring microbial communities along rocky shores

I hypothesize that microbial populations of the rocky intertidal of the northeast Pacific should be related to the nitrogen sources available to them, particularly the presence of animals and gradients in animals abundance. I thus have 48 collections for 16s analyses through the EMP at Argonne Labs (Gilbert Lab) designed to test whether microbial diversity increases in proximity to ammonium-excreting animals and whether the presence and absence of the abundant California mussel is a determinant of microbial diversity. All samples come from the coast of Washington state in 2009 and 2010, including 2 locales: Tatoosh Island and Second Beach. Microbial populations of the rocky intertidal areas of the northeast Pacific are little described compared to their open ocean counterparts. Thus, the work will be a novel investigation into diversity of this area as well as determinants of diversity.