Toxicity of Deepwater Horizon Oil and Dispersants on Florida's Reef Biota
Implementing Organization
University of South Florida
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$173,449
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Funding Program
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative GoMRI Grant Program
Details
Project Category
Science
Project Actions
Environmental Research
Targeted Resources
Human and/or Institutional Capacity
Project Description
A major concern for the State of Florida is the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on coral-reef and other hardbottom communities of the Florida shelves. We propose to test both the toxicity and the sublethal effects of crude oil and dispersants on organisms that are amenable to experimental manipulation and representative of the reef community. Test organisms are reef-dwelling benthic foraminifer Amphistegina gibbosa and Archaias angulatus. These taxa host symbiotic algae, calcify and are abundant along most of the Florida coastline.
Contact
Pamela Hallock-Muller727-553-1567
pmuller@usf.edu
Project Website
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