Chemical evolution and plant-microbe degradation of petroleum in saline marsh plants and soils
Implementing Organization
Tulane University
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$1,580,320
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
Chemical Aspects Research
Targeted Resources
Human and/or Institutional Capacity
Project Description
Preliminary research since the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill has shown that when coastal grasses are contaminated with petroleum, the bacterial communities in their tissues incorporate more taxa with known roles in biodegradation. The overall goal of this research is to develop a mechanistic understanding of plant bacterial symbioses in relation to petroleum/dispersant pollution in saline marshes. Our work will characterize the transport, fate and catabolic activities of bacterial communities in petroleum-polluted soils and within plant tissues. The project focuses on the microbial communities inside Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass), the foundational grass species within salt marshes along Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Contact
Sunshine Van BaelNone
svanbael@tulane.edu
Project Website
None
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