IDENTIFICATION OF IRON-OXIDIZING BACTERIA ON STEEL STRUCTURES IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS
Author
Cox, Meredith Ashton
Access
This item will be available on: 2024-05-01
Abstract
Microorganisms found on steel structures within aquatic systems impact the integrity of the structures and environmental factors surrounding them. Iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) in particular, can cause damage and corrosion of steel. Understanding how the presence and growth of these microbes in freshwater environments affects local aquatic habitats, as well as the preservation of steel complexes, allows us to identify the best materials for construction, while ensuring that the surrounding environment remains healthy. To begin identifying the species of FeOB present, a freshwater site containing wreckage in Mallows Bay, Maryland, the Accomac, was used for sample collection and analysis. I hypothesized that FeOB communities would be found on the wreck and that they would be identified as freshwater species due to the surrounding freshwater conditions. They will play a significant role in the health of the surrounding aquatic environment, and the integrity of the sampled structures. Forty-four biofilm samples from multiple regions of the wreck were collected. Estuary Media, Mallows Bay field site filtered water, and Modified Wolfe’s Mineral Media (MWMM) were used in the enrichment cultures to grow FeOB from the samples collected. A total of nineteen biological samples were positive for growth, twelve of these from the starboard, two from the portside, and five from submerged portions of the wreck. Enrichment results suggested that FeOB have grown primarily in MWMM from fully submerged samples and those collected at the waterline on the wreck. I conducted a serial dilution to obtain a pure culture to sequence the 16S rRNA gene to identify the organism and sequence the whole genome for future studies. However, we could only obtain enrichment cultures with multiple organisms for identification based on the time frame of the study. Data analysis showed that many of the organisms present in the enrichments were known taxa of freshwater FeOB (e.g. Gallionella and Leptothrix) with the largest taxa based on relative abundance falling under classes of Gammaproteobacteria or Alphaproteobacteria. Investigating these microorganisms can further our understanding of present microbial assemblies and the effects they have had on the structures.
Date
2023-04-26
Citation:
APA:
Cox, Meredith Ashton.
(April 2023).
IDENTIFICATION OF IRON-OXIDIZING BACTERIA ON STEEL STRUCTURES IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS
(Honors Thesis, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship.
(http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13003.)
MLA:
Cox, Meredith Ashton.
IDENTIFICATION OF IRON-OXIDIZING BACTERIA ON STEEL STRUCTURES IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS.
Honors Thesis. East Carolina University,
April 2023. The Scholarship.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13003.
April 29, 2024.
Chicago:
Cox, Meredith Ashton,
“IDENTIFICATION OF IRON-OXIDIZING BACTERIA ON STEEL STRUCTURES IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS”
(Honors Thesis., East Carolina University,
April 2023).
AMA:
Cox, Meredith Ashton.
IDENTIFICATION OF IRON-OXIDIZING BACTERIA ON STEEL STRUCTURES IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS
[Honors Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University;
April 2023.
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Publisher
East Carolina University