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R/P-26
Trophic dynamics in Chesapeake Bay: Ecological and biochemical approaches to the study of flows of carbon from phytoplankton to bacterioplankton
Principal Investigator:
Madilyn FletcherStart/End Year:
1990 - 1994Institution:
Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology InstituteCo-Principal Investigator:
Hugh W. Ducklow, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental ScienceTopic(s):
Description:
The overall objective is to understand the role of bacteria in decomposition of phytoplankton biomass and the importance of this process in the trophic dynamics of Chesapeake Bay. Specific objectives are to analyze biochemically suspended phytodetritus, estimate bacterial production and respiration derived from decomposition of phytodetritus, investigate the utilization of particulate substrates by bacteria in laboratory model systems, and study bacterial production in the mesohaline and oligohaline regions of the Bay.
Program Announcements
News and Blogs
Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Exploring the Use of Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells to Remove Sulfide While Harvesting Energy from Oyster Aquaculture Biodeposits
Oyster aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in Maryland’s Chesapeake waters which stimulates economic activity and may provide a host of ecosystem benefits. A potential concern associated with the intensification of the oyster aquaculture is the local production and accumulation of oyster biodeposits, which can lead to a porewater sulfide accumulation and declining bioturbation, symptoms of declining ecosystem function. Sulfide is naturally removed from the seafloor by the interactions between bioturbating infauna and sulfide oxidizing bacteria.
Chesapeake Quarterly Magazine
A Growing Industry: Advancing Oyster Aquaculture in Maryland
