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R/IS-06 A
Measuring the transfer, dynamics, and risk of invasion for microbial communities associated with ballast water of ships
Principal Investigator:
Gregory M. RuizStart/End Year:
1998 - 2001Institution:
Smithsonian Environmental Research CenterCo-Principal Investigator:
Fred C. Dobbs, Old Dominion University; Anson H. Hines, Smithsonian Environmental Research CenterTopic(s):
Description:
Our overall objective is to characterize the transfer, dynamics, and potential to invade for microbial communities associated with ballast water of ships. More specifically, our study will: Measure the abundance, biomass, growth and carbon-source utilization patterns of bacteria that arrive in ballast water as a function of source region, voyage duration, and specific water characteristics (e.g., temperature, salinity, macro-plankton abundance and diversity); Measure changes in microbial community characteristics of ballast water during voyages, including the effects of current ballast management practices on these communities; Measure the specificity and functional relationships between Vibrio spp. and selected macrozooplankton species; Assess the invasibility of Chesapeake Bay to microbial organisms (especially Vibrio spp.) that arrive in ballast water.
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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.
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