MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION IN GULF OF MEXICO HYPERSALINE ENVIRONMENTS ...
My thesis investigated the microbial diversity and taxonomic composition of hypersaline and non-extreme sediment environments in the Gulf of Mexico, to explore environmental controls on microbial community structure and function. Environmental conditions and resource availability are considered key...
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| Language: | English |
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
2015
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17615/yny7-5197 https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/v118rd62d?locale=en |
| Summary: | My thesis investigated the microbial diversity and taxonomic composition of hypersaline and non-extreme sediment environments in the Gulf of Mexico, to explore environmental controls on microbial community structure and function. Environmental conditions and resource availability are considered key drivers of microbial diversity and evolution. Extreme environments are traditionally thought to select for more specialized individuals and lower overall diversity, while non-extreme environments foster diverse communities of generalists that are capable of occupying a wider niche. However, extreme environments can also be heterogeneous and complex systems, with a wide variety of energetic resources, providing both challenges and opportunities for diversification. The sediment microbiomes of this study represented natural hydrocarbon seeps, a deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basin (Orca Basin, 26% salinity), Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill-impacted sediments, and Continental Slope background sediments, all collected ... |
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