Microbial Communities and Ecosystem Recovery of Galveston Bay Post-Hurricane Harvey
Abstract
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall off the coast of Texas then stalled over the Houston area for five days, setting the record for the highest rainfall in the United States. The waters drained through Houston and into Galveston Bay bringing terrestrial, freshwater, and anthropogenic chemicals and microbes with them. Since microbial communities are constantly changing and adapting to the ecosystem around them this study aimed to characterize the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the microbial communities in the Galveston Bay using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and metagenomic data. Heterotrophs were most prevalent directly following the storm and, throughout the 5-week study period, the autotrophic microbes rebounded to pre-Hurricane Harvey levels. Preliminary data analysis has shown that metagenomic data can provide a glimpse into the metabolism of prevalent groups. Further metagenomic analysis will provide insight into the specific metabolic pathways driving the recovery of Galveston Bay’s microbial community. The expectation of larger and more intense storms in North America will increase the amount of stormwater runoff per year in ecologically and economically important ecosystems. Understanding the effects of these storms and how microbial communities respond will help inform management and recovery efforts.
Subject
Galveston Baymicroorganisms
microbes
microbial
Hurricane Harvey
bioinformatics
metagenomics
16S rRNA
storm water
Citation
Walker, Jordan Ronald (2019). Microbial Communities and Ecosystem Recovery of Galveston Bay Post-Hurricane Harvey. Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /200592.