Harmful organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons, are ubiquitous in coastal marine ecosystems around the world, a problem that will only be exacerbated with rising sea level and increased inundation of coastal urban areas. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the fate of these contaminants following their deposition on marine sediment, where they can potentially persist for long periods of time. As organic carbon remineralization rates depend on the respiration process employed by the bacteria in the sediment, it was the goal of this study to determine how the sediment redox environment, with an emphasis on Fe redox chemistry, affects the biodegradation of recalcitrant petroleum hydrocarbon compounds. While amendment of natural sediment with Fe minerals that are commonly transported to coastal areas following erosion from continental crust did successfully catalyze Fe reduction and inhibit sulfate reduction, the effect on the hydrocarbon biodegradation rate was negligible. However, inoculation of the sediment with Shewanella oneidensis, an exoelectrogenic, Fe reducing bacteria known to catalyze the degradation of hydrocarbon compounds found in crude oil, did
significantly affect the redox environment and sediment microbial communities and alter the pattern of hydrocarbon loss in the sediment over time. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_82134 |
| Contributors | Quinan, Matthew P. (author), Beckler, Jordon (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Department of Marine Science and Oceanography, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 129 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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