Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill significantly impacted salt marsh ecosystems, with numerous repercussions observed in the subsequent years. However, the long-term effects of chronic oil exposure on soil microbial communities remain unexplored. This study, conducted in 2018, aimed to identify h...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003418 |
| _version_ | 1827287376381083648 |
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| author | Grace A. Cagle Huan Chen John W. Fleeger Donald Deis Qianxin Lin Aixin Hou |
| author_facet | Grace A. Cagle Huan Chen John W. Fleeger Donald Deis Qianxin Lin Aixin Hou |
| author_sort | Grace A. Cagle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill significantly impacted salt marsh ecosystems, with numerous repercussions observed in the subsequent years. However, the long-term effects of chronic oil exposure on soil microbial communities remain unexplored. This study, conducted in 2018, aimed to identify how the legacy of heavy oiling from the DWH spill in 2010 influenced the soil microbial community. We surveyed vegetation and soil variables while simultaneously employing high-throughput 16s rRNA gene sequencing to examine microbial communities in soils across 21 marsh sites that exhibited varying degrees of initial oil contamination following the DWH incident. The effects of these variables, including geographic location, on taxonomic and phylogenetic metrics of community composition were disentangled using variance partitioning analysis and permutational ANOVA. Results showed a strong and significant longitudinal trend in microbial community composition that was partially confounded with degree of initial oil exposure and contemporary vegetation biomass. However, significant indicator species for heavily oiled sites included oil-degrading bacteria, and there were significant differences in microbial community composition among marshes that received variable levels of initial oiling after controlling for this spatial effect. The level of soil petroleum residues that remained in 2018 had significant explanatory power for community composition after controlling for location, whereas the effects of vegetation biomass were largely confounded with longitude. Collectively, our results indicate that persistent oil pollution as well as unidentified spatial processes, possibly associated with spill-induced alterations in erosion or wave dynamics, played a role in structuring soil microbial communities within this ecosystem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:58:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4eb6ba1c9732434f8ea30c99b87bcefb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:58:25Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-4eb6ba1c9732434f8ea30c99b87bcefb2024-04-12T04:44:51ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2024-03-01160111884Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spillGrace A. Cagle0Huan Chen1John W. Fleeger2Donald Deis3Qianxin Lin4Aixin Hou5Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USANational High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Ion Cyclotron Resonance Facility, Florida State University, FL, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USAAtkins, Jacksonville, FL 32256, USADepartment of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA; Corresponding author.The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill significantly impacted salt marsh ecosystems, with numerous repercussions observed in the subsequent years. However, the long-term effects of chronic oil exposure on soil microbial communities remain unexplored. This study, conducted in 2018, aimed to identify how the legacy of heavy oiling from the DWH spill in 2010 influenced the soil microbial community. We surveyed vegetation and soil variables while simultaneously employing high-throughput 16s rRNA gene sequencing to examine microbial communities in soils across 21 marsh sites that exhibited varying degrees of initial oil contamination following the DWH incident. The effects of these variables, including geographic location, on taxonomic and phylogenetic metrics of community composition were disentangled using variance partitioning analysis and permutational ANOVA. Results showed a strong and significant longitudinal trend in microbial community composition that was partially confounded with degree of initial oil exposure and contemporary vegetation biomass. However, significant indicator species for heavily oiled sites included oil-degrading bacteria, and there were significant differences in microbial community composition among marshes that received variable levels of initial oiling after controlling for this spatial effect. The level of soil petroleum residues that remained in 2018 had significant explanatory power for community composition after controlling for location, whereas the effects of vegetation biomass were largely confounded with longitude. Collectively, our results indicate that persistent oil pollution as well as unidentified spatial processes, possibly associated with spill-induced alterations in erosion or wave dynamics, played a role in structuring soil microbial communities within this ecosystem.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003418Salt marshSoil microbial communityBacteriaWetlandOil spillSpatial process |
| spellingShingle | Grace A. Cagle Huan Chen John W. Fleeger Donald Deis Qianxin Lin Aixin Hou Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Ecological Indicators Salt marsh Soil microbial community Bacteria Wetland Oil spill Spatial process |
| title | Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| title_full | Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| title_fullStr | Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| title_short | Spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, eight years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
| title_sort | spatial heterogeneity and oil pollution structured the soil microbial community in salt marshes in barataria bay louisiana usa eight years after the deepwater horizon oil spill |
| topic | Salt marsh Soil microbial community Bacteria Wetland Oil spill Spatial process |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24003418 |
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