| Background | Transplantation | Biogeochemistry | Microbiology | Contaminants |
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| Seagrass Restoration in Tampa Bay, Florida |
| Dawes, Clinton (USF), Meads, Michael (USF), kyates@usgs.gov (USGS/GD), Fernandez, Mario (USGS/GD) and Kellogg, Christina (USGS/GD) |
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| Microbiology Research Questions: |
- How do the treatments (different sediments or the addition of fertilizers) affect the bacterial community associated with the turtle grass?
- Is there a difference between the bacterial communities associated with turtle grass sediments in Little Cockroach Bay and Feather Sound?
- Can the presence of specific bacteria (by their altering the biogeochemical parameters of the sediment) help the turtle grass re-establish or grow better?
In May and June, sediment samples were taken at both sites from each of the plots to be fertilized, as well as from the plots containing the different sediment types. Extractions were plated on marine agar plates and counted under the microscope to determine viable counts as well as total counts (not all bacteria will grow on a given solid medium). This serves as a background measurement for both sites (Little Cockroach Bay and Feather Sound). A second set of sediment samples will be taken from the plots in October, after the transplanted turtle grass has had time to go through several growth cycles.
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| Viable bacteria: A petri dish showing viable aerobic bacteria, grown overnight from a sediment sample collected in the seagrass. |
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| Total bacterial direct counts are done under the microscope using a vital stain. |
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