An Investigation of Diatom Communities in Choctawhatchee Bay in Response to the BP Oil Spill
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Authors
Malik, Heera Ilahi
Issue Date
2012-09-26
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
biology , Choctawhatchee Bay , Florida , BP Oil Spill , Oil , British Petroleum , diatom , plankton , species , Gulf of Mexico
Alternative Title
Abstract
The primary objective of this research was to characterize the structure of the
diatom community in Choctawhatchee Bay in response to the BP oil spill. Three types of
samples, net plankton, sediment, and whole water, were collected on a bimonthly basis
for six months. Diatoms in the samples were identified at the species level whenever
possible by both light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A
total of 87 genera and 437 species were recorded; this represents approximately 40% of
species previously recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. Net plankton samples were compared
with historical data to determine if a significant shift in the community structure had
occurred; the absence of similar data did not permit a comparison of sediment
communities. Current and historical plankton associations showed only a 28% similarity. This low similarity could be result of natural variation in the composition of the
phytoplankton, differences in sampling techniques used, differences in the application of
taxonomic principles, or changes brought about by the BP oil spill. At this point we
cannot distinguish which of these is the most important factor. Moreover, the number of
abnormal valves observed, much less than 0.1% of the total number of valves, argues
against a major impact of the BP oil spill on the diatom community.
Description
Summer 2012 Biology thesis of Heera I. Malik