Abstract:

This dataset contains the results of a 14 day microcosm study that investigated the compositional change of the bacterial communities in oil-polluted seawater. The data were generated based on laboratory experiments conducted at Ed Buskey's lab at the Marine Science Institute of University of Texas at Austin. The study was carried out in March and April 2020. The data include temperatures and light intensities of the environment, the abundances of bacteria and nanoplankton, the results of dilution experiments that consists of bacterial cell counts in different dilution fractions, and the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and n-alkanes in the microcosms throughout the duration of the microcosm study.

Suggested Citation:

Tang, Chi Hung and Edward J. Buskey. 2024. Compositional change of bacterial communities in oil-polluted seawater amid varying degrees of nanoplankton bacterivory. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/rs456c80

Purpose:

To investigate the degree of bacterivory by nanoplankton in oil-polluted seawater and its effect on the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Data Parameters and Units:

Temperature (°C), Light (µE m-2 s-1), Bacterial abundance (cells mL-1), Nanoplankton abundance (cells mL-1), Bacterial cell counts of dilution experiments (cells mL-1) (20% or 100% dilution fractions with A and B replicates), Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (µg L-1), and Concentrations of n-alkanes (µg L-1).

Methods:

The methods include indoor microcosm experiments with different concentrations of oil pollutants. The dilution method was used to estimate bacterivory of nanoplankton. The bacterial and nanoplankton abundances were estimated using staining and epifluorescence microscopy. The concentrations of PAHs and n-alkanes were determined with GC/MS. Bioinformatic analysis and statistical analysis were conducted.

Individual Files: