In this study, we investigated the environmental impacts of scallop culture on two coastal estuaries adjacent the Bohai Sea including developing a quantitative PCR assay to assess the abundance of the bacterial pathogens Escherichia coli and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Scallop culture resulted in a significant reduction of nitrogen, Chlorophyll a, and phosphorous levels in seawater during summer. The abundance of bacteria including V. parahaemolyticus varied significantly across estuaries and breeding seasons and was influenced by nitrate as well as nutrient ratios (Si/DIN, N/P). Bacterioplankton diversity varied across the two estuaries and seasons, and was dominated by Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes. Overall, this study suggests a significant influence of scallop culture on the ecology of adjacent estuaries and offers a sensitive tool for monitoring scallop contamination.
AUTHOR
Zackary Johnson
68 postsYou may also like
Climate, energy, and food security are three of the greatest challenges society faces this century. Solutions for mitigating the effects of climate […]
Trace metals and B-vitamins play critical roles in regulating marine phytoplankton growth and composition. While some microorganisms are capable of producing certain […]
Using a commercially scalable system designed for processing thousands of liters a day, here we evaluated the factors that affected the performance, […]
There is a growing recognition of marine microenvironments’ roles as reservoirs of biodiversity, sites of enhanced biological activity and in facilitating biological […]