Volume 4, No. 1, 2019
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Acta Spartae is the undergraduate journal of sciences and mathematics at The University of Tampa, and is designed to recognize and promote the vibrant undergraduate research community at UT by providing a forum for the dissemination of research and ideas produced at the University.
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Browsing Volume 4, No. 1, 2019 by Subject "Bay ecology--Florida--Tampa Bay Region"
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Item Associations Between Vibrio and the Planktonic Community Throughout Tampa Bay(Department of Biology, College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2019) Johnson, Heather; Dr. Bridgette Froeschke; Dr. Rebecca WaggettVibrio is a genus of bacteria whose species naturally inhabit warm, marine waters throughout the world. Many of these species are pathogenic to humans, which makes predicting outbreaks of vital importance. Considerable information is still being discovered about Vibrio ecology, therefore additional studies of Vibrio in the marine environment are necessary. Previous relationships between Vibrio species, the planktonic community, and environmental factors have been described, but these relationships have not been explored in Tampa Bay. Zooplankton tows were performed at six different locations in Tampa Bay. Three sites were located in the inner bay, while three were closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Whole water samples and environmental parameters were also collected from each site. Zooplankton samples were separated into two classes: copepods and copepod nauplii and resuspended in sterile saline. Whole water samples were diluted to 101, 10mL, and 20mL. Zooplankton and water samples were vacuum filtered, and the filter paper plated on Thiosulfate-Citrate-Bile-Sucrose (TCBS) agar plates. The plates were incubated at 37 C for 24 hours and assessed for growth. Associations between Vibrio and the planktonic community, as well as patterns in environmental factors provide valuable insight to the bacterial community of Tampa Bay.Item The Impact of Microplastics on Crassostrea virginica Filtration Efficiency(Department of Biology, College of Natural and Health Sciences, The University of Tampa, 2019) Carpenter, Jenna; Sierra, Brianna; Dr. Heather MasonjonesThere has been increasing concern among biologists about whether or not microplastics are affecting the health of marine organisms and humans. While some studies have shown microplastic effects on juvenile Crassostrea virginica (Eastern Oyster), there are few studies which focus on how adult Crassostrea virginica are affected. This experiment focuses on the ability of adult Crassostrea virginica to filter and dispose of different densities of fluorescent polyethylene microbeads obtained from Cospheric Innovations. Crassostrea virginicawere collected in Tampa Bay and once acclimated, were exposed to treatment concentrations of 0.167 microbeads mL-1 and 0.083 microbeads mL-1 (500 mm–600 mm) at a density of 1g cm-3 over a six hour time interval. An examination of adult oyster clusters exposed to different amounts of microbeads showed the adult oyster’s ability to take in microplastics. Microplastics were seen in higher amounts within the 0.167 microbeads mL-1 concentration, with a maximum of 52 microbeads observed. Some oysters filtered in microbeads, demonstrating the potential for microplastics to impact oyster health, specifically mass loss. This issue is prevalent in oyster populations and can impact higher trophic level organisms through bioaccumulation. These results demonstrate the issues associated with microplastics and encourage future research to be conducted.