| Abstract Detail
Molecular Ecology and Evolution Carrino-Kyker, Sarah R. [1], Swanson, Andrew K. [1]. Little Wetlands in the Big City: Microbial Diversity of Vernal Pools in and around Cleveland, Ohio. Due to human activities, snowmelt, runoff, and groundwater from urbanized areas often contain pollutants (i.e., deicing salts, heavy metal sediment, petroleum, and lawn pesticides). Vernal pools, largely recharged by runoff and groundwater and common to both natural and urban landscapes, may be impacted by on-going urbanization, however little is known about the resilience of these habitats to anthropogenic activity. The highly impacted Cuyahoga River watershed (i.e. the infamous “Burning River”) also possesses large and relatively pristine park areas (Cuyahoga National Park; Cleveland Metro-Parks), offering extreme comparatives of human activity. In this study, the eukaryotic diversity of discrete vernal pools (n=30), influenced by differing degrees of urbanization (as determined by GIS), was assessed. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), adapted to determine in situ biodiversity of microbial constituents, was used to compare the microbial (i.e., algae, fungi, and protist) diversity among thirty vernal pools residing in ten different sub-watersheds (n=3 pools per sub-watershed). Preliminary results indicate differing composition between sub-watersheds, but no clear shift in richness or diversity due to urbanization. These findings, along with previous studies of pool water quality, suggest that vernal pools are largely unaffected by local urbanization and/or semi-insulated from urbanization effects. Based on typical microbial community compositions, pools are likely largely heterotrophic habitats, which may play an important function in the energetics of forested systems.
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1 - Case Western Reserve University, Biology, 2080 Adelbert Road, 125 Millis Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, USA
Keywords:
vernal pool
DGGE
urbanization.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: CP53
Location: Boulevard B/Hilton
Date: Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Time: 2:00 PM
Number: CP53019
Abstract ID:820 |
