Gemmell Brad J, Bacosa Hernando P, Dickey Ben O, Gemmell Colbi G, Alqasemi Lama R, Buskey Edward J
Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.
Marine Science Department, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA.
Ecotoxicology. 2018 Jul;27(5):505-516. doi: 10.1007/s10646-018-1923-7. Epub 2018 Mar 19.
Field data from the first several days after an oil spill is rare but crucial for our understanding of a spill's impact on marine microbiota given their short generation times. Field data collected within days of the Texas City "Y" oil spill showed that exposure to crude oil can rapidly imbalance populations of marine microbiota, which leads to the proliferation of more resistant organisms. Vibrionales bacteria were up to 48 times higher than background concentrations at the most impacted sites and populations of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum texanum increased significantly as well. Laboratory microcosm experiments with a natural plankton community showed that P. texanum grew significantly faster under oiled conditions but monocultures of P. texanum did not. Additional laboratory experiments with natural communities from Tampa Bay, Florida showed similar results although a different species dominated, P. minimum. In both cases, tolerance to the presence of crude oil was enhanced by higher sensitivity of grazers led to a release from grazing pressure and allows Prorocentrum species to dominate after an oil spill. The results suggest careful monitoring for Vibrionales and Prorocentrum during future spills would be beneficial given the potential implications to human health.
溢油事故发生后头几天的现场数据很少见，但鉴于海洋微生物的世代时间短，这些数据对于我们了解溢油对海洋微生物群的影响至关重要。在得克萨斯城“Y”溢油事故发生数天内收集的现场数据表明，接触原油会迅速使海洋微生物群的数量失衡，从而导致更具抗性的生物大量繁殖。在受影响最严重的地点，弧菌的数量比背景浓度高出48倍，德州原甲藻的数量也显著增加。对一个自然浮游生物群落进行的实验室微观实验表明，在有油污的条件下，德州原甲藻的生长速度明显加快，但德州原甲藻的单种培养物则不然。对来自佛罗里达州坦帕湾的自然群落进行的其他实验室实验也得出了类似结果，尽管占主导地位的是另一个物种——微小原甲藻。在这两种情况下，食草动物较高的敏感性增强了对原油存在的耐受性，导致食草压力减轻，使得原甲藻物种在溢油事故后占据主导地位。研究结果表明，鉴于对人类健康的潜在影响，在未来的溢油事故期间对弧菌和原甲藻进行仔细监测将是有益的。
