Characterizing Environmental and Oyster Microbiomes for Oceanic Restoration
Sanjiev Nand
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Archana Anand
Microbiome refers to the community of organisms that live within an organism and the environment surrounding it. The microbial communities that characterize the microbiome interact with the surrounding environment, thereby playing a vital role in biogeochemical cycling. Coastal ecosystems such as oyster reefs are known to be highly diverse, with ~70% of microbes contributing to global biogeochemical cycling. Ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration are invaluable services rendered by oyster reefs. Yet the contribution of microbial communities within these coastal ecosystems to the services rendered is poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to obtain a first baseline of all microbial species that are present within the oysters microbiome and their environment. We identified 4 sites in San Francisco that are undergoing oyster restoration and collected adult oysters, biofilm from substrates, and sediment samples. We also buried tea bags to quantify carbon sequestration capacity as per the tea bag index. The results presented in this poster showcase preliminary results from 4 sites.