When it comes to oysters and their role in reducing nutrient pollution, a new study by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science gets right to the guts—and the shell—of the matter.
When it comes to oysters and their role in reducing nutrient pollution, a new study by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science gets right to the guts—and the shell—of the matter.
The study, in the September 29 issue of PLoS ONE, is the first to identify and quantify potentially denitrifying bacteria in the oyster gut and shell, and the first to do so using a new computer program that infers bacterial activities based on the sequences of ribosomal RNA genes.
Denitrification is the process by which nitrate and nitrite—compounds that fuel over-fertilization of coastal waters—are reduced to nitrogen gas, which is harmless to aquatic habitats. Excess nitrogen from wastewater treatment plants, farm fertilizers, and other human sources can lead to low-oxygen “dead zones,” reduced fisheries harvests, and loss of sea-grass habitat. Chesapeake Bay is one of many ecosystems worldwide that have suffered these impacts.
Read more at Virginia Institute of Marine Science
