Dear colleagues, Abstracts are now being accepted for the following special session being held at the Joint Aquatic Scientists Meeting in Portland, OR this May. Abstracts are due Feb 7, 2014.
Session 116: The role of microbial and algal communities in stressed aquatic systems: linking structure to function Session link: http://www.sgmeet.com/jasm2014/sessionschedule.asp?SessionID=116 Aquatic systems provide important ecosystem services that aid in mitigating the impacts of chemical and nutrient pollution, and ecosystems whose natural functions are stressed by excess pollutant inputs serve as ideal study sites for examining the biological controls over pollutant toxicity. Many environmental chemical transformations are mediated by microorganisms, and these transformations may result in either a reduction of pollutant toxicity or a magnification of pollutant impact. For example, nitrate is converted to gaseous nitrogen through the activity of denitrifying organisms, helping to reduce the effects of nutrient runoff, while bioavaliable mercury accumulates in environments through the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, leading to downstream health effects. The structure and function of microbial and algal communities in aquatic environments, therefore, often directly impact efforts to mitigate pollutant toxicity and eutrophication. However, in some systems, chemical drivers of pollutant transformations may be more important for predicting patterns of toxicity than microbial and algal community structure. Understanding the relative importance of abiotic and biotic factors in determining the abundance of harmful substances in the environment is imperative for managing aquatic ecosystems. This session will focus on efforts to link microbial and algal communities in stressed aquatic systems to rates of major biogeochemical cycles. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to meeting you in Portland! Sincerely, Lee Stanish, Microbial Ecologist: [email protected] Emily Graham, Microbial Biogeochemist: [email protected] University of Colorado at Boulder, USA
