PRJNA494674
Transcriptome-wide responses of the diatom Odontella aurita during marine oil snow aggregation
Phytoplankton aggregates played an important role in the formation of marine oil snow after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event of 2010. The molecular response of phytoplankton aggregates in response to oil is poorly characterized. Here we use RNAseq to analyze the transcriptome-wide responses of aggregates of the marine diatom Odontella aurita exposed to two different types of oil (Macondo and Refugio) in a roller table experiment. O. aurita was incubated in quadruplet roller tanks at 22 °C in Macondo and Refugio oil (1% vol: vol).The goal of this project is to monitor the composition and structure of microbial communities over time as they respond to the oil and explore the relationships between hydrocarbon-degrading prokaryotes and phytoplankton. Data collected in the project will help elucidate the role microorganisms in the aggregation, dispersion, and degradation of oil in marine environments?