College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-06 11:38:14
Major
Geology
Honors Course
3370 497:003
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Fall 2022
Abstract
It is hypothesized that the ocean of Europa, a Jupiter moon, hosts bacteria on its oceanic floor. Understanding how Fe(III) reducing bacteria (FeRB) from AMD utilize organic materials within its surrounding environment outlines how FeRB could thrive and tolerate extreme conditions. FeRB are known to tolerate metals and highly reactive oxidants species (ROS), but in this experiment, H2O2 was the experimental factor to further test FeRB tolerance. H2O2 is a common ROS and is damaging to living material such as proteins, DNA, and RNA. A range of H2O2 concentrations were fed to the FeRB from AMD to measure their tolerance and see if their growth was inhibited. The FeRB was retrieved from the Friedline Mines acid mine drainage (AMD) of the Powdermill Nature Preserve in Pennsylvania. The FeRB were monitored over 0.9 mM, 0.45 mM, 0.23 mM, 0.12 mM, 0.012 mM, and 0.0 mM H2O2 concentrations. The FeRB could not survive within the medium with H2O2, but there were concentrations of H2O2 that tolerated the oxidant more than others. Bacteria could not tolerate 0.9 mM H2O2 but were able to tolerate 0.45 mM and 0.23 mM H2O2 within the anoxic FeRB media. Treatments with H2O2 had 0.46-11.3 ug/mL DNA in the original enrichment, but did not have any measurable DNA in the latest enrichment, after 5 transfers. The samples that had the strong oxidant added did not survive, but different concentrations had a higher tolerance than other H2O2 concentrations.
Research Sponsor
John M Senko
First Reader
Nita Sahai
Second Reader
Melissa Mulford
Honors Faculty Advisor
John A Peck
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Seth, Susami, "The influence of hydrogen peroxide on the enrichment of Fe(III) reducing bacteria from acid mine drainage" (2022). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1621.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1621
Completed Signature Page
Cover Sheet.pdf (8 kB)
Cover Sheet
Seth_WHC Initial Proposal.pdf (326 kB)
Proposal Sheet
Included in
Bacteria Commons, Biochemistry Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Environmental Chemistry Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Geochemistry Commons, Microbial Physiology Commons, Oceanography Commons