Seasonality in Vibrio Bacteria Population Structure- a Practical Application of the Lotka-Volterra Competition Model.
Mentor 1
Charles
Mentor 2
Gabriella Pinter
Mentor 3
Istvan Lauko
Location
Union 240B
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:00 AM
Description
Seasonality in Vibrio Bacteria Population Structure- a Practical Application of the Lotka-Volterra Competition Model. Departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI. The bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio harveyi and V. chagasii, are found in the Gulf Coast of Florida where their relative abundance varies between winter and summer. This study aims at examining the hypothesis that seasonal variations in the relative abundance of Vibrio harveyi and V. chagasii populations off the coast of Florida are due to changes in growth rate and competitive ability caused by seasonal variations in temperature. We conducted growth experiments with the two bacteria populations at six different temperatures to identify temperature dependent growth rates. Time series cell-count population data were also collected in competition experiments at the same temperature range. The experiments conducted qualitatively exhibit the behavior observed in nature. Experimental results are used to parameterize a Lotka-Volterra competition model to test the presence of factors influencing the competitive dynamics additional to the individual temperature dependent growth parameters.
Seasonality in Vibrio Bacteria Population Structure- a Practical Application of the Lotka-Volterra Competition Model.
Union 240B
Seasonality in Vibrio Bacteria Population Structure- a Practical Application of the Lotka-Volterra Competition Model. Departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI. The bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio harveyi and V. chagasii, are found in the Gulf Coast of Florida where their relative abundance varies between winter and summer. This study aims at examining the hypothesis that seasonal variations in the relative abundance of Vibrio harveyi and V. chagasii populations off the coast of Florida are due to changes in growth rate and competitive ability caused by seasonal variations in temperature. We conducted growth experiments with the two bacteria populations at six different temperatures to identify temperature dependent growth rates. Time series cell-count population data were also collected in competition experiments at the same temperature range. The experiments conducted qualitatively exhibit the behavior observed in nature. Experimental results are used to parameterize a Lotka-Volterra competition model to test the presence of factors influencing the competitive dynamics additional to the individual temperature dependent growth parameters.
