Scholarship & Research
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Item Identification of novel ssDNA and RNA coliphage in wastewater(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2024) Little, Agusta Rio; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Blake WiedenheftBacteriophages (phages) are the most abundant biological entities on Earth. However, our understanding of their diversity is limited, with a vast gap in knowledge regarding single- stranded DNA (ssDNA) and RNA phages. This study addresses this gap by isolating and characterizing ssDNA and RNA coliphages from wastewater, a suspected rich source of these understudied phages. Traditional phage isolation methods favor double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phages, resulting in the underrepresentation of ssDNA and RNA phages. To overcome this bias, we employed enrichment strategies using small molecules that inhibit dsDNA phage replication. Additionally, we utilized an RNase-A assay to identify potential RNA phage candidates. These enrichment techniques led to the isolation of a circular ssDNA phage (POI 1) and a ssRNA phage (POI 8). A combination of biochemical assays, sequencing, and microscopy techniques were utilized to characterize these phages. Overall, this work demonstrates the effectiveness of enrichment strategies for isolating ssDNA and RNA phages and underscores the importance of developing optimized techniques to unlock the true diversity of these understudied phage populations.Item Lipid accumulation in mixed photoautotrophic cultures from municipal wastewater(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Doig, Lakotah Dawn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew Fields; Matthew W. Fields was a co-author of the article, 'Lipid accumulation in mixed photoautotrophic cultures from municipal wastewater' which is contained within this thesis.The growing consumption and need for sustainable forms of energy has spurred interest in biofuels and the feedstocks that offer possible solutions. Microalgae have emerged as a possible resource for the more sustainable production of biomass and biofuel, but nutrient and water demands offer challenges that limit large-scale biomass and biofuel production. Wastewater offers a potential solution to this issue as a low-quality but high-nutrient water source that could be exploited for the production of microalgal biomass. Many studies have successfully isolated or introduced algal monocultures into a wastewater environment for either lipid production or bioremediation purposes. However, recent studies have indicated increased lipid yields and nutrient removal with mixed cultures and algal consortia, but further work is needed to understand community dynamics and population networks that increase the niche landscape with compensatory interactions that promote desired functions (e.g., biomass and/or lipids) in a stable manner. This thesis seeks to explore the potential of a mixed photoautotrophic population that is currently being used to treat municipal wastewater (i.e., nutrient removal) for lipid producing capabilities and the impact of indigenous bacterial populations native to wastewater. In doing so we hoped to test the effects of increased biodiversity on lipid production at an interspecific level. Community dynamics, lipid profiles, and biomass productivities were monitored over a series of growth experiments utilizing filter-sterilized and non-sterile wastewater. The results from these experiments indicated substantial lipid production from communities grown in the presence of indigenous bacterial communities found in wastewater. These results suggest the prospect that wastewater possesses for biofuel production with mixed algal communities. It also indicates a more dynamic role of in situ community interactions in contributing to biomass and bio-oil accumulation of mixed algal communities.Item Temperature and plant effects on secondary wastewater treatment in model constructed wetlands(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 1999) Biederman, Joel AaronItem The responses of insect communities in the East Gallatin River, Montana, to sewage effluents(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1972) Glorvigen, Thomas HarveyItem Survival, physiological response and recovery of enteric bacteria exposed to a polar marine environment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1995) Smith, James JosephItem Seasonal plant effects on wastewater treatment and root-zone oxidation in model wetlands(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1999) Allen, Winthrop Coffin