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Dominican University of California

Distribution and Frequency of Aquatic Oomycetes Throughout Marin County in Relation to Physical Chemical Water Parameters

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Oomycetes, also known as water molds, belong to the kingdom <em>Stramenopila </em>and<em> </em>are a well-known group of plant pathogens and saprophytes. Important species include <em>Phytophthora ramorum </em>(causal agent of sudden oak death), <em>Pythium aphanidermatum</em> (root rot), and <em>Phytophthora infestans </em>(late potato blight), all major threats to the environment, agriculture, and the economy. Although many oomycete species have been found in various water sources, little is known about the correlation between the distribution and frequency of oomycetes in aquatic environments and physical chemical water parameters. The objective of this study was to detect and identify aquatic oomycetes from Marin County using repeated seasonal sampling and DNA sequencing and to analyze relevant physical chemical water characteristics such as temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, and bacteriological contamination. Throughout June of 2019 to April of 2020 a total of 180 different samples were collected from nine different sampling locations throughout Marin Country. From those 180, 67 isolates (37%) grew into colonies, which were identified as 15 different species, including one <em>Unclassified Ovatisporangium. </em>Water quality characteristics varied across seasons and locations, and the correlation to microbial diversity has yet to be determined.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
Master's Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biological Science
Year dc:date.available
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Crites, Franki
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Wolfgang Schweigkofler, PhD
  • Vania Coelho, PhD

Subjects

dc:subject × 10

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholar.dominican.edu:biological-sciences-masters-theses-1022

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Dominican University of California
Base URL
scholar.dominican.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Crites, Franki. Distribution and Frequency of Aquatic Oomycetes Throughout Marin County in Relation to Physical Chemical Water Parameters. Master's Thesis thesis, 2023. https://scholar.dominican.edu/biological-sciences-masters-theses/22