Seasonal Similarities and Differences in Sediment Microbial Communities Counts From Industrial, Suburban Park and Forest Preserve Sites in Elgin, IL
Type of Presentation
Poster Session
Location
University Library
Start Date
4-9-2026 2:00 PM
End Date
4-9-2026 3:15 PM
Abstract
Elgin’s industrial matrix, riparian corridors, and intentionally designed cohabitation for wildlife and humans shape microbial loads. This study asked: how do season and land use (Industrial, Suburban Park, Forest Preserve) influence sediment microbial abundance and community structure in the Elgin, Illinois region? Two hypotheses were tested: CFUs will be higher in the suburban park sites across all seasons compared to Industrial or Preserve CFUs because of the mixed human-animal influence and, diversity (Shannon H′) and evenness (Pielou J) will be greater in less disturbed forest preserve sediments and decline in fall relative to spring/summer. I enumerated culturable microbes using selective Petrifilms for aerobic counts (AC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), E.coli (EC), Yeast mold (YM), Staph express (STX) and standard agars (TSA for bacteria, SDA for fungi), for comparison across the gradient and seasons. Results revealed how local land use and seasonality interact to structure sediment microbial communities in this Midwestern Watershed. Land use and seasonality strongly influence culturable sediment microbes, especially lower counts for EB, EC and YM from spring samples for all sites compared to summer and fall. However, there wasn’t a strong correlation in how CFU counts related to species richness or equity. These findings and trends can be used as a point of reference in the consideration of possible hotspots for outbreaks and disturbances that affect the functionality of the environment and its inhabitants. Future studies could include metagenomics and sediment physiochemical measurements (BioLog) to identify taxa driving these trends and validate culturable patterns with statistical analysis.
Faculty / Staff Sponsor
Dr. Timothy C. Gsell
Seasonal Similarities and Differences in Sediment Microbial Communities Counts From Industrial, Suburban Park and Forest Preserve Sites in Elgin, IL
University Library
Elgin’s industrial matrix, riparian corridors, and intentionally designed cohabitation for wildlife and humans shape microbial loads. This study asked: how do season and land use (Industrial, Suburban Park, Forest Preserve) influence sediment microbial abundance and community structure in the Elgin, Illinois region? Two hypotheses were tested: CFUs will be higher in the suburban park sites across all seasons compared to Industrial or Preserve CFUs because of the mixed human-animal influence and, diversity (Shannon H′) and evenness (Pielou J) will be greater in less disturbed forest preserve sediments and decline in fall relative to spring/summer. I enumerated culturable microbes using selective Petrifilms for aerobic counts (AC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), E.coli (EC), Yeast mold (YM), Staph express (STX) and standard agars (TSA for bacteria, SDA for fungi), for comparison across the gradient and seasons. Results revealed how local land use and seasonality interact to structure sediment microbial communities in this Midwestern Watershed. Land use and seasonality strongly influence culturable sediment microbes, especially lower counts for EB, EC and YM from spring samples for all sites compared to summer and fall. However, there wasn’t a strong correlation in how CFU counts related to species richness or equity. These findings and trends can be used as a point of reference in the consideration of possible hotspots for outbreaks and disturbances that affect the functionality of the environment and its inhabitants. Future studies could include metagenomics and sediment physiochemical measurements (BioLog) to identify taxa driving these trends and validate culturable patterns with statistical analysis.