Publications by authors named "Dora Taggart"
Article Synopsis
- - The East Palestine, Ohio train derailment released toxic chemicals, vinyl chloride (VC) and butyl acrylate (BA), into the watershed, prompting a study of their degradation in water and sediment samples collected over time.
- - Analysis revealed that aerobic degradation biomarkers for VC were present in around 40% of sediment samples, indicating some natural breakdown of this toxic substance, particularly downstream from the accident site.
- - Microcosm experiments showed that both VC and BA were effectively degraded by local microbiomes, with recommendations offered to improve response strategies for similar environmental incidents in the future.
Impact of Fixed Nitrogen Availability on Reductive Dechlorination Activity.
Environ Sci Technol
December 2019
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the impact of adding nitrogen (NH) to biostimulation efforts aimed at enhancing reductive dechlorination of chlorinated compounds in groundwater and sediment samples.
- Results show that the addition of NH significantly increased dechlorination rates and the abundance of certain bacteria in the cultures, suggesting that nitrogen availability influences microbial growth and activity.
- However, the study also highlights that relying solely on natural nitrogen-fixing bacteria can achieve similar dechlorination outcomes without the risks associated with added nitrogen, such as potential toxicity or byproduct issues.
Quantifying functional biomarker genes and their transcripts provides critical lines of evidence for contaminant biodegradation; however, accurate quantification depends on qPCR primers that contain no, or minimal, mismatches with the target gene. Developing accurate assays has been particularly challenging for genes encoding fumarate-adding enzymes (FAE) due to the high level of genetic diversity in this gene family. In this study, metagenomics applied to a field-derived, o-xylene-degrading methanogenic consortium revealed genes encoding FAE that would not be accurately quantifiable by any previously available PCR assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting Dehalococcoides mccartyi ( Dhc) biomarker genes supports effective management at sites impacted with chlorinated ethenes. To establish correlations between Dhc biomarker gene abundances and ethene formation (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF