The Nebraska salt marshes are a very unique ecosystem and one of the few places in the US where the ground water is naturally salty. They are a relic of ancient oceans that once covered central North America. Conservation of natural areas has historically typically emphasized plant and insect ecology, however it is important to start at the basis, by looking at the microbial changes that often show signs of distress, or start the recovery, months or years before changes become evident in the larger ecosystem. To provide a better understanding of the Nebraska salt marsh micro-ecosystem, we performed a 16-month study to analyze and compare the salt marsh microbiome throughout different seasons.

The research team that performed this study was composed of a group of dedicated Bellevue University and international visiting students that performed different parts of this study over a two-year time period. The team found that the salt marsh microbiome is resilient, but also shows both temporal and spatial variations that are concurrent with seasonal variations in salinity, temperature, and vegetation growth. The study also identified several new species for which the whole genomes were determined. Surprising was the discovery of several antibiotic resistance markers (AMR) and human pathogenic strains of Vibrio cholerae and Pseudomonas in these somewhat secluded marsh ecosystems.

In the end the study was able to determine which species are critical for the health of the salt marsh microbiome, and this could help in future conservation and microbial stewardship efforts to preserve the marshes from further degradation and loss. The result were published this week in the journal ‘Microorganisms’: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/10/2369

This is not only a great scientific achievement, but also a great illustration of the collaborative science research success at BU. The research was partially sponsored by the 2024-25 EPSCoR NE grant (to Dr. John Kyndt) and the Wilson Undergraduate Research Enhancement fund at BU. Two of the co-authors are BU students that were sponsored by the EPSCoR grant, one student was from the Delphin summer research program, and two other ones were from the Erasmus research student exchange program between BU and Erasmus University in Belgium. 

This research was a collaboration between Bellevue Biology students: Emma Stock, Ketlyn Rota, Brandi Dunn, and Maddy Vasquez, a student from our Delfin summer research program (summer 2024) Daniela Hernandez-Velazquez from the Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), visiting students Alyssia Lespes and Solenn Bosmans (spring 2025) from the Erasmus University Brussels (Belgium), and Jace Smith who provided additional bioinformatics support, all under the guidance of Dr. John Kyndt.

The results provide a baseline understanding of the microbial processes that support these important ecosystems, and can be used to monitor the future health of the marshes. With increasing urban development near the Nebraska salt marshes there are increasing challenges with effluent contamination of the marshes and, alternatively, potential transfer of these pathogenic and AMR containing species to neighboring developments. Preserving these wetlands is not only important for the ecosystem of the marsh and the health of the environment, but also allows us to get a historical glimpse of the evolution and adaptation of species to more extreme environments.

If you are interested in joining projects like these, there are more student opportunities to join in this type of research. For more information contact Dr. John Kyndt (jkyndt@bellevue.edu).