Date of Award
5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Gaurav Arora
Second Advisor
Alicia Wooten
Third Advisor
Abbi Simons
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and play a role in bacterial evolution. Through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), phages integrate parts of their genomes into their bacterial hosts. While the molecular mechanisms of this process are well understood, the evolutionary impacts remain less certain. One evolutionary explanation is that auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) modulate host gene expression to favor phage reproduction or improve the host’s survival. AMG can persist in hosts' or phages' genomes across future generations, altering their contributions to the ecosystem and posing a concern for human and environmental health. The objective of this project is to test the feasibility of using identified AMGs within the phage genome to examine potential environmental influences on microbial communities, supported by descriptive statistics. The phage dataset was developed through a meta-study of various literature that used wastewater and marine water as their sample source. The outcome showed that wastewater had a higher diversity of AMG functions that promote intracompetition, whereas marine samples had a lower diversity of AMG functions that support specialized phage-host relationships. Understanding how phages respond to their environment can reveal their impact on the microbial community, which influences both environmental and human health.
Recommended Citation
Crawford, Andrew, "Descriptive Comparative Analysis of Bacteriophage and Auxiliary Metabolic Gene Diversity in Marine and Wastewater Environments" (2026). Undergraduate University Honors Capstones. 138.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/honors_capstones/138
Comments
The Excel supplemental file is the raw data that is referenced in the study.
The code for the R-script that was used in the study can be found at the following link.