Year

2026

Season

Spring

Paper Type

Master's Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (MS)

Department

Biology

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Biology

Committee Chairperson

Dr. Terri Ellis

Second Advisor

Dr. Greg Ciesielski

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Third Advisor

Dr. Brian Wingender

Abstract

Coastal erosion is a persistent problem exacerbated by global warming. As the climate changes, the southeastern coast is likely to experience an increased frequency and intensity of storms, which can significantly damage the coastline. The coast is crucial as it serves as a habitat for numerous animals, supports tourism, and underpins infrastructure. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a novel method to enhance erosion resistance in sandy soils using the non-pathogenic bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii. S. pasteurii produces urease to catalyze urea into bicarbonate, which drives the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Maximal expression of urease is a limiting factor for larger MICP applications. Current hypotheses suggest that urease expression can be impacted by urea concentration, nitrogen concentration, and changes to the initial pH. Quantitative polymerase chain was used to determine the changes to relative expression of urease. Ureolytic activity was determined by a urease activity assay, changes in media pH, and precipitation of calcium carbonate. Scanning electron microscopy and RAMAN microscopy were used to identify environmental conditions that alter the crystal morphologies of calcium carbonate. Results suggest that urea concentration may not have an impact on MICP as previously assumed. Changes in urea concentration does not change the expression nor the activity of urease. Nitrogen concentration and initial pH play a role in MICP. Such that we observed that increasing nitrogen concentration results in lower enzymatic activity, and an acidic initial pH contributes to high ureolytic activity. These insights advance the potential for large-scale MICP applications by identifying key chemical factors that promote urease production.

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