| The characterization of microbial communities based in its functional capacity has been an effective method that allows the description of structural shifts related to habitat variations. These shifts have been used as biological indicators of alterations in its environmental composition, varying the community structure according to the degree and type of disturbance. The fuel handling and other activities associated to marinas expose the coastal zone to environmental impacts that can alter the ecosystem. The microbial communities structure from two marinas at the east of Puerto Rico were studied for a 18 month period. The carbon source utilization pattern (CSUP) analysis, along with microbial abundance determination, were used to study shifts in the community structure of marine bacteria exposed to different conditions. Principal component analysis of the substrates utilized by the microbial communities showed similarity of the functional capacity between the sampling stations, proving the homogeneity in both marinas ecosystem. Most of the differences obtained between stations were caused by temporal changes, while some samples were affected by local environmental factors. The CSUP and the principal component analysis showed to be effective in the characterization of marine microbial communities and observe their response to environmental changes. |
