Differential accumulation of enterococci and arsenic in pelagic Sargassum and seagrass wrack on South Florida beaches.

ABSTRACT: Wrack, composed of organic debris like seagrass and the brown macroalga, Sargassum, accumulates on beaches and when present in overwhelming quantities can impact ecosystem function and public health through microbial contamination, trace element accumulation, and toxic gas emissions. Although studies have started to evaluate the impacts to the microbial quality from different types of wrack, few evaluate the impacts of trace elements. This study assessed enterococci and arsenic levels in beach environments across five South Florida beaches with varying wrack types (Sargassum vs. seagrass) and management practices. Enterococci levels did not significantly differ between wrack types (p = 0.30), with a maximum of 9,600 CFU/g. However, Sargassum exhibited significantly higher arsenic concentra

SUBMITTER: Abdool-Ghany AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12804244 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature