Descripción del proyecto
Estudio de los efectos de la salmuera en el metabolismo de estrés del alga marina protegida «Posidonia oceanica»
La desalinización ha adquirido importancia como actividad de gestión del agua, especialmente en países a lo largo de la costa mediterránea. El residuo de salmuera que se genera durante la desalinización se elimina directamente en la zona sublitoral y puede perjudicar a las comunidades costeras, la mayoría de las cuales se nutren de praderas de algas. El proyecto OSMOTIC SEAGRASS, financiado con fondos europeos, pretende estudiar los efectos de la salmuera en el metabolismo de estrés del alga protegida «Posidonia oceanica». Mediante una serie de experimentos de laboratorio y sobre el terreno, se planea observar el metabolismo antioxidante, la regulación osmótica y el transcriptoma completo y comparar estos elementos con la fisiología y el metabolismo primario. Este trabajo proporcionará información sobre los mecanismos de tolerancia de la «Posidonia oceanica», así como herramientas de biovigilancia medioambiental.
Objetivo
Desalinization has become an important water management activity, Especially in countries along the Mediterranean Seashore. Desalination produces a discard of brines which are directly discharged to the subtidal; these can cause detrimental effects on coastal communities, most of which are nurtured by seagrass meadows. Posidonia oceanica is a protected seagrass, base of the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems along the Mediterranean coast. Our project aims to assess the effects of brines on the stress metabolism of P. oceanica through laboratory- and field-based experiments. We aim to provide insights of tolerance mechanisms through observations on antioxidant metabolism, osmotic regulation and the whole transcriptome; this will be contrasted with observations on the physiology and primary metabolism. Laboratory experiments can provide valuable information on specific metabolic features but do not necessarily represent responses at the natural, more complex, environment; in contrast, field observations denote responses under realistic conditions but lack information that can be attributed to specific stressors. In this context, the latter will provide valuable information on mechanisms to thrive under hypersalinity and contribute to study biomarkers that could act as environmental biotechnology tools to follow the extent of brine impacts. The research will be led Dr. Claudio Sáez, experienced researcher in the field of biochemical and molecular stress metabolism. Groups of Prof. José Luis Sánchez-Lizaso at Universidad de Alicante (beneficiary) and Dr. Juan Manuel Ruiz at the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (secondment), in addition to the Spanish Association of Desalination and Reuse (industry link) through Dr. Domingo Zarzo, will support the researcher to develop this interdisciplinary project that merges the expertise of highly achieved scientists in the areas of ecology, physiology, biochemistry, transcriptomics and innovation.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
03690 Alicante
España