pdf Waves - Vol. 2, Issue 8 (November 2011) Waves_14

News from above and below the
Editors
CIIMAR’s monthly NEWS LETTER
V. Vasconcelos
L.F.C. Castro
J.M. Wilson
Vol 2 Issue 8
All Aboard
(IN)FORMATION BOGA
Dear Friends,
The humorous side of scientific research is seen. Please take a
look at http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1433. Specially if you are a PhD student!!
The Editors
In this WAVES section, we have been talking about several
themes, namely fish welfare, species information; species transport needs and BOGA’s facilities. We will now talk about water
parameters that must be controlled for correct fish maintenance and welfare within Recirculating Aquatic Systems (RAS).
There are now codes of
practice that make specific
reference to measures and
conditions aimed to promote and safeguard fish
welfare. The existence of
such codes of practice in
advance of legislation indicate that the RAS industry is
aware of the growing importance attached to fish welfare.
The practice of RAS requires water and therefore the professionals have to accept that the activity has an impact and to be
committed to limit it. The water supply should be of sufficient
quality and quantity to ensure the well-being of the species being farmed but unnecessary water use must be avoided. With
that, BOGA’s purpose is to establish a common base line,
through effective long-term control of several water quality
parameters. The essential water parameters are: Temperature,
Conductivity/Salinity, pH, Total Dissolved Oxygen, and other
compounds, such as Nitrogenous compounds (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates), Phosphate, Chlorine, among others.
WATER TEMPERATURE
Water temperature plays an important role in RAS due to the
effect that it produces on the whole system. Fish, as well as microorganisms in RAS, are poikilothermic organisms, which
means that they cannot regulate their body temperature. Due
to this fact, their life cycle and metabolism are regulated by environmental temperature. Temperature is an important factor in
determining allowable limits for other parameters such as dissolved oxygen and ammonia.
BOGA’s practices aim to respect the different temperature
needs of the species by using several types of equipments, like
heaters and/or refrigerators. We use different tools to measure
temperature (analogical and digital equipments). You can
choose the equipment to use considering its reliable level, userfriendliness, high-precision or high-accuracy of the measurements.
Together we will have more and better research in BOGACIIMAR!
Olga Martínez
Project of the Month
CIIMAR research lines in action
NITROSUL - Novel interaction between marine biogeochemical
nitrogen and sulfur cycles: characterization and ecological implications. FCT: PTDC/MAR/098914/2008
Catarina Magalhães (PI) CIIMAR; Laboratório de Hidrobiologia.
Other participating institutions: ICBAS-UP; Dauphin Island Sea Lab,
USA; University of Georgia, USA.
Multiple
environmental
biogeochemical transformations, primarily catalyzed by
microbes, play critical roles
in aquatic nitrogen and
sulfur cycles. Biogeochemical cycling of inorganic nitrogenous compounds in
marine environments has
received much attention
over the last several decades in large part because of pollution problems associated. On the
other hand, interest in aquatic microbial transformations of the organic
sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) has increased
because of the large amounts of DMSP produced by micro- and macroalgae in marine environments, and because the degradation of DMSP
by marine bacteria is one of the primary routes for the formation of
DMS, a volatile sulfur compound that influences the global climate. In
this project we propose to investigate a newly recognized specific inhibitory interaction between organic sulfur (DMSP) degradation pathways and denitrification. We propose first to identify and characterize
the agent(s) responsible for the inhibitory interaction between products of organic sulfur degradation and the last step of denitrification
and to evaluate the environmental significance and implications of
these inhibitory processes in an intertidal macroalgal bloom. We believe that this project will represents a completely new aspect in the
complex interactions between marine nitrogen and sulfur cycles. The
inhibition of the last step of denitrification reduces nitrogen loss
through N2 (an inoffensive gas) and enhances nitrogen loss via N2O. This
interaction could consequently exacerbate N2O production rates by
aquatic systems.
(See the Paper of the month section for some project results)
November 2011 Vol 2 Issue 8 waves
CIMAR/CIIMAR Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto Portugal tel: +351 22 340 1800 fax +31 22 339 0608 web www.ciimar.up.pt 1
“Deus ao mar o perigo e o abismo deu,
Mas nele é que espelhou o céu.” F. Pessoa
Open Calls
Paper of the month
Funding Opportunities
CIIMAR publishes
Events in the calendar
►1 to 31
Exhibition: “O CIIMAR olha para dentro”- exposição de posters de trabalhos de investigadores do CIIMAR”- 9-19 h. CIIMAR hall.
►1 to 31
Exhibition at CMIA Vila do Conde:: “Tecnologias Verdes – de que
cor é o teu futuro?”.
►10/16
“Semana “Ao Sabor do Mar”: Workshop de iniciação à Aquariofilia,
Oficina “Aprender com a água”, Conto “A menina do Mar”, Oficina “No
fundo do Mar”, Palestra “Causas e efeitos das alterações climáticas – um
olhar sobre a zona costeira” (Prof. Jorge Paiva), Oficina “Constrói o teu
algário”, Oficina “Aprende a fazer gelatina a partir de algas”, CMIA Vila do
Conde.
Oceanus Seminar, José Melo Ferreira, CIBIO, "Recurrent gene flow in the
►16
recent speciation history of hares (Lepus spp.)", 1430, CIIMAR.
►16
►17
►19
►17 to 30
►21/25
►25
►25
►28
Semana do Mar, DIA DO MAR, Oficina: “Mar Imenso”, CMIAMatosinhos.
CICLO CAFÉ CIÊNCIA – Prof. Veloso Gomes FEUP UPorto, “Matosinhos e
a zona costeira”21H, CMIA Matosinhos.
Workshop: “Aquaworkshop - Aquariofilia elementar”, CMIA Matosinhos.
INAUGURAÇÃO DA NOVA EXPOSIÇÃO ITINERANTE: “DA POÇA À DUNA.
UMA VIAGEM PELO LITORAL DE MATOSINHOS”, de 17 de Novembro a
13 de Abril de 2012, CMIA Matosinhos.
Semana da Ciência e da Tecnologia: Oficina “Como se faz biodiesel?”,
Oficina “Retratar a floresta” Jogo da memória “Cuidar da floresta”, DIA
NACIONAL DA CULTURA CIENTÍFICA Experiência Global de Química, 30
minutos de conversa com um cientista Doutor Miguel Santos (CIIMAR/
UP) Doutora Natascha van Hattum (UMinho), Visita guiada à exposição
(sob marcação), Tecnologias Verdes: de que cor é o teu futuro?, CMIA
Vila do Conde.
Comemoração do DIA Nacional da Cultura Científica, Oficina: “A magia
da Ciência”, CMIA Matosinhos.
O Desafio Ecológico: a “eco-eficiência” no contexto do novo planeta
urbano, Prof. Luís Pinto de Faria, UPP. CMIA Vila do Conde.
Oceanus Seminar Filipe Castro, “When I’m saturated and desaturate”,
2:30pm
Science in images
@CIIMAR
NO3-
De
ni
tri
fic
at
io
n
ati
on
This month at...
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is an abundant organic
sulfur compound in marine environments and denitrification
influences nitrogen availability to primary producers, the key
regulators of coastal eutrophication. In these studies we tested
the effect of DMSP on the nitrous oxide (N2O) reduction step of
denitrification in sediments and biofilms from the Douro and
Ave estuaries (NW Portugal) and in pure cultures of a denitrifying bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi. N2O accumulation rates were
monitored in sediment slurries and bacterial cell suspensions
amended with DMSP concentrations ranging from 0 to 5 mM. In
these treatments N2O accumulation rates increased linearly
with DMSP concentration (R2 from 0.89 to 0.99, p < 0.001), suggesting an inhibitory effect of DMSP on the nitrous oxide reductase step of denitrification. When comparing sediments and
rocky biofilms from 26 different locations within the estuaries,
the apparent inhibition of nitrous oxide reductase activity
ranged from 0 to 100% (average of 37 ± 31%). In order to discriminate whether it was DMSP per se, or some compound(s)
known to accumulate during its catabolism the main culprit,
several DMSP degradation compounds were tested and
methanethiol (MeSH) was identified as a major inhibitor of the
final step of denitrification. This newly identified interaction
between DMSP and N2O emissions may have a significant ecological role as the inhibition of the nitrous oxide reduction enhances nitrogen loss via N2O. Since N2O is a powerful greenhouse gas, the results from our study may be important for
evaluating climate change scenarios.
fic
Susana Moreira
Magalhães C., Kiene R.P., Buchan A., Machado A., Teixeira C.,
Wiebe W.J., and Bordalo A.A. (2011) A novel inhibitory interaction between dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and the denitrification pathway. Biogeochemistry. DOI 10.1007/s10533-0109560-0
Magalhães C., R. P. Kiene, A. Buchan, A. Machado, W. J.Wiebe
and A. A. Bordalo (2011) Methanethiol accumulation exacerbates release of N2O during denitrification in estuarine sediments and bacterial cultures. Environmental Microbiology Reports 3(3), 308–314
Ni
tri
OPEN CALLS
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Transnational cooperation – ERA-NET NEW INDIGO
The consortium of European and Indian S&T organizations involved in
promoting research cooperation between Europe and India, open the
3rd call for projects, with the following objective: support high quality
research collaborative projects between EU Member States and Associated States and India on Biotechnology applied to Human Health.
Pre-submission period: 17th October – 15th December 2011-11-03
Information at: http://www.fct.pt/apoios/cooptrans/eranets/
newindigo/index.phtml.pt
NO
"When a protein tertiary structure
mimics a human kidney...“
DMSP degradation
compounds
Inhibition
NO2-
Mónica Marques and Filipe Castro
tion
fica
NO2-
Organic
Matter
on
tr
Ni
N2
ixati
on
ati
fi ic
ox
itri
Den
N-F
m
am
An
N2O
n
tio
a
n
c
ifi
tio
on
ila
m
sim
Am
As
NH4+
Have your say in waves
Contributions welcome. Contact Vitor Vasconcelos, Filipe Castro or Jonathan Wilson @ [email protected]
2