The saltmarsh plant Halimione portulacoides was shortly exposed to realistic levels of inorganic mercury (iHg) with the aim of investigating the adaptative processes of the roots and leaves regarding redox homeostasis, physiology, and Hg accumulation. Plants were collected at a contaminated (CONT) and a reference (REF) site to address the interference of contamination backgrounds. The influence of major abiotic...
Diatoms are photosynthetic organisms that are very important for the marine ecosystem and are the basis of primary production in these habitats. Knowing the importance of this group, this work aims to investigate if chemical stress affects the Epigenetic of diatoms. For that, it was verified the resistance of the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum when expose to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and to the metal c...
Cyanobacteria are indicated as organisms that can possibly support Mars colonization, contributing to the production of oxygen and other commodities therein. In this general context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of three species of cyanobacteria (Anabaena cylindrica, Nostoc muscorum, and Arthrospira platensis) and a green microalga (Chlorella vulgaris) to grow using only the resources existi...
Cyanobacteria are indicated as organisms that can possibly support Mars colonization, contributing to the production of oxygen and other commodities therein. In this general context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of three species of cyanobacteria (Anabaena cylindrica, Nostoc muscorum, and Arthrospira platensis) and a green microalga (Chlorella vulgaris) to grow using only the resources existi...
BACKGROUND: When the human population increases, so does the need to explore a wider range of feedstocks and biomasses, such as cyanobacteria. However, a deeper understanding of the growth patterns and pigment production is required to support the selection of the most beneficial species and conditions for industrial production. The growth and pigment production (i.e., chlorophyll a and C-phycocyanin) of three ...
Phosphorus is a critical element to agriculture, consequently global phosphate rock demand will remain rising to feed a growing world population. The beneficiation of phosphorous ore gives rise to several tons of a waste by-product [phosphogypsum (PG)] which valorisation is limited, within other reasons, by the risks posed to environment and human health. Although threatening, the accumulation in stacks is the ...
Estuaries are recognized amongst the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Their high primary productivity is largely due to the photosynthetic carbon fixation by phytoplankton and microphytobenthos, the communities of microalgae and cyanobacteria that inhabit the water column and subtidal or intertidal sediments, respectively. In comparison with the phytoplankton, the microphytobenthos has been much less studie...
The worldwide increase in the consumption of antibiotics is becoming a concern for the scientific community, since the presence of their residues in the wild poses specific challenges, especially in ecotoxicological terms. Currently, antibiotics are used for a wide range of purposes, being used against bacterial diseases but also as growth promoters. As a result, their environmental presence can affect wild org...
Most studies on sediment-inhabiting microphytobenthos are based on the biomass present on the surface layers of intertidal flats. However, large amounts of microalgal biomass are known to exist below the surface. This study tested the role of subsurface microalgal biomass as a potential source of photosynthetically active cells for the biofilm on the surface. The resilience of buried cells was evaluated by expo...
A high quality data collection has been carried out between 2004 and 2014 to develop the first trophic ECOPATH model for the functioning of the sub and intertidal zones of Ria de Aveiro. This schematic representation allows the characterization of the most important compartments of biomass and flows of energy representing the functioning of the ecosystem, and can be used in the fields of decision-making and man...