Expansion of the multi-user center: scientific diving station, mesocosm and marine cultivation system at the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo

• Grant number: 22/11482-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Technical Reserve for Institutional Research Infrastructure
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro Esteves Migotto
• Grantee: Alvaro Esteves Migotto
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present plan aims to implement a scientific diving station and expand the dimension of the experimental systems carried out at CEBIMar, essential for the realization of several current research projects, expanding the infrastructure dedicated to CEBIMar's multi-user center. Through the adaptation and renovation of spaces and acquisition of equipment, we will establish a mesocosm: an open system that mimics natural ecosystems by means of open running sea water tanks, maintaining inside them the natural physical-chemical fluctuations present in the field, such as pH, light, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and nutrients, while allowing the experimental control of one or more of these variables. In conjunction with laboratory experimentation, this approach allows accessing issues of emblematic ecological relevance, such as the impact of climate change, global warming, and seawater acidification, for example, on biodiversity and the oceans' ecological balance. The renewed infrastructure and all the equipment requested will be for shared use and should broadly benefit researchers from the house, including several projects financed by FAPESP, such as the Young Investigator Grant in Emerging Research Institution (JP-FAPESP) which generated a substantial fraction of the research overhead to be applied in this proposal. The Scientific Diving Station and the Mesocosmos System will be integrated into CEBIMar's Multiuser Equipment Center, to maximize the reach of these initiatives. (AU)