Evaluation of the importance of fermentative metabolisms in eutrophic waters

• Grant number: 20/15705-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: November 15, 2021
• End date: November 14, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Daniel José Galafasse Lahr
• Grantee: Giulia Magri Ribeiro
• Supervisor: Enrique Lara Pandi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Real Jardín Botánico, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/22109-0 - Evaluation of the impact of environmental conditions on the taxonomic and functional diversity of testate amoebae, BP.DR

Abstract

Eutrophic waters have their dissolved oxygen periodically depleted as a result of the excess of algae in the water and its respiratory processes added to the decomposition of these organisms. Consequently, benthic organisms need to resort to fermentative pathways for temporary tolerance to hypoxia. Here, we will investigate the link between the presence of fermentative pathways in a group of free-living organisms (Arcellinida) and tolerance to eutrophic environments. These organisms are well-known for having different levels of environmental tolerance, which makes them useful as bioindicators of environmental quality. In this work, we will use metabarcoding to investigate the effect of eutrophication in Arcellinida communities in alkaline ponds from the Central Iberian Peninsula. This work will be done in collaboration with Enrique Lara's group at the Real Jardín Botanico de Madrid. We chose this laboratory because they are experts in the use of testate amoeba to evaluate environmental quality using the metabarcoding approach. In addition, we will cultivate the species that resist the most to low oxygen levels and characterize the effect of oxygen depletion on their metabolism through transcriptomes. Finally, we want to develop biomarkers based on Arcellinida fermentative pathway genes to quantify these processes by qPCR analysis of environmental samples. (AU)