Sampling for the study of the relationship between dichotomies and photosynthetic efficiency and composition in tidal gradients in Fucus vesiculosus

20 August 2024

During the month of July 2024, we sampled transects of F.vesiculosus as a screen during the ebb part of a tidal cycle, with repeated measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and spectral reflectance. We have differentiated different parts of the thallus. The results are very promising and help us to refine the sampling methodology, which we will apply in the near future to clarify the relationships between composition, PTE concentration and ecophysiological variables.

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Led by Antón Vázquez-Arias, we collected F.vesiculosus for transplants at 22 locations in Galicia, using automatic samplers. Preliminary results will soon reveal the relationship between PTEs in algae and water.
Teresa Boquete and Carme Pacín presented posters on epigenetics and genetic diversity in Fucus vesiculosus at the IBC 2024 in Madrid, taking the opportunity for scientific collaboration.
In July 2024, we sampled 100 individuals of F. vesiculosus in an intertidal system to analyze how tidal height affects their chemical composition, PTE concentrations, and morphology. Results forthcoming.

Marine ecosystems and the impact of heavy metal pollution (HM).

Marine ecosystems, especially those in coastal areas, are particularly vulnerable to heavy metal (HM) pollution since they are subject to both land- and ocean-based pollution sources. Due to their toxicity, persistence, and capacity to biomagnify in the food chain, HMs pose an important threat through lethal and sub-lethal effects at the individual level that might have far-reaching consequences at higher hierarchical levels: populations, communities, and even entire ecosystems.

The cascading effects of pollution can thus jeopardize ecosystems' integrity and undermine their resilience, especially when they impact species with critical ecosystem roles, like macroalgal foundation species.