Talk title: Environmental drivers of picoplankton distribution in the Red Sea
Presenter: Alexandra Coello-Camba
Date: August 29, 2018
Time: 3-4 pm
Location: Auditorium level 0, between buildings 2 and 3
Abstract: The aim of this study is to describe the populations of Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and picoeukaryotes observed during several cruises performed between 2016 and 2018 along the Red Sea. Using flow cytometry, we quantified these populations and related their abundance with latitude, depth, and different environmental variables, in an attempt to identify the factors that condition their distribution in this peculiar ecosystem.
Talk title: Ecotoxicological aspects of persistent marine pollutants in the Red Sea
Presenter: Sreejith Kottuparambil
Date: August 29, 2018
Time: 3-4 pm
Location: Auditorium level 0, between buildings 2 and 3
Abstract: Increasing human population, industrialization and global transport have exacerbated the effect of pollutants on marine ecosystems, in combination with climate change. Biological Oceanography Lab (BOL) at RSRC investigates the ecological fate of persistent pollutants as part of research on the effects of global change on Red Sea organisms. We identified the sensitivity of picophytoplankton to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and showed the adaptation of picophytoplankton to oil-related contaminants, which influence their spatial distribution in the Red Sea. We further investigated the sorption of PAHs on the cell surface of phytoplankton, novel methods for quantification of PAHs-sorption, and its consequences on photosynthetic physiology. The Red Sea is warming rapidly which would alter the response of organisms to pollution. As an example, our results prove that thermal adaptation in Red Sea phytoplankton increases their sensitivity to heavy metals. Red Sea phytoplankton shows higher sensitivity to persistent pollutants than those in other oceans and we emphasize the complex interactions among pollutants and vital abiotic factors, which must be elucidated in order to fully comprehend the influence of future climate conditions on Red Sea biota.