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BIOREMEDIATION AND ECOSYSTEMS FUNCTIONING

Principal Investigator:
Ana Paula Mucha

ECOBIOTEC aims to contribute to the advance of marine and environmental science from a multidisciplinary point of view. We couple fundamental ecology and ecosystems function research with bioprospecting and biotechnology tools for ecosystems recovery. Our group encompasses a broad range of studies from fish assemblages to microbial communities and associated biogeochemical cycles. Studies on fundamental microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of key elements in highly diverse environments (from estuarine to Polar ecosystems), and research on biological degradation/transformation of contaminants generate essential knowledge to develop biotechnological tools for innovative bioremediation approaches. We are also interested in the diverse services and societal benefits that marine and estuarine ecosystems provide, namely in unravelling the potential of oceans as a natural resource of microorganisms capable of providing bioactive molecules with multiple benefits to the society and in exploring native microorganisms or plant-microorganisms associations for environmental cleaning/recovery through nature-based solutions. ECOBIOTEC integrates the CIIMAR research line on Marine Biotechnology, although it gives also an important contribution to the line on Global Changes and Ecosystems Services.

TEAM

Publications Highlights

Alexandrino, D.A.M., Mucha, A.P., Almeida, C.M.R, Carvalho, M.F.  (2020). Microbial degradation of two highly persistent fluorinated fungicides - epoxiconazole and fludioxonil, 2020, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 394: 122545. 

Francisco, P., Catarina, M., Rodrigo, C. (2020). The Link Between the Ecology of the Prokaryotic Rare Biosphere and Its Biotechnological Potential". Frontiers in Microbiology, 11. 

Ribeiro, H., Martins, A., Gonçalves, M., Guedes, M., Tomasino, M. P., Dias, N., Mucha A.P., Carvalho M.F., Almeida C.M.R., Ramos S., Almeida J.M., Silva E., Magalhães C. (2019). Development of an autonomous biosampler to capture in situ aquatic microbiomes. PloS one, 14(5): e0216882. 

Rodrigues, S.M., Almeida, C.M.R., Silva, D., Cunha, J., Antunes, C., Freitas, V., Ramos, S. (2019). Microplastics contamination in an urban estuary: abundance and distribution of microplastics and fish larvae in the Douro estuary. Science of the Total Environment, 659: 1071-1081.

Gorito, A.M., Ribeiro, A.R., Gomes, C.R., Almeida, C.M.R., Silva, A.M.T. (2018). Constructed wetland microcosms for removal of organic micropollutants from freshwater aquaculture effluents. Science of the Total Environment, 644, 1171-1180. 

Projects