A5011563660- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Maritime Navigation and Safety
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Marine animal studies overview
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Production
- Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies
- Stonefly species taxonomy and ecology
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Materials Engineering and Processing
Universidade do Porto
2017-2025
Agencia Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigacao Tecnologia e Inovacao
2024
University of Padua
2024
Madeira Tecnopolo
2024
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
2016-2017
National Research Council
2016-2017
Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies
2016-2017
Università degli Studi della Tuscia
2013-2017
University of Siena
2010-2013
We tracked temporal changes in protist diversity at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) station MareChiara Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea) on eight dates 2011 using a metabarcoding approach. Illumina analysis V4 and V9 fragments 18S rDNA produced 869 522 1 410 071 sequences resulting 6517 6519 OTUs, respectively. Marked compositional variations were recorded across year, with less than 2% OTUs shared among all samples similar patterns for two marker tags. Alveolata, Stramenopiles...
The deep-sea covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and harbors predominantly uncharacterized bacterial communities. Actinobacteria are major prokaryotic source bioactive natural products that find their way into drug discovery programs, is a promising biotechnologically relevant actinobacteria. Previous studies on actinobacteria in sediments were either regionally restricted or did not combine community characterization with analysis potential. Here we characterized actinobacterial...
Several diatom species produce resting stages as part of their life cycle. These accumulate in the sediments where they can remain for a long time before being re-suspended water column and switching to active growth. Until now, abundance diversity viable have been assessed using Serial Dilution Culture (SDC) method. In present study, surface sediment samples from Gulf Naples were used compare results obtained with SDC method those provided by HTS metabarcoding based on DNA extracted same...
Given the increasing pressure on water bodies, it is imperative to explore sustainable methodologies for wastewater treatment and reuse. The simultaneous presence of multiples contaminants in complex wastewater, such as liquid effluents from biogas plants, can compromise biological effectiveness reclaiming water. Vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands were established low-cost decentralized technologies treat fraction digestate municipal organic waste with metals, antibiotics,...
Nitrification is a vital ecosystem function in the open ocean that regenerates inorganic nitrogen and promotes primary production. Recent studies have shown ecology physiology of nitrifying organisms more complex than previously postulated. The distribution these remote oligotrophic their interactions with physicochemical environment are relatively understudied. In this work, we aimed to evaluate depth profile archaea bacteria Eastern North Pacific Subtropical Front, an area limited...
The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess the presence biological communities has emerged as a promising monitoring tool in marine conservation landscape. Moreover, advances Next-Generation Sequencing techniques, such metabarcoding, enable multi-species detection mixed samples, allowing study complex ecosystems oceanic ones. We aimed at using these molecular-based techniques characterise cetacean communities, well potential prey northern coast Mainland Portugal. During seasonal...
The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess the presence biological communities has emerged as a promising monitoring tool in marine conservation landscape. Moreover, advances Next-Generation Sequencing techniques, such metabarcoding, enable multi-species detection mixed samples, allowing study complex ecosystems oceanic ones. We aimed at using these molecular-based techniques characterize cetacean communities, well potential prey on northern coast Mainland Portugal. During four seasonal...
The importance of planktonic microbial communities is well acknowledged, since they are fundamental for several natural processes aquatic ecosystems. Microorganisms naturally control the flux nutrients, and also degrade recycle anthropogenic organic inorganic contaminants. Nevertheless, climate change effects and/or runoff nutrients/pollutants can affect equilibrium influencing occurrence pathogens toxin producers, which compromise ecosystem environmental status. Therefore, improved plankton...
Floating wetland islands (FWI) are considered nature-based solutions with great potential to promote several ecosystem services, such as biodiversity and water quality enhancement through phytoremediation processes. To our knowledge, the present work is first scientifically document in-situ establishment of an FWI in a seawater port marina. The performance cork floating platform polyculture (Sarcocornia perennis, Juncus maritimus, Phragmites australis, Halimione portulacoides, Spartina...
This study aims to investigate the effect of two different groups phenolic compounds (the alkylphenols nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP), chlorophenol pentachlorophenol (PCP)) on constructed wetlands (CWs) performance, including organic matter, nutrients contaminants removal efficiency, microbial community structure in plant bed substrate. CWs were assembled at lab scale simulating a vertical flow configuration irrigated along eight weeks with Ribeira de Joane (an urban stream) water not...
Research on marine microbial communities is growing, but studies are hard to compare because of variation in seawater sampling protocols. To help researchers the inter-comparison that use different methodologies, as well them design future campaigns, we developed EuroMarine Open Science Exploration initiative (EMOSE). Within EMOSE framework, sampled thousands liters from a single station NW Mediterranean Sea (Service d'Observation du Laboratoire Arago [SOLA], Banyuls-sur-Mer), during one...
Passive air sampling (PAS) consisting of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were deployed simultaneously over four periods 2–5 months at locations in urban and sub–urban sites Bari San Vito Taranto Southern Italy. The purpose the study was to characterize pollution for two groups semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), by using different approaches PAS–PUF quality models (Flexible Air Regional Model, FARM). concentrations...
Deep-sea sediments (DSS) are one of the largest biotopes on Earth and host a surprisingly diverse microbial community. The harsh conditions this cold environment lower rate natural attenuation, allowing petroleum pollutants to persist for long time in deep marine raising problematic environmental concerns. present work aims contribute study DSS resources as biotechnological tools bioremediation hydrocarbon polluted environments. Four deep-sea sediment samples were collected Mid-Atlantic...
The monitoring of cities' wastewaters for the detection potentially pathogenic viruses and bacteria has been considered a priority during COVID-19 pandemic to monitor public health in urban environments. methodological approaches frequently used this purpose include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/Ribonucleic (RNA) isolation followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) reverse transcription (RT)‒qPCR targeting genes. More recently, application metatranscriptomic opened opportunities...
Cetaceans are key sentinel species of marine ecosystems and ocean health, being a strategic taxonomic group to evaluate the well-being aquatic habitats detect harmful environmental trends. Respiratory diseases among main causes death in these animals, so identification microbiome community existent their exhaled breath condensates (EBCs), i.e. blows, has been proposed as biomarker for assessing respiratory health. Yet, characterise microbiomes related animals’ tract use them proxy...
Cetaceans are key sentinel species of marine ecosystems and ocean health, being a strategic taxonomic group that evaluates the well-being aquatic habitats detects harmful environmental trends. Respiratory diseases amongst main causes death in these animals, so identifying microbiome community their exhaled breath condensates (EBC), i.e. blow, has been proposed as biomarker for assessing respiratory health. Yet, to characterise microbiomes related animals’ tract use them proxy health status,...
Microbial communities are crucial for important ecosystem functions in the open ocean, such as primary production and nutrient cycling. However, few studies have addressed distribution of microplankton remote oligotrophic region Pacific Ocean. Moreover, biogeochemical physical drivers microbial community structure not fully understood these areas. This research aims to investigate patterns prokaryotic protists communities’ North Subtropical Front (NPSF). The NPSF is a vast with layered...
The study of dynamic features the ocean, in which complex physical, chemical, and biological interactions evolve on multiple time scales, poses significant sampling challenges because required spatial temporal resolutions are not possible by ship or satellite studies alone. Satellite remote sensing captures only surface effects while expensive research vessels can make discrete observations finite periods time. Our work with networked marine robotics aerial, surface, underwater domains is at...
This paper presents a report from cruise onboard the R/V Falkor oceanographic vessel Schmidt Ocean Institute. The goal of this was to demonstrate novel approach observe ocean with multiple underwater, surface, and aerial vehicles, as well also used base control center for all assets. We describe planning phase leading up cruise, technical approach, developments timeline results decisions made throughout cruise.Our combines set new technologies that enabled scientists engineers obtain...