IMDEA Water hosts a biological laboratory providing analysis on surface water to:
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Support monitoring programs of water quality by means of national and international standardized methods and in agreement with WFD 2000/60/CE
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Monitor cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins in surface water and to develop technological solutions for removal of cyanotoxins during water treatment.
Applications
- Specimens identification of cyanobacteria.
- Aquacultures and ecotoxicology tests (bioassays, chronic, acute and sublethal assays) for and integrated biological monitoring of water quality supporting physico-chemical and bacteriological tests.
- Biodegradation of cyanotoxins and diversity of biodegrading bacterial populations using classic gene markers and metagenomics studies.
- Developing molecular tools for monitoring cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins in surface water.
- Developing technological solution for biological monitoring and elimination of cyanotoxins during water treatment.
- Toxicity tests with aquatic organisms at the individual, population and community level (using micro-/mesocosms).
Equipment
- Ecohydrology unit: the microbiological unit is equipped with fully high-quality optical microscopes systems available with high-resolution photo-montage systems for invertebrate’s identifications and aquaculture:
- Light microscope, Olympus CX41
- Stereo microscope, Olympus SZX10
- Stereo microscope, Olympus SZX7
- Stereo microscope, Olympus SZ51
- Digital photo camera, Olympus
- Incubator
- Aquacultures aquariums
Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins unit:
- Incubator for cyanobacteria and bacteria cultures
- Rotary evaporator with a cooling system, Buchi, for extraction of cyanotoxins
- Solid Phase extraction equipment, for concentrating toxin extracts.
- Molecular biology unit:
- Gel Documentation System, AlphaImager, for documentation of gel electropheresis
- Real Time PCR machine, AB7300, for quantitative and qualitative gene studies
- Nano-photometer, Epoch, for measuring DNA concentration in as low as 2 µl volume.
- Gel Electrophoresis Equipment, Biorad, for electrophoresis of DNA and RNA
- PCR Thermocycler, to perform PCR reaction
- Homogenizer for DNA extraction, Precellys, to extract DNA from bacterial cells.
- Field equipment for ecological monitoring of rivers:
- Grundfos pump
- Bou Rouch pump
- PVC Minipiezometers
- Artificial substrates and baited traps
- Sediment core Cobra
- Bailers for boreholes water sampling
- Water quality instruments Hanna with sensors for temperature, conductivity, pH y dissolved oxygen
- Data loggers for temperature (Gemini Tinytag Explorer)
- Electric contact gauge
- GPS
- Sieves
- Planktonic reds to sample surface (grabs, dredges, box-corers and hand nets) as well as planktonic cyanobacteria
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PCR Thermocycler, to perform PCR reaction |
Gel Documentation System, AlphaImager, for documentation of gel electropheresis |
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Incubator for cyanobacteria and bacteria cultures |
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Scientific & technical offer: Biology and microbiology laboratory
