Considering the excellent results of our experience in the culturing of Gracilaria gracilis in Ga... more Considering the excellent results of our experience in the culturing of Gracilaria gracilis in Ganzirri lagoon (Oriented Natural Reserve of Capo Peloro, Messina, Sicily, Italy) we tried to close the cycle from culture to application with agar extraction and application in microbiology with setting-up Petri’s plates for bacteria culture.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2014
Chlorophylls based-dyes obtained from seaweeds represent attractive alternatives to the expensive... more Chlorophylls based-dyes obtained from seaweeds represent attractive alternatives to the expensive and polluting pyridil based Ru complexes because of their abundance in nature. Another important characteristic is that the algae do not subtract either cropland or agricultural water, therefore do not conflict with agro-food sector. This pigment shows a typical intense absorption in the UV/blue (Soret band) and a less intense band in the red/near IR (Q band) spectral regions and for these reasons appear very promising as sensitizer dyes for DSSC. In the present study, we utilized chlorophylls from samples of the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida as sensitizer in DSSCs. The dye, extracted by frozen seaweeds and used without any chemical purification, showed a very good fill factor (0.69). Even the photelectrochemical parameters if compared with the existent literature are very interesting.
We produced the first DNA barcode assisted floristic list for the Mediterranean Sea, censing the ... more We produced the first DNA barcode assisted floristic list for the Mediterranean Sea, censing the macroalgae of lake Ganzirri (Sicily) performed on collections from the last 15 years. The presence of alien species and the consistent reduction in species number found in comparison to previous works could be attributed to the violent impairment that the territory has suffered over the last 50 years. Nowadays monitoring of macroalgal diversity cannot transcend to couple molecular tools with traditional morphoanatomic observations in order to perform a more conscious environmental management.
"A comprehensive assessment of macroalgal biodiversity was conducted along the coasts of the Stra... more "A comprehensive assessment of macroalgal biodiversity was conducted along the coasts of the Straits of Messina (Italy) using DNA barcoding. This approach confirmed the introduction of Agardhiella subulata in Cape Peloro lagoon (Messina, Italy), an aquatic system in which shellfish importation and stabulation are widely practiced.
Based on a comparison of rbcL sequences, a sample from lake Ganzirri was shown to be conspecific with A. subulata from North Carolina (USA).
Suspecting that shells of the oyster Crassostrea gigas constitute the main vector for introduction of exogenous species, individuals from imported stocks were screened for the presence of epizoic algae, which were then sequenced for the DNA barcode region (5’ end of COI gene). A small specimen growing on an oyster shell was assigned with confidence to A. subulata based on its COI sequence, a task that would have been virtually impossible based on morphological characters of the immature specimen. Based on the example here, we conclude that monitoring algal diversity using DNA barcoding would clearly be a rapid and efficient approach to highlight the introduction of alien species."
Abstract A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL ge... more Abstract A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Porphyra, the most economically valuable genus of Rhodophyta. The technique involved the use of monospores, providing the advantage of a small and genetically homogeneous set of cells and thus reducing the risk of biological or chemical contamination. An additional factor in the choice of the rbcL gene was the huge amount of sequence data deposited in molecular biology databases and their utility as molecular ...
A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Por... more A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Porphyra, the most economically valuable genus of Rhodophyta. The technique involved the use of monospores, providing the advantage of a small and genetically homogeneous set of cells and thus reducing the risk of biological or chemical contamination. An additional factor in the choice of the rbcL gene was the huge amount of sequence data deposited in molecular biology databases and their utility as molecular markers in taxonomic studies.
1. Introduction of non-indigenous macroalgae has become a major topic in the last decades. Potent... more 1. Introduction of non-indigenous macroalgae has become a major topic in the last decades. Potential vectors are aquaculture, fouling on hulls, ballast water, aquarium trading, fishing nets.
2. Within a program of census of macroalgal alien species through DNA barcoding we found a population of previously unreported rhodophyte in Cape Peloro Lagoon and nearby marine coasts (north-eastern Sicily, Italy).
3. All collected individuals were identified as the alien species Hypnea cornuta based on morphological characters confirmed by the analysis of COI-5’ sequences.
Considering the excellent results of our experience in the culturing of Gracilaria gracilis in Ga... more Considering the excellent results of our experience in the culturing of Gracilaria gracilis in Ganzirri lagoon (Oriented Natural Reserve of Capo Peloro, Messina, Sicily, Italy) we tried to close the cycle from culture to application with agar extraction and application in microbiology with setting-up Petri’s plates for bacteria culture.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2014
Chlorophylls based-dyes obtained from seaweeds represent attractive alternatives to the expensive... more Chlorophylls based-dyes obtained from seaweeds represent attractive alternatives to the expensive and polluting pyridil based Ru complexes because of their abundance in nature. Another important characteristic is that the algae do not subtract either cropland or agricultural water, therefore do not conflict with agro-food sector. This pigment shows a typical intense absorption in the UV/blue (Soret band) and a less intense band in the red/near IR (Q band) spectral regions and for these reasons appear very promising as sensitizer dyes for DSSC. In the present study, we utilized chlorophylls from samples of the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida as sensitizer in DSSCs. The dye, extracted by frozen seaweeds and used without any chemical purification, showed a very good fill factor (0.69). Even the photelectrochemical parameters if compared with the existent literature are very interesting.
We produced the first DNA barcode assisted floristic list for the Mediterranean Sea, censing the ... more We produced the first DNA barcode assisted floristic list for the Mediterranean Sea, censing the macroalgae of lake Ganzirri (Sicily) performed on collections from the last 15 years. The presence of alien species and the consistent reduction in species number found in comparison to previous works could be attributed to the violent impairment that the territory has suffered over the last 50 years. Nowadays monitoring of macroalgal diversity cannot transcend to couple molecular tools with traditional morphoanatomic observations in order to perform a more conscious environmental management.
"A comprehensive assessment of macroalgal biodiversity was conducted along the coasts of the Stra... more "A comprehensive assessment of macroalgal biodiversity was conducted along the coasts of the Straits of Messina (Italy) using DNA barcoding. This approach confirmed the introduction of Agardhiella subulata in Cape Peloro lagoon (Messina, Italy), an aquatic system in which shellfish importation and stabulation are widely practiced.
Based on a comparison of rbcL sequences, a sample from lake Ganzirri was shown to be conspecific with A. subulata from North Carolina (USA).
Suspecting that shells of the oyster Crassostrea gigas constitute the main vector for introduction of exogenous species, individuals from imported stocks were screened for the presence of epizoic algae, which were then sequenced for the DNA barcode region (5’ end of COI gene). A small specimen growing on an oyster shell was assigned with confidence to A. subulata based on its COI sequence, a task that would have been virtually impossible based on morphological characters of the immature specimen. Based on the example here, we conclude that monitoring algal diversity using DNA barcoding would clearly be a rapid and efficient approach to highlight the introduction of alien species."
Abstract A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL ge... more Abstract A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Porphyra, the most economically valuable genus of Rhodophyta. The technique involved the use of monospores, providing the advantage of a small and genetically homogeneous set of cells and thus reducing the risk of biological or chemical contamination. An additional factor in the choice of the rbcL gene was the huge amount of sequence data deposited in molecular biology databases and their utility as molecular ...
A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Por... more A user-friendly and fast protocol using PCR was developed to amplify the plastid rbcL gene of Porphyra, the most economically valuable genus of Rhodophyta. The technique involved the use of monospores, providing the advantage of a small and genetically homogeneous set of cells and thus reducing the risk of biological or chemical contamination. An additional factor in the choice of the rbcL gene was the huge amount of sequence data deposited in molecular biology databases and their utility as molecular markers in taxonomic studies.
1. Introduction of non-indigenous macroalgae has become a major topic in the last decades. Potent... more 1. Introduction of non-indigenous macroalgae has become a major topic in the last decades. Potential vectors are aquaculture, fouling on hulls, ballast water, aquarium trading, fishing nets.
2. Within a program of census of macroalgal alien species through DNA barcoding we found a population of previously unreported rhodophyte in Cape Peloro Lagoon and nearby marine coasts (north-eastern Sicily, Italy).
3. All collected individuals were identified as the alien species Hypnea cornuta based on morphological characters confirmed by the analysis of COI-5’ sequences.
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Based on a comparison of rbcL sequences, a sample from lake Ganzirri was shown to be conspecific with A. subulata from North Carolina (USA).
Suspecting that shells of the oyster Crassostrea gigas constitute the main vector for introduction of exogenous species, individuals from imported stocks were screened for the presence of epizoic algae, which were then sequenced for the DNA barcode region (5’ end of COI gene). A small specimen growing on an oyster shell was assigned with confidence to A. subulata based on its COI sequence, a task that would have been virtually impossible based on morphological characters of the immature specimen. Based on the example here, we conclude that monitoring algal diversity using DNA barcoding would clearly be a rapid and efficient approach to highlight the introduction of alien species."
2. Within a program of census of macroalgal alien species through DNA barcoding we found a population of previously unreported rhodophyte in Cape Peloro Lagoon and nearby marine coasts (north-eastern Sicily, Italy).
3. All collected individuals were identified as the alien species Hypnea cornuta based on morphological characters confirmed by the analysis of COI-5’ sequences.
Based on a comparison of rbcL sequences, a sample from lake Ganzirri was shown to be conspecific with A. subulata from North Carolina (USA).
Suspecting that shells of the oyster Crassostrea gigas constitute the main vector for introduction of exogenous species, individuals from imported stocks were screened for the presence of epizoic algae, which were then sequenced for the DNA barcode region (5’ end of COI gene). A small specimen growing on an oyster shell was assigned with confidence to A. subulata based on its COI sequence, a task that would have been virtually impossible based on morphological characters of the immature specimen. Based on the example here, we conclude that monitoring algal diversity using DNA barcoding would clearly be a rapid and efficient approach to highlight the introduction of alien species."
2. Within a program of census of macroalgal alien species through DNA barcoding we found a population of previously unreported rhodophyte in Cape Peloro Lagoon and nearby marine coasts (north-eastern Sicily, Italy).
3. All collected individuals were identified as the alien species Hypnea cornuta based on morphological characters confirmed by the analysis of COI-5’ sequences.