The last ten seminars:

Volontariato e protezione ambientale: l'Associazione Lago di Bolsena

Presenta: Piero Bruni

Associazione Lago di Bolsena

Le associazioni di volontariato per la tutela del lago di Bolsena sono nate nel 1968 quando la società elettrica nazionale ENEL iniziò i lavori per trasformare il lago in una riserva di acqua per uso idroelettrico. Il seminario ripercorre le tappe fondamentali dei problemi affrontati dall'Associazione Lago di Bolsena volontariato, della quale il relatore è stato a lungo presidente, e dei contatti intercorsi con autorità locali, nazionali e Unione Europea, a difesa e protezione di un patrimonio naturalistico e di una risorsa economica unica, quali sono il Lago di Bolsena ed il suo bacino imbrifero.

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Crossing the kingdoms: Plants, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Endobacteria

Presenta: Paola Bonfante

Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino

The seminar will summarize our current knowledge on the endobacteria living inside the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycotina), using them as a paradigm to better understand the diversity and origin of fungal endobacteria as well as the interkingdom interaction they originate. To detect the reasons why many fungal strains have maintained their bacterial guests for hundreds of million years, we have developed a stable endosymbiont-free strain of Gigaspora margarita (B − ), which has been cured of its Candidatus Glomeribacter gigasporarum. We have applied multiple morphological and 'omics' approaches to directly compare the B − line with the wild-type strain hosting the endobacterium (B+). The coupling of transcriptomics and proteomics with physiological and cell biological approaches demonstrated that the Gigaspora endobacterium raises the bioenergetic capacity of the fungus, increasing its ATP production and respiration, and eliciting mechanisms to detoxify reactive oxygen species. We hypothesize that such changes may provide a better ecological fitness to the mycorrhizal fungus.

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Identification and characterization of sources of airborne antibiotic resistance genes in the urban environment using metagenomic approach

Presenta: Ying Yang

School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

Wide spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has attracted increasing concern in recent years. However, the occurrence and diversity of ARGs in airborne particles remained to be understood. In this study, total suspended particles (TSPs) in the atmosphere from animal feedlots, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), suburban and downtown area in Zhuhai (China) were analyzed for ARG profiles using metagenomic approaches. ARGs were abundant and diverse in TSP samples from animal feedlots and the WWTP. ARG profiles in the TSPs of feedlots were consistent with those in animal feces. Abundance and diversity of ARGs in downtown area was relatively lower compared with other TSPs samples with multidrug resistance genes as the most abundant ARG type. This study suggested that comprehensive profiles of ARGs could be helpful to displays a novel perspective on ARGs profiles in TSPs via metagenomic approach. Comprehensive analysis of the ARGs in airborne TSP could improve our understanding of ARGs dissemination pathways in the environment and their potential health threats.

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Recent and past lake functioning of shallow temperate lakes of the Pampa Plain (Argentina, South America)

Presenta: Maria De Los Angeles Gonzalez Sagrario

Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

Nel corso del seminario sarà presentata l'attività delle ricerche limnologiche e paleolimnologiche condotte dal gruppo di ricerca presso l'Università del Mar del Plata, Argentina e dei primi risultati prodotti nell'ambito della collaborazione bilaterale CNR-CONICET "Variazioni della produttività lacustre e del livello lacustre come risposta alle anomalie climatiche ricostruita attraverso l'analisi di pigmenti lacustri in laghi della Pampas (Argentina) nel corso dell'ultimo millennio"

Il seminario sarà in inglese.

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