Title: From streams to the deep sea: human impacts on microbial diversity and activity

Microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi, generally have a bad reputation in society. However, the vast majority of them are extremely important for environmental sustainability and quality due to their biodiversity and metabolic capacities. In the marine environment, their diversity contributes to primary productivity, essential nutrient cycles or the removal of pollutants. These properties can be disturbed or altered by different human activities. In this seminar we will explore two case studies where we investigated this relationship between human activities and different microbial communities. Several questions will be discussed, such as: can the poultry industry alter the microbial communities of neighboring streams? What are the consequences for environmental quality? Can deep sea mining alter the microbiological biodiversity present in the ocean? The two case studies presented will serve as examples of what we know today and what we need to know tomorrow about these relationships.

Name: Miguel Semedo (CIIMAR)

Miguel Semedo received his PhD in Marine Sciences from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary (2019), and he is currently a postdoc researcher at FCUP and CIIMAR. As a microbial ecologist, Miguel is interested in investigating the diversity and function of microbial communities across multiple environments and their roles in biogeochemical processes. He is especially interested in understanding the impacts of human activities and pollution on these microbial processes. For his research, he applies molecular, bioinformatic, and biogeochemical methodologies to connect the dots between microbial community composition and biological activity.

Free online webinar. To access please follow this LINK.

If you are a CIIMAR member you can also access last seminars recordings through the LINK.