IUNAT: Integrative Biology and Biological Resources

Affiliated Research areas

• Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
• Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
• Physical geography, geomorphology

Scientific Areas

• Not available

Keywords

• GIS
• Molecular traceability
• Population genetics
• Environmental microbiology
• Marine plant biotechnology
• Conservation Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Molecular systematic
• Phylogenetic analysis

Summary

- Molecular biodiversity: This line of research is carried out in the BIOMOL laboratory (Molecular Biodiversity) integrated in the Biology Department of the ULPGC and located on the Tafira Campus, based on the use of various molecular techniques (RFLPs, microsatellites, nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, real-time PCR) to obtain genetic data on marine biodiversity and applied studies on the traceability of products and processed marine resources. This laboratory also houses the Macaronesian Marine Biodiversity Genebank (BANGEMAC), which contains more than 7,500 tissue and DNA samples of marine organisms from Macaronesia and other regions of the Atlantic and Pacific. The BIOMOL laboratory has the capacity to generate both multilocus genotyping (e.g. microsatellite) and nucleotide sequence (e.g. mitochondrial DNA) data independently, due to having an ABI3500 APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS sequencer on site.
- Plant physiology and biotechnology: Applied and fundamental research on marine plants, using biotechnological techniques such as plant and algal cell cultures, gene cloning and expression and molecular taxonomy
- Environmental Microbiology: The research scope of environmental microbiology examines microbiological interactions in the wider external environment. Our outputs have applications in the microbial remediation of contaminated environments, water and soil quality, isolation and molecular identification of bacteria and fungi. We use different molecular techniques such as PCR, sequencing, DGGE, and tRFLP.
- Geographic information technologies applied to ecosystems studies: Use of technologies and tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing applied to studies on flora and vegetation in the Canary Islands (Conservation of Habitats and Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Invasive Species, etc.)
- Biological conservation and environmental education: This line of research focuses on the application of genetic knowledge and molecular biology techniques for the characterization and genetic conservation of endangered Canarian plant species, applying the results obtained in the recovery plans of these endemic species. Also, the ecological and genetic characterization of the Canarian date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) as an important and emblematic species in the Canary Islands is investigated, trying to know the evolution, reproductive biology, genetics and other biological and ecological features in the Canary Islands. Finally, studies related to Environmental Education in the Canary Islands are established, creating educational materials and promoting conferences and environmental education activities.