BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS UNIT

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Presentation

In the Research Group “Cellular Responses and Adaptations to Environmental Stress”, group BIO-282 of the Junta de Andalucía, which constitutes this Research Unit, we have specialized in the study of cellular and molecular aspects involved in defense mechanisms against oxidative stress induced by metals, especially in the enzymatic systems of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle involved in this defense against metallic xenobiotics and the importance of these enzymatic systems as biomarkers of the presence of pollutants in the environment. Other research lines of the members of the Research Unit and the Research Group are: 1) studies of vegetation and ecological niche models and the impact of climate change on the distribution of species and habitats, 2) studies of habitat fragmentation and connectivity and post-fire environmental restoration and monitoring of natural regeneration, 3) pollen and particle sampling with automatic systems and climate change scenarios, 4) vegetation mapping and photogrammetry (LiDar, Multispectral and high resolution) through drone flights.

Studies on defense mechanisms against oxidative stress have been developed, analyzing both the cycles of ascorbic acid, glutathione and related enzymes, as well as other non-enzymatic markers (lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, etc.), and the deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been mainly analyzed in plants (Erica andevalensis, Spartina densiflora) and in animals (fish: goldfish, seabass, gilthead seabream, etc.). Our interest has focused on the antioxidant responses of plant and animal models exposed to metals, given that they are generated in large quantities in the province of Huelva due to the presence of the pyritic belt and mining activity. In particular, we have investigated the oxidative stress mechanisms in an endemic species of the pyritic belt, Erica andevalensis, a unique plant that normally grows in acidic soils (pH 2-4) with high concentrations of contaminating metals. We have also investigated the antioxidant response of Spartina densiflora, an invasive marsh plant, demonstrating that its adaptive success can be explained by its extraordinary capacity to modulate enzymatic systems linked to antioxidant responses. Finally, for years we have initiated collaborations with different research groups from Huelva and the University of Cadiz (RNM-236 Group, led by Dr. Galindo Riaño), combining our experience in oxidative stress analysis with their experience in the analysis of metals in commercially relevant fish (gilthead seabream, seabass, sole).