Bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants in Red Sea coral reef organisms
Project Details
Project Description
Emerging contaminants (i.e., contaminants that have been recently in the ecosystem) are becoming a concern worldwide. Several studies have shown that contaminants can bioaccumulate in marine organisms, causing physiological and morphological impacts. Among these contaminants are some stimulants (caffeine) and medicines (e.g., diclofenac) that are commonly used by humans and end up frequently in the marine environment. Limited information is available in the Red Sea regarding the accumulation of emerging contaminants in coral reef organisms. Nevertheless, previous research in the region showed high concentrations of contaminants like caffeine and diclofenac in water samples collected near urbanized areas. This project aims to quantify the concentrations of caffeine and diclofenac in biological tissues of reef-associated organisms like corals and algae. This study will serve as the foundation to conduct ecotoxicological studies to investigate the response of those organisms to different concentrations of these emerging contaminants and guide environmental regulation. The student will participate in the processing of samples, quantification of contaminants, data analyses and writing. If time permits, one lab-based experiment will be conducted to assess the responses of coral larvae to observed concentration ranges of targeted contaminants.
About the Researcher
Education Profile
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Portuguese Institute for Fisheries and Sea Research and Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, Spain, 2008-2012
- Ph.D., University of Algarve, Portugal,
- M.Sc., University of Aveiro, Portugal,
- B.Sc., Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 1998
Research Interests
Prof. Carvalho's expertise blends the fields of marine ecology, ecotoxicology, and coastal management. Prof. Carvalho is interested in untangling the role natural and anthropogenic stressors play in shaping marine biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning, using field and laboratory-based approaches. Her research advances fundamental knowledge of how marine organisms respond to environmental changes and the intrinsic patterns driving those changes. While her research aims to identify the main threats to the marine environment it has an applied aspect by incorporating the views of stakeholders into management pathways. Her goal is to keep fostering interactions with local stakeholders to improve decision-making in the field of marine science and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of the Red Sea.Selected Publications
- Peixoto RS, Voolstra CR, Sweet M, Duarte CM, Carvalho S, Vilela H, Lunshof JE, Gram L, Woodhams DC, Walter J, Roik A, Hentschel U, Thurber RV, Daisley B, Ushijima B, Daffonchio D, Costa R, Keller-Costa T, Bowman J, Rosado AS, Reid G, Mason CE, Walke JB, Thomas T, Berg G (2022) Harnessing the microbiome to prevent global biodiversity loss. Nature Microbiology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01173-1
- Aylagas E, Atalah J, SA¡nchez-Jerez P, Pearman J, Casado N, Asensi J, Toledo-Guedes K, Carvalho S (2021) A step towards the validation of bacteria biotic indices using DNA metabarcoding for benthic monitoring. Molecular Ecology Resources 21:1889-1903
- Aylagas E, Borja A, Pochon X, Zaiko A, et al., Carvalho S (2020) Translational Molecular Ecology in practice: Linking DNA-based methods to actionable marine environmental management. Science of the Total Environment 744:140780
- Ellis JI, Jamil T, Anlauf H, Coker D, Curdia J, Dasari H, Hewitt J, Jones BH, Krokos G, Roth F, Carvalho S, Hoteit I (2019) Multiple stressor effects on coral reef ecosystems in the Red Sea. Global Change Biology 25:4131-4146
- Carvalho S, Aylagas E, Villalobos R, Kattan Y, Berumen M, Pearman JK (2019) Beyond the visual: introducing the hidden reef cryptobiome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286: 20182697
Desired Project Deliverables
Draft of a publication based on the data collected.
Develop and conduct a lab-based ecotoxicological experiment