Project Page Views: [ 681 ]
| Project Metadata Element | Details |
| Project Title | Sectoral Impacts on Biodiversity |
| Research Area | Water |
| Project Acronym | |
| Principal Investigator or Lead Irish Partner | Dagmar Stengel |
| Lead Institution or Organisation | National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) |
| Lead Country | Ireland |
| Latitude, Longitude (of Lead Institution) | 53.27905, -9.05794 |
| Lead Funding Entity | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Approximate Project Start Date | 28/01/2008 |
| Approximate Project Finishing Date | 28/10/2008 |
| Project Website (if any) | |
| Links to other Web-based resources | |
| Project Keywords | Equipment; Growth cabinets; Aquatic plants; Impact assessment |
| Project Abstract | Financial support is sought for a temperature-controlled growth facility for environmental plant science to be based in the Botany Department at NUI, Galway. Specifications: The facility will consist of three growth cabinets (e.g. Binder KBW 720 11 V model, 720 litre capacity, with integrated week programme timer with real time function, adjustable ramps adjustable fan speed, stainless steel shelves, inner glass door and environmentally-friendly refrigerant R132a; preferred option or similar in line with procurement policies) with access ports for supply services to shakers and aeration pumps, shakers and lamps of different light qualities (UVc, daylight and high light intensity). Rationale: Algae and aquatic plants are key primary producers in marine and freshwater environments. Research involving experimental manipulation of algal and aquatic plant growth is dependent on adequate, specialised and dedicated growth facilities. The high-precision control of the facility requested in this application is essential for research involving physiological and developmental experiments of algae and aquatic plants. The facility will have multiple uses, support current research capacity of the Department and help attract further funding. State-of-the-art electronically-controlled, programmable illumination and temperature settings will allow accurate in vivo testing of the physiological and biochemical responses of algae (and other primary producers) to key environmental parameters and thus support current and future national and international collaborative research on algal and aquatic plant-environment interactions with applications in environmental monitoring (climate changes impacts, water quality and biomonitoring) and industry (functional foods, biofuels). This facility will allow rigorous impact assessment of long- and short-term changes in the parameters of light quality, light intensity, daylength, temperature and water quality (organic and metal contamination, nutrient concentration and oxygenation). Environmental influences on algal and aquatic plant cell wall composition (the main sink of photosynthate) and developmental processes will also be investigated. This is of particular importance as the manipulation of cell wall biochemistry, such as will be required by the emerging biofuels industry, is dependent on improved understanding of the environmental control of plant growth. The focus of research that will utilise the temperature-controlled growth facility contributes to key strategies of the SSTI, STRIVE, EU FP7 and UN, by developing methodologies that will better enable monitoring of global and local climate change, support environmental policies (including EU Water Framework Directive), industry (impact assessment of marine harvesting and biodiscovery), and postgraduate training. The facility will also significantly strengthen research carried out with existing and future new collaborations, and allow research development and capacity building, specifically in the important area of environmental change. |