1 / 19

Artemia research at ARC

Artemia research at ARC. ARC ‘traditionals’: description of strain characteristics biometrics hatching & diapause characteristics lifespan & reproductive characteristics effect of abiotic conditions on growth, reproduction…. cross-breeding HUFA content ……..

maik
Download Presentation

Artemia research at ARC

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Artemia research at ARC

  2. ARC ‘traditionals’: description of strain characteristics • biometrics • hatching & diapause characteristics • lifespan & reproductive characteristics • effect of abiotic conditions on growth, reproduction…. • cross-breeding • HUFA content • …….. • cooperation with other partners !

  3. 2. Artemia population assessment studies cfr. fluctuations in Great Salt Lake harvests • abiotic conditions • primary production • Artemia population

  4. Russian Federation (Siberia) Karabogaz-Gol, Turkmenistan China (Tibet)

  5. 3. Mass-rearing and biocontrol potential of predatory insects (Heteroptera, Coleoptera…) (Cooperation with Laboratory of Agrozoology, RUG) Orius Harmonia Podisus

  6. Cost-effective production of ‘killer bugs’ : production of large numbers at low price Use of Lepidopteran eggs, esp. of Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuhniella • good development & reproduction of • predatory insects • high price • (high investment & production costs, • high demand, occasional market shortages) • possible human health problems (allergene) nymph IV Orius

  7. Promising preliminary results : Artemia cysts as alternative to Ephestia eggs effect on growth, metamorphosis, survival, reproduction of predator… application techniques (decapsulated vs. non-decapsulated, hydration level…)

  8. 4. Proposal for a new VIB (Flemish Institute of Biotechnology) • Department : • Department of Microbial Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates • Ghent University, Belgium • Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology • Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center • University of Connecticut, USA • Dalhousie University, Canada

  9. Rationale : • Eukaryotes exist in close association with micro-organisms: symbiotic, pathogenic, neutral • = EMCs (eukaryote microbial communities) • Colonisation of EMCs by allochthonous organisms = • 1ststep in development of pathogenesis, commensalism, symbiosis. • Objective : • How do allochthonous micro-organisms establish themselves in the EMCs ? What factors • determine success or failure ? • new insights into host-pathogen and host-probiotic interactions • therapeutic and probiotic opportunities. • Model eukaryote:Artemia franciscana • Model allochthonous organisms: Vibrionaceae • pathogenic or beneficial to Artemia • culture collection available; extensive database available of chromosomal & mobile genetic elements important to Vibrio success in EMCs • common pathogens of almost all higher eukaryotes, • develop a comprehensive model of Vibrionaceae invasion and colonisation

  10. Host-Microbe Unit

  11. Microbe-Microbe Unit

  12. Mobile Genetic Element Unit

  13. 5. FWO project: the functional role and characteristics of micro-organisms in the larviculture of aquatic organisms with Artemia as a test species • Rationale : • general trend towards more natural suppression of opportunistic/obligate • pathogens in aquaculture • consensus about critical role of microbial interactions • numerous questions about biological processes involved : • competition for adhesion sites in digestive tract • competition for nutrients • excretion of antibacterial products by bacteria/micro-algae • stimulation of immune system by algae/yeasts/bacteria • ……… • test organisms not cultured axenically interactions with micro-organisms

  14. Artemia as model organism opportunistic bacteria pathogenic bacteria probiotic bacteria Objective: Study the mode of action of microbial organisms & verify hypotheses by use of axenically cultured organism partners: • Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center (RUG) • Prof. Godelieve Criel (RUG) • Laboratory for Microbial Ecology (RUG) • Laboratory for Aquatic Ecology & Aquaculture (KULeuven)

  15. research questions: 1. How do bacteria colonize the gut??

  16. research questions: 1. How do bacteria colonize the gut? 2. How does a pathogen infect an aquatic organism? through the gills? ingestion? through the cuticula?

  17. research questions: 1. How do bacteria colonize the gut? 2. How does a pathogen infect an aquatic organism? 3. How does a ‘probiotic’ protect an aquatic organism?

  18. First action: develop an axenic standard culture of Artemia autoclaved seawater culture vessels decapsulated cysts -irradiated food

  19. Further actions: • Linked to the axenic cultures and using scanning-electron microscopy, an ‘atlas’ of a ‘normal’ gut of successive developmental stages would be compiled. • At a later stage, the colonization of the gut • by selected harmless and pathogenic • bacteria will be studied quantitatively and • qualitatively using diverse microbial • marker techniques (FiSH, DGE, GFP). • Besides, we will consider axenic • Dunaliella cultures as food source in order • to investigate the possible probiotic • role of algae. Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center, Ghent University, Belgium

More Related