Description

Taxonomy has always been part of the scientific activities at Stazione Zoologica. Since its founding, numerous worldwide-recognised specialists have conducted seminal studies on the morphology and biology of the flora and fauna of the Gulf of Naples. Over the years, taxonomy has evolved along with technological development and has been fully integrated within forefront ecological and evolutionary research.
The Marine Organism Taxonomy (MOTax) Unit is a specialized counseling center which exploits advanced resources, skills and expertise that are available today at the SZN for the taxonomy and identification of various groups of marine organisms. Merging traditional morphological approaches and modern technologies such as electron microscopy and barcoding, MOTax provides a wide range of services that include the identification of individual specimens, isolation and cultivation of certified target microalgal organisms, sorting, species identification and counting in benthic and plankton samples in ecological and monitoring projects. As part of SZN's higher education activities, MOTax offers individual training and organizes advanced courses on the taxonomy of marine organisms.
The team is composed by expert taxonomists who are connected to a network of marine taxonomists from Italy and all over Europe. MOTax taxonomists undergo quality assurance auditing that certifies the compliance of the analytical methods used with international standards.

Services provided

PHYTOPLANKTON
• Isolation, cultivation and identification of algal strains
• Identification and counting of natural marine samples to Class, Genus or Species level
• Search and identification of toxic microalgae (including Ostreopsis and other potentially toxic benthic microalgae)
• Estimation of cellular carbon content
• Provision of images in light and electron microscopy
• Barcoding

ZOOPLANKTON
• Sample identification and counting to Class, Genus or Species level
• Sorting
• Biomass of whole sample or selected species (wet or dry weight)
• Provision of drawings and images in light and electron microscopy
• Barcoding

MACROZOOBENTHOS
• Species identification
• Sorting
• Provision of images in light microscopy
• Barcoding
• Data analyses

Contacts

Diana Sarno

Tel. + 39 081 5833282

e-mail: diana.sarno(at)szn.it

The MEDA unit carries out the data processing of the automatic profilers, returning them in standard and graphic formats.

Moreover, chemical and instrumental analyses are conducted on the main environmental and biological variables.

• Post processing of CTD data
• Data processing of automatic profilers
• Analyses of:

üInorganic nutrients;

üTotal and dissolved Nitrogen and Phosphorus;

üDissolved oxygen;

üParticulate organic carbon ( POC);

üTotal suspended solids ( TSS );

üChlorophyll a ( spectrofluorimetry and spectrophotometry );

üPhotosynthetic pigments ( HPLC );

üAbsorption spectra;

üModulated fluorescence

In order to access the service, users have to fill the form and mail it at: francesca.margiotta(at)szn.it

The analyses will be scheduled with Dr. Francesca Margiotta

Flow Sys Systea Autoanalyzer

Thermo Flash EA 1112 Series CHN analyzer

Agilent 1110 Series HPLC

SHIMADZU RF-5301PC spectrofluorometer

Agilent 8453 UV-Visibile spectrophotometer

Walz Phyto-Pam

Fabio Conversano

Tel. + 39 081 5833357

e-mail: fabio.conversano(at)szn.it

The MEDA Unit has many years of experience in the environmental field, gained through participation at several external projects.

The activity consists in data collection, analysis and elaboration aimed at transferring technical and scientific reports to local and national institutions or to private entities.

The unit is specialized in:

•coastal waters monitoring;

• assessment of e environmental impact (due to sediment disposal, engineering works on the seabed or on the coast, etc.);

• biogeochemical characterization of sand and marine sediments for reclamation, beach nourishment, environmental impact assessments etc.( in collaboration with other institutions);

• Monitoring of benthic biocoenosis and of P. Oceanica meadows (in collaboration with the Ecology of Benthos Laboratory – Ischia).

• Continuous acquisition (by means of multiparametric probes), data processing and analysis hydrographic variables (temperature, salinity, dissolved , fluorescence, transmittance, PAR, SPAR and pH) along the water column
• Sampling and analysis of the main abiotic and biotic variables:
  - Inorganic nutrients;
  - Total and dissolved N and P;
  - Dissolved oxygen;
  - Particulate Organic Carbon (POC);
  - Total suspended solids (TSS);
  - Chlorophyll a;
  - Photosynthetic pigments;

• Plankton sampling;
• Sampling and pre-treatment of sediments addressed to geochemical analyses and to the characterization of benthic communities.

These activities are mainly carried on board the M / N Vettoria or on other research vessels. Moreover, in absence of suitable support structures, a fully equipped mobile laboratory can be set up, allowing the first processing of samples.

Field work instruments:

• Multi-parametric CTD probes equipped with dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, trasmittance, pH, ORP, altimeter, Par & Spar sensors
• Carousel automatic sampler with 12 Niskin bottles (10LT)

Lab instruments:

• Flow Sys Systea Autoanalyzer
• Thermo Flash EA 1112 Series CHN analyzer
• SHIMADZU RF-5301PC spectrofluorometer
• Agilent 1110 Series HPLC

Fabio Conversano

Tel. + 39 081 5833357

e-mail: fabio.conversano(at)szn.it