“Imagine you are swimming in the sea. Think of all the diversity around you: algae, seagrasses, fish, crabs, seagulls, mussels… In reality, most of the sea’s diversity you’ve already swallowed when a wave breaks over you! In just one milliliter of seawater, there are thousands of microorganisms, many of which are microalgae, and others are bacteria. Generally, bacteria are beneficial for the ecosystem, and when it is healthy, harmful bacteria remain in small proportions compared to other species. Rivers and the atmosphere (especially when it rains) feed the bacteria in the rías with pollen, dust, and substances from the land… and this majority of beneficial bacteria turn these substances into food for the microalgae, which are eaten by small planktonic animals, which in turn feed small fish, and these feed larger fish, and so on. But what happens when we disrupt the balance in the bacteria’s food chain? That is, what happens when we pollute? Harmful bacteria can increase faster than a coronavirus outbreak!”
With this interesting and educational lecture by Alberto Gutiérrez Barral, a predoctoral researcher in the Biological Oceanography Group of CIM-UVigo, the participation of the Marine Research Centre in the project ‘Mes do Medio e os Océanos’, organized by Afundación, the Social Work of ABANCA, kicks off on the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5, and World Oceans Day, June 8.
The first lecture from CIM-UVigo, titled If we continue to pollute the Rías, we will end up with more pathogens than we already have, will take place on June 9 at 18 h and can be followed through the channels of #AfundacionEnCasa and Campus do Mar.
This initiative, which has the collaboration of Campus do Mar, will take place throughout the month of June and will aim to bring marine research closer to the whole family. In addition to Alberto, two other researchers from the Marine Research Center will participate in the project: Paulo Alcaraz and Tania Ballesteros. The talks will take place on June 23 and 30 at 18 h respectively, and will be broadcast in streaming through the Afundación channel and Campus do Mar. After the summer, the talks will resume, with three more conferences by staff from CIM-UVigo.
