Throughout the workday of November 18, Valoralia RD workforce have changed their daily routine for a tour to the Dehesa de Valdelatas (Madrid). During the activity, they had the opportunity to see first hand the methods of sampling material for the study of Cyanobacteria.
Before beginning fieldwork, Dr. Youness Ouahid Benkaddour has made a brief introduction explaining the concept of cyanobacteria, the medium in which to find them, how to sample, necessary utensils and applications of cyanobacteria.
The cyanobacteria are gram-negative bacteria, photosynthetic and photoautotrophic with peculiar aspects. So, perform oxygenic photosynthesis despite containing only chlorophyll-a and its antenna most holocromos are phycobiliproteins. Moreover, the main role of carotenoids is to prevent photooxidation. It also emphasizes the versatility of primary and secondary metabolism , such as the ability of an appreciable amount of molecular species to fix nitrogen. All this results in cyanobacteria may colonize numerous terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems , from tropical forests to polar areas, and synthesize an appreciable amount of unusual composites.
Usually the most common environment in which we can find cyanobacteria is a wet atmosphere, but we can also find them on the floor, stones and even in partnership with other organism, which may be found in a isolated way or grouped in colonies or filaments.
Note the importance of the environment in which each individual is placeced, because depending on where has been grown and the environmental conditions to which it has been subjected, has notable differences from another individual of the same species.
After this introduction all the staff has known different forms of sampling cyanobacteria and the importance of labeling, filling the date of collection, location and the person who took the sample (and GPS coordinates if possible), in this way is easier to realize the environment in which it was found.
Back to Valoralia RD building, the rest of the day was spent in the laboratory, where the staff had the opportunity to observe in the microscope some of the samples and learn, first hand, the uses and applications of cyanobacteria. This activity is intended that the multidisciplinary team wich formsValoralia RD, can have a better understanding of the company’s business and to promote a more humane relationship outside of the work environment.
