Biological resources

Freeze-dried biological samples of marine fish from the Portuguese coast including the main tissues: muscle, liver, brain, gills, heart. The tissue bank includes samples from almost 100 species of marine fish collected since 2016, with various sample sizes, spatial and temporal coverage. Suitable for a wide range of laboratory analyses to determine the concentrations of elements and metals, and contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

ACOI has an algal strain bank with more than 4000 live strains of cyanobacteria and microalgae from different Portuguese ecosystems, mainly from freshwater, brackish water, marine, soil and aerial environments. Access to this culture collection allows the development of cultivation experiments, applied research and industrial applications in biotechnological processes for many research areas of interest.

Access, collection and supply of local marine and estuarine flora and fauna from the Mondego estuary, including animals and plants from saltmarshes and mudflats, as well as in adjacent coastal areas and in most estuaries accross the Portuguese Atlantic coast. Our team has expertise in fieldwork in all of these areas, as well as in setting up dedailed monitoring and/or sampling programmes, knowledge of most estuarine and coastal ecosystems in Portugal, and have the required equipment to do so.

We have researchers experienced in the identification of marine and estuarine plants, algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos and fish samples typical of temperate ecosystems, and based on morphological characterization. Additional services include using Machine Learning algorithms to identify species from digital images (still, video). We also provide the service of polyphasic identification of microalgae and cyanobacteria, based on morphology, genetics and chemistry.

Public deposit of microalgae and cyanobacteria

Técnicas: Biologia molecular

Produto analisado: Algas

Equipa: Mariana Assunção (Técnica de Laboratório) e Isabel Matos (Assistente Técnica)

Genomic DNA from microalgae and cyanobacteria from collection, minimum of 2 µg of DNA. Qualitative and quantitative assessment by spectrophotometry.

Técnicas: Biologia molecular

Produto analisado: Algas

Equipa: Mariana Assunção (Técnica de Laboratório) e Isabel Matos (Assistente Técnica)

Isolation and preservation of microalgae and cyanobacteria (routine subculture and cryopreservation).

Produto analisado: Algas

Equipa: Mariana Assunção (Técnica de Laboratório) e Isabel Matos (Assistente Técnica)

Microalgae and cyanobacteria live strains.

Produto analisado: Algas

Equipa: Mariana Assunção (Técnica de Laboratório) e Isabel Matos (Assistente Técnica)