Coral bleaching is a worldwide result of climate change that is affecting the marine ecosystems greatly. Methods to help solve the issue have been previously explored and Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals (BMCs) have been proven to help mitigate coral bleaching in laboratory trials. In their efforts to test its effectiveness on the field, scientists have found that it would be beneficial to have a constant, biocompatible, source of BMCs. We have tested Calcium Alginate microspheres, what we call Alginate Beads, in terms of release rate and cell viability to determine if they are fit to be used as vectors for the BMC consortia. By placing the Beads in two different temperatures representing winter and summer temperatures in the Red Sea in agitation we were able to understand their dynamics more clearly. By using Flow Cytometry, Colony Forming Units, and microscopy techniques we were able to see that Alginate Beads incorporate bacteria into their matrix and keep them viable for up to two weeks. We also observed that the Beads release more bacterial cells at higher temperatures compared to lower temperatures. This suggests that when used in the field, Alginate Beads are able to sustain the bacteria for a prolonged time period and it will release bacteria at a higher rate in warmer temperatures potentially either season or region-wise. Hence, we believe that Alginate Beads could be suitable as vectors for field research and should be explored further.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:kaust.edu.sa/oai:repository.kaust.edu.sa:10754/679622 |
| Date | 17 May 2022 |
| Creators | Alsaggaf, Ahmed A. |
| Contributors | Peixoto, Raquel S, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, Berumen, Michael L., Nunes, Suzana Pereira |
| Source Sets | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | 2023-07-05, At the time of archiving, the student author of this thesis opted to temporarily restrict access to it. The full text of this thesis will become available to the public after the expiration of the embargo on 2023-07-05. |
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