Expeditions: Trindade Island
Another PROSPECMAR/PELD (SISBIOTAmar net research cooperation) expedition has been just accomplished to
the Brazilian oceanic islands. At this time our team went to Trindade Island, an inactive volcanic hotspot in the
middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The island is situated approximately 1.200km from the coastal city of Vitória/ES.
Researchers MSc Bianca Del B. Sahm (LECAR-UFF) and MSc Lívia P. Azevedo (Cnidarians Lab – UFRJ) while there
had support from the Brazilian navy, the expedition lasted for 2 months. The PROSPECMAR project intends to
discover new marine natural sources for biomedical applications, as well as to study biodiversity and ecological
interactions with the purpose of sustainable use of such resources. The PELD project is a long term monitoring of
biodiversity. Data collected during the expedition included corals samples for genetic connectivity; samples of
invertebrates, marine sediments and water for microbial bioprospection; determination of population structure and
occurrence of sea urchins and rates of predation upon them; continuing of the long-time monitoring for coral health
and benthic community. Trindade as another Brazilian oceanic islands have research programs which maintain
continuing flux of scientists working there full time.
Writen by: Bianca Sahm – November/2015
View of the Trindade Island Scientific Station. (Credit: Livia P. Azevedo)
Bianca collecting sea water for microbial bioprospection. (Credit: Livia P. Azevedo)
Photoquadrat of the long-term monitoring coral health and benthic community transects. (Credit: SISBIOTAmar monitoring file)
A xanthic Kyphosus sectatrix. (Credit: Bianca Del B. Sahm)
The PROSPECMAR/PELD team, Livia A. Peluso (right) and Bianca Del B. Sahm (left), at the highest peak of the Island (620 mts).
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