A Procedure to Purify and Culture a Clonal Strain of the Aquatic Moss Fontinalis antipyretica for Use as a Bioindicator of Heavy Metals

Abstract

A procedure to culture the aquatic moss, Fontinalis antipyretica, is described. The moss was collected in a stream, carried to the laboratory, and immediately treated: apices were isolated and rinsed under a stereomicroscope and submitted to ultrasonic cleaning combined with an iodine treatment and then to an antibiotic/anti-eukaryotic treatment for 4 days. This procedure permitted us for the first time to eliminate the microalgae associated with an aquatic moss in culture, solving the problem of proliferation of these microalgae in the culture medium. Furthermore, the minimal concentration of eight essential metals required by this moss was determined in order to have metal concentrations in the cultured moss as low as possible. A perennial culture of a clonal strain of an aquatic moss for use as a metal bioaccumulator was obtained and the first step to provide a standardized bioindication tool for metal detection in continental waters was passed over.

Physiological consequences of desiccation in the aquatic bryophyte Fontinalis antipyretica

“…samples were collected from Serra de S. Mamede (central Portugal; 39°16 0 N, 7°19 0 W) and then transported under cool conditions (about 5°C) to the laboratory, where they were rinsed in distilled water, transferred to culture medium (Traubenberg and Ah-Peng 2004), and grown under controlled conditions (17°C day/13°C night, 20-30 lmol m -2 s -1 photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), and a 16-h photoperiod). Emerged and dry samples of F. antipyretica were collected on 4 April 2009 and kept dry between several sheets of paper.…”

Differential proteomics of dehydration and rehydration in bryophytes: evidence towards a common desiccation tolerance mechanism

“…Samples were transported at 5 °C to the laboratory where they were cleaned of debris and sediments with distilled water. The bryophytes were grown in a closed culture chamber (FitoClima 250E, Aralab, Rio de Mouro, Portugal) and kept in a modified Knop culture medium (Traubenberg & Ah‐Peng ) under controlled conditions (17 °C day/13 °C night, photosynthetic active radiation [PAR] 20–30 μ mol m −2 s −1 and photoperiod of 16 h). Bryophytes were kept in these conditions for at least 60 d before analysis.…”

Influence of dehydration rate on cell sucrose and water relations parameters in an inducible desiccation tolerant aquatic bryophyte

“…Samples were transported to the laboratory under cooling conditions (about 5 C) and cleaned of debris and sediments in distilled water. Bryophyte were grown in a modified Knop culture medium (Traubenberg and Ah-Peng, 2004) under controlled conditions (17 C day/13 C night, photosynthetic photon flux density [PPFD] of 20-30 mmol m À2 s À1 and photoperiod of 16 h).…”