Utilização de ferramentas moleculares para detecção e controle de agentes bioincrustantes em hidrelétricas

Abstract

For the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), biological invasions are the second biggest cause of biodiversity loss on the planet. Some of these aquatic invasive species, such as the bivalve Limnoperna fortunei and the hydrozoan Cordylophora caspia, can cause great environmental and economic impact on industrial plants due to their ability to strongly adhere to pipes and heat exchangers, a process called biofouling. This process is complex and generally starts with the formation of a primary film composed of microorganisms, which besides contributing to the adhesion of invertebrates, can also compose the microbial slime. The early detection and rapid identification of fouling organisms are essential for management actions to be immediate. However, the morphological identification of these organisms is not always an easy task and can generate erroneous and controversial reports about the presence of such organisms in the environment. In this context, molecular biology composes a set of techniques, with high resolving power, which together with the morphological identification, give robustness against biofouling. Thus, the objective of the present study was to propose the use of molecular tools to assist the detection and control of biofouling species of hydroelectric plants. Regarding microfouling, stalks-type biosignatures, produced by iron-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the microbial slime community, were found in sediment samples collected in a hydroelectric plant. In addition, this work has firstly reported the presence of C. caspia in hydroelectric plants in the Brazil central-west and southeast regions, as well as generating the first genetic sequences of this invader in Brazilian territory. The co-occurrence of C. caspia and L. fortunei must be carefully observed, since the environmental and economic losses resulting from the presence of these two invaders can be aggravating for hydroelectric plants, disrupting essential services such as the generation and distribution of electricity. However, it is worth noting that, as important as identifying the damage caused by biofouling, it is the recognition of the biotechnological potential of these fouling organisms, which serve as a source of inspiration for the creation of products and technologies with diverse applications, even ways on how to treat biofouling itself.