Hydrobiology laboratory

Hydrobiology Laboratory

The hydrobiology laboratory group, is a multidisciplinary team with highly specialized staff and with experience both in the taking of samples and in physical, chemical and biological analysis applied in any field of the integral water cycle (water and sediments).

The laboratory of hydrobiology provides support for research and offers services to companies and public bodies in the characterisation and assessment of aquatic ecosystems and the biological communities that they harbour.

The laboratory is accredited in taking samples, measurements “in situ” and various physical, chemical and biological parameters by the National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) to carry out tests in the environmental sector according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025, CGA standard -ENAC-LEC (No. 1111 / LE2148).

The laboratory also has the title of Collaborating Entity of the Hydraulic Administration (ECAH, EC 170/1) in matters of control and monitoring of water quality and management of discharges into the public hydraulic domain and is part of the Central Services of the Universidad de Cantabria (SCI).

SERVICES

Characterization of aquatic ecosystems
Physical and chemical analysis of water and sediments
Microbiological and ecotoxicity analysis of water and sediments
Biological analysis (phytoplankton, macroalgae, aquatic macrophytes, macroinvertebrates, fishes)
Spectral optics laboratory
Field and laboratory experimentation

FACILITIES AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES

Equipped with:

Water purification equipment Milli-Q.
Thermodisinfector.
Basic laboratory equipment: (thermostatic baths, heating plates, automatic micropipettes, centrifuge, filtration equipment, specific electrodes, etc.).
Nutrient autoanalyzer: high resolution autoanalyzer 3, for nutrients from sea water and other types of water (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, orthophosphate, silicate, nitrogen and total phosphorus).
UV / VIS spectrophotometers.
Distiller and digestion unit Kjeldahl.
Total nitrogen analyzer in water.
Total carbon analyzer (organic and inorganic C) in both water and sediment.
Incubator and BOD meters.
COD digesters.
Microwave digester for extraction.
Sediment sieves and sieve towers.
All laboratory equipment (stoves, autoclave, muffle, thermostatic baths, BOD incubator) is outfitted with a real-time temperature monitoring system.

Room conditioned to obtain spectral signatures under controlled conditions
Hyperspectral spectroradiometer field model ASD FieldSpec-4
Quartz-tungsten lamp with an integrated reflector that guarantees stable illumination in the spectral range of 350-2500 nm

Stereoscopic microscopes
Inverted microscope with microcamera
Optical microscope with microcamera

Equipped with the necessary material to guarantee the quality of the data in terms of isolation, counting and identification of bacteria: biological safety cabinet with UV lamp, autoclave, centrifuge, thermostatic baths
Bioluminescence test equipment, to measure the light emission of the microorganism (Vibrio fischeri), in contact with the samples under controlled conditions of temperature and temperature.

Room of scales

- With several scales of precision and kit of weights (rank 1 mg to 200 g) of verification of scales with certification.

Room of stoves

- Stove at 105 ºC
- Bacteriological stoves 37 ºC and 44.5 ºC
- Stove drying material
- Muffla oven(maximum temperature 1,000 ºC)

Growing rooms

- With lighting and controlled temperature.
- Equipped for the performance of a liquid phase toxicity bioassay based on the fertilization of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus
- Equipment for performing acute toxicity bioassay of Corophium sp.

Refrigeration and Freezer Chamber