Marcela Ávila

Current knowledge on biotechnological interesting seaweeds from the Magellan Region, Chile

This paper is a compilation of data from investigations made with marine benthic algae from the Magellan Region that have biotechnological utilization in human consumption or medicine or as a source of phycolloids or food supplements or animal feed. The most important Rhodophyta species are: Ahnfeltia plicata (Hudson) E.M. Fries for agarose production, Gigartina skottsbergii Setchell & N.L.Gardner for carrageenan production, and Callophyllis variegata (Bory de Saint-Vincent) Kutzing for human consumption. The most important Heterokontophyta species are: Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh, and Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot for human consumption, alginate production, and as biofertilizer for agricultural crops. M. pyrifera is also used as a food supplement for salmon, chickens, quails, sheep and bovines and for biofuel production.

Using Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh from southern Chile as a source of applied biological compounds

The exploitation of seaweeds in Chile has been carried out for more than 60 years. More recently, seaweeds have been used for the production of alginate, agar and carrageenan, agricultural fertilizers and industrial aquaculture (feed for abalone and sea urchins), increasing the added value of this natural resource. In the Magellan Region (56oS), the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh presents the most extensive kelp forest, reaching a biomass of approximately 12 kg.m-2. Recent studies have shown potential benefits from adding M. pyrifera- derived flour to salmonid feed. Research is currently underway to evaluate the useof brown algae-derived products for marine aquaculture feed of Oncorhynchus mykiss in tanks. There was no apparent adverse effect on the evaluated parameters that can be attributed to the incorporation of M. pyrifera meal in the diets fed to salmonids. Even when the control diet had numerically the best performance in zootechnical terms, the analysis of variance of all parameters evaluated showed no significant differences with regard to diets containing M. pyrifera meal. These results demonstrated that seaweed meal has important benefits for animal health and nutrition that could be applied or tested in other marine organisms of commercial importance.

Macroalgas Marinas Bentónicas del Submareal Somero de la Ecorregión Subantártica de Magallanes, Chile

The area of channels and fjords belonging to the Magellan subantarctic has a high diversity of macroalgae, in relation to the temperate areas of South America. Geomorphological changes, the geographical position in a high latitude together with the climate change in this region create a series of coast marine habitats with a significant environmental heterogeneity, where a diverse benthic marine flora take place, which are not still known, that has evolved in an adaptive way to these changes. This research was developed under the 16 fjords CIMAR program in 2010, aboard the scientific research vessel Abate Molina, under the “Marine Benthic macroalgae of the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica “project. This paper gives information about a total of 57 species of macroalgae in the region, with representatives of the Rhodophyta (51%), Ochrophyta (Class Phaeophyceae) (37%) and Divisions Chlorophyta (12%). Takes into account the floristic affinities of the sectors studied and deals with the flora of the Antarctic continent, and also incorporates 7 novel macroalgal references to the subantarctic Magellan ecoregion. Key word: Seaweed, floristic composition, distribution, Magallanes, Sub-Antarctic ecosystem. Recibido: Nov. 15, 2013 Aceptado: Dic. 14, 2013 1Laboratorio de Macroalgas Antárticas y Subantárticas, Departamento de Ciencias y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Magallanes. 2 Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Arturo Prat, Puerto Montt. 3 Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Área de Botánica, casilla 787, Santiago, Chile. 4 Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, IEB Chile. 5 Magister en Ciencias Mención Manejo y Conservación en Recursos Naturales en Ambientes Subantárticos, Universidad de Magallanes. 52 A. MANSILLA et al.

Efecto de factores abióticos en el crecimiento vegetativo de Alexandrium catenella proveniente de quistes en laboratorio

Resumen es: La especie Alexandrium catenella es toxica y causa floraciones algales nocivas en el mar interior del sur de Chile. Con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto ...

Criopreservación de estadios iniciales de gametofitos de Macrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales, Ochrophyta) en condiciones controladas de laboratorio

Macrocystis pyrifera is an economically important species for alginate production and as feed in the abalone industry. High demand for the product, both on n...