4 / 22
Page 34
Notes:
Volume 2
Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Reports
Microbial Biotechnology 2018
September 17-18, 2018
Microbial Biotechnology & Vaccine Design
September 17-18, 2018 Lisbon, Portugal
5
th
World Congress on
Evaluation of fecal indicator bacteria in a National Park river to asses human impact on the conservation
of a protected area
Blanca Perez-Uz
1
, Elena Alonso Fernandes
2
and Mercedes Martin-Cereceda
1
1
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
2
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Spain
Statement of the Problem:
The main aim of National Parks is the conservation of outstanding natural resources which must be
compatible with other social, cultural and educational purposes. Recreational activities involve an increasing avenue of visitors which
cause difficulties to balance tourism with preservation during certain times of the year. The Guadarrama Protected area was recently
(2013) erected as a National Park (Madrid). The administration of the park requires information to manage the environmental impact
of visitor activities on the main conservation purpose. In this context, we studied Fecal Bacteria Indicators (FIB) in three points of
the main river crossing the park (River Manzanares). The objective was to assess the influence of visitors’ affluence to the park on FIB
counts in different seasons of a year as well as to evaluate the short-term effects on the river.
Methodology &Theoretical Orientation:
Three points were selected in the river based on differential accessibility to visitors during
four sampling dates in a year. Samples were taken in two dates during the same week to count total bacteria, total coliforms, fecal
coliforms, enterococci and sulfite-reducing Clostridium. Sampling procedures were repeated four times in a year during different
seasons. The main hypothesis was that visitors would influence in the FIB populations.
Findings:
The bacteria highest abundances were found after a weekend in the summer season when visitors’ affluence was the highest.
Total aerobic counts (22 °C and 37 °C) and total coliforms remained stable or increased from Monday to Thursday sampling dates of
each campaign. However, fecal coliforms and enterococci always decreased their abundance from Monday through Thursday which
showed that these were preferentially eliminated or had a low short-term survival in the river compared to other bacterial groups. No
significant differences were found for enterococci when sampling points were compared.
Conclusion & Significance:
Recreational activities in the park have indeed an effect increasing bacterial populations in the river.
These bacteria were even raised in the short-term period of study after a weekend; however, main FIBs were significantly reduced
during this term.
Biography
Blanca Perez-Uz has her expertise in microbial ecology and the use of microbial bioindicators both prokaryotic and eukaryotic in different natural and artificial
environments. Her main interest has been the adaptations and effects of predatory activities of protist on bacterial populations and the possibility to use these
activities to test the effects on wastewater treatment plants and natural environmental setups.
perezuz@bio.ucm.comBlanca Perez-Uz et al., J Microbio and Biotech Rept 2018, Volume 2