Leagan Gaeilge   Text Version   Display: Zoom (-) (+)   View ( Normal High contrast ) Printer Friendly  A to Z  Sitemap

Dr Dagmar Stengel    

      

Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences (SNS)

Theme Leader (Algal Biosciences) in SNS Research Cluster on Plant & AgriBiosciences

Ryan Institute for Environment, Marine and Energy, NUI Galway

 

Contact

• Office: Martin Ryan Building, Rm 318
• Email: dagmar.stengelnuigalway.ie
• Phone: (353) (0)91 493192
• Fax: (353) (0)91 525005

Research Interests: Algal Research & Applications of Aquatic Plant Ecophysiology

• Application of algae (macro- and micro) in environmental monitoring and biotechnology
• Climate change impacts and Ocean Acidification; mesocosm experiments
• Applications of algal stress-physiology
• Cultivation of macro- and microalgae under different conditions for optimised biomass production
• Enhanced production and optimisation of primary and secondary metabolites and bioactives with industrial potential.
• Heavy metals in algae of economic importance, and application of algae and lichens in biomonitoring
• Sustainable seaweed exploitation
• Invasive algae

Also see relevant pages of the  Ryan Institute

• Climate-ecosystem-interactions
• Functional and-Evolutionary Biology
• Aquaculture, Biotechnology & Biodiscovery
• Environmental Management & Conservation
• Biodiversity: Patterns & Processes

      

Lab Members

• Dr Sorcha Ni Longphuirt (postdoc)
• Dr Freddy Guiheneuf (postdoc)
• John Durcan (postgraduate student; jointly with Dr R.Cave, EOS and Marine Institute)
• Christine Eschmann (postgraduate student)
• Hollydawn Murray (postgraduate student; jointly with Dr R.Cave, EOS)
• Udo Nitschke (postgraduate student, with UCD)
• Matthias Schmid (postgraduate student)
• William Organ (postgraduate student)
• Merry Zacharias (postgraduate student)

Former Lab Members

• Dr  Hans Baumann 
• Dr Liam Morrison
• Dr Ciaran Loughnane
• Ms Olivia Fitzgerald
• Ms Julia Baer
• Dr Solene Connan
• Dr Niall Higgins

        

Research Projects (current and recent)

Levels and composition of phenolics in Irish seaweeds – applications in biomonitoring (metal binding) and industry. Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr Solene Connan. Collaborator: Dr Erwan ArGall, University of Western Brittany, LEBHAM (EPA).

Macro- and microalgal pigments as natural products from marine algae: limitations and potential for industry (British Phycological Society and Botanical Society of the British Isles).

Investigation into biophysical and potential biochemical interactions at the seaweed-bedrock interface. Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr Liam Morrison. Collaborator: Dr. Martin Feely, EOS, NUI Galway (IRCSET).

EPA Research Cluster Project 'BioChange' (Biodiversity and environmental Change: an integrated study encompassing a range of scales, taxa and habitats, Principal Investigator on WP4: An evaluation of the effects of predicted climate change on sustainable harvesting of the intertidal seaweed primary producer, Ascophyllum nodosum; http://www.biochange.ie/).

The ecophysiological studies on macroalgal rockpool assemblages and a morphological and molecular assessment of Ulva species in Ireland (PRTLI).

Aspects of physiological ecology of seaweeds: development of a bioassay for metal toxicity and algal-fungal interactions (PRTLI)
Interactive effects of salinity and nutrient loading on macroalgae and their application as bioindicators for eutrophication (College of Science Fellowship).

Phlorotannins in Irish brown seaweeds: investigation of their UV-protective effects and potential as natural sunscreens (Marine Institute).

Biology and ecology of the invasive brown seaweed Sargassum muticum (College of Science Fellowship).

Ecology, ecophysiolgy and UV responses of maritime lichens (College of Science Fellowship).

As levels in seaweed - collaboration with Earth and Ocean Sciences (Dr R. Cave) and Marine Institute.

Iodine levels in seaweeds and impacts on climate and human health (IRCSET).

Uptake of trace metals by macroalgae, and their effect on the production of algal exudates (MIME Project, funded by SFI and IRCSET). Collaborators: Dr Rachel Cave (PI) and Dr Donal Leech, NUI Galway.

Release and exudation of organic compounds from marine macro- and microalgae and implications for climate change and biomonitoring (EPA and IRCSET).

FLIM: Functioning of Local and Invasive Macroalgae: Carbon and Nitrogen Budgets and Climate Change (IRCSET postdoc Dr Sorcha Ní Longphuirt).

Marine micro- and macroalgae as functional foods (Marine Institute’s Functional Foods Initiative – Nutramara, DAFF)

Comparison of extraction technologies for high-value compounds from algae (IRCSET Enterprise Partnership)

Assessing recent trends in nutrient inputs to estuarine waters and their ecological effect. (EPA-STRIVE Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr Sorcha Ni Longphuirt) 
 

    

Link to PRTLI-funded algal analysis research facility

 

Recent conference contributions by lab members

 

Publications

Stengel, D.B. and Dring, M.J.  (1997). Morphology and in situ growth rates of plants of Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyta) from different shore levels and responses of plants to vertical transplantation. European Journal of Phycology 32:193-202.

Stengel, D.B. and Dring, M.J.  (1998). Seasonal variation in the pigment content and photosynthesis of different thallus regions of Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Phaeophyta) in relation to position in the canopy. Phycologia 37:259-268.  

Stengel, D.B., Wilkes, R.J.  and Guiry, M.D.  (1999). Seasonal growth and recruitment of Himanthalia elongata (Fucales, Phaeophycota) in different habitats on the Irish west coast. European Journal of Phycology 34 (2):213-221.  

Stengel, D.B. and Dring, M.J.  (2000). Copper and iron concentrations in Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Phaeophyta) from different sites in Ireland and after culture experiments in relation to thallus age and epiphytism. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 246:145-161.  

Pfetzing, J., Stengel, D.B., Cuffe, M. M.  Savage, A.V. and Guiry, M.D. (2000). Effects of temperature and prolonged emersion on photosynthesis, carbohydrate content and growth of the brown intertidal alga Pelvetia canaliculata. Botanica Marina 43 (4): 399-407.

Loughnane, C. and Stengel, D.B. (2002). Attached Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt found on the west coast of Ireland. Irish Naturalists' Journal 27(2):70-72.

Stengel, D.B. and Morrison, L. (2003). Environmental fingerprinting using seaweed. Irish Scientist Year Book. http://www.irishscientist.ie/2004/

Stengel, D.B., Macken, A., Morrison, L. and Morley, N. (2004). Zn concentrations in marine macroalgae and a lichen from western  Ireland in relation to phylogenetic grouping, habitat and morphology. Marine Pollution Bulletin 48: 902-909.

Varela-Alvarez, E., Stengel, D.B. and Guiry, M.D. (2004). The use of image processing in assessing conchocelis growth and conchospore production in Porphyra linearis. Phycologia 43 (3): 282-287.

Stengel, D.B. (2004). Algal ecophysiology and ecotoxicology at NUIG. Irish Scientist Year Book. www.irishscientist.ie/2004/

Varela-Alvarez, E., Stengel, D.B., Rindi, F. and Guiry, M.D. (2005). Alternation of nuclear phases and chromosome numbers in Porphyra linearis (Rhodophyta) from the western Ireland and Maine, USA. Phycologia 44(1): 61-65.

Stengel, D.B., McGrath, H., and Morrison, L.J. (2005). Tissue Cu, Fe and Mn concentrations in different-aged and different functional thallus regions of three brown algae from western Ireland. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 65(4): 687-696.

Stengel, D.B. (2005). Marine Biota - Algal-atmosphere interactions and feedback on climate.  In: SOLAS - Ireland National Report (C. O'Dowd, Ed.). Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Studies Ireland. Proceedings of 1st Irish SOLAS Workshop. 11-12.

Stengel, D.B., O'Reilly, S. and O'Halloran, J. (2006). Contaminants and Pollutants. In: The ecology of transportation: managing mobility for the environment. p. 361-389. Eds. J. Davenport & J. Davenport. Environmental Pollution Series, Springer Verlag. 

Stengel, D.B. (2006). Seaweeds as sensitive indicators of human impact and climate change. Irish Scientist Year Boo k.  

Stengel, D.B. (2006). Algal Responses to Environmental Change: Seaweed-environment interactions and their applications. In: SOLAS – Ireland National Report 2006 (C. O’Dowd, Ed.). Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Studies Ireland. ISBN: 978-0-9553862-2-0. Proceedings of 2^nd Irish SOLAS Workshop, 40-46.

Varela-Alvarez, E., Stengel, D.B. and Guiry, M.D. (2007). Seasonal growth and phenotypic variation in Porphyra linearis (Rhodophyta) populations on the west coast of Ireland. Journal of Phycology 43(1), 90-100.

Morrison, L., Baumann, H.A. and Stengel, D.B. (2007). An assessment of metal contamination along the Irish coast using the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Phaeophyceae). Environmental Pollution, 152, 293-303.

Loughnane, C., McIvor, L.M., Rindi, F., Stengel, D.B. and Guiry, M.D. (2008). Morphology, RBCL Phylogeny and distribution of distromatic Ulva (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) in Ireland and sourthern Britain. Phycologia, 47(4), 416-429.

Stengel, D.B., Zacharias, M. and Connan, S. (2008). Exchange at the Air-Sea Interface: Air Quality and Climate ImpactS (EASI-AQCIS) - Marine algal biological cycling. SOLAS – Ireland National Report 2008 (B.Ward, Ed.). Surface Ocean – Lower Atmosphere Studies Ireland. ISBN: 978-0-9553862-4-4. pp. 27-35.

Baumann, H.A., Morrison, L. and Stengel, D.B. (2009). Metal accumulation and toxicity measured by PAM-Chlorophyll fluorescence in seven species of marine macroalgae. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 72, 1063-1075.

Morrison, L., Feely, M., Stengel, D.B., Blamey, N., Dockery, P., Sherlock, A. and Timmins, E. (2009). Seaweed attachment to bedrock: biophysical evidence for a new geophycology paradigm. Geobiology, 7, 1-11.

Ní Longphuirt, S., Stengel, D., O’Dowd, C. and McGovern, E. (2010). Ocean Acidification – an emerging threat to our marine environment. Marine Foresight Series No. 6, Marine Institute, Ireland. 98pp. (download pdf)  

Nitschke, U., Ruth, A., Dixneuf, S. and Stengel, D.B (2010). Molecular iodine emission rates and photosynthetic performance of different thallus parts of Laminaria digitata (Phaeophyceae) during emersion. Planta: doi 10.1007/s00425-010-1334-3.

Baer, J. and Stengel, D.B. (2010). Variability in growth, development and reproduction of the non-native seaweed Sargassum muticum (Phaeophyceae) on the Irish west coast. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 90(4): 185-194.

Popper, Z.A., Michel, G., Hervé, C., Domozych, D.S., Willats, W.G.T., Tuohy, M.G., Kloareg, B., Stengel, D.B. (2011). Evolution and Diversity of Plant Cell Walls: From Algae to Flowering Plants. Annu Rev Plant Biol 62: doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103809. 

Connan, S. and Stengel, D.B. (2011). Impacts of ambient salinity and copper on brown algae:  1. Interactive effects on photosynthesis, growth, and copper accumulation. Aquatic Toxicology: doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.03.015.

Connan, S. and Stengel, D.B. (2011). Impacts of ambient salinity and copper on brown algae: 2. Interactive effects on phenolic pool and assessment of metal binding capacity of phlorotannin. Aquatic Toxicology: doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.03.016.

Stengel, D.B., Connan, S. and Popper, Z.A. (2011). Algal chemodiversity and bioactivity: Sources of natural variability and implications for commercial application, Biotechnology Advances: doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.05.016.

Steevensz, A.J., MacKinnon, S., Hankinson, R., Craft, C., Connan, S., Stengel, D.B., and Melanson, J.E. (2012).  Profiling Phlorotannins in Brown Macroalgae by Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Phytochemical Analysis: DOI 10.1002/pca.2354

Ashu-Ayem, E.R., Nitschke, U., Monahan, C., Chen, J., Darby, S.B., Smith, P.D., O’Dowd, C.D., Stengel, D.B., Venables, D.S. (2012). Coastal iodine emissions: Part 1. Release of I₂ by Laminaria digitata in chamber experiments. Environmental Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1021/es204534v.

Monahan, C., Ashu-Ayem E.R., Nitschke, U., Darby, S.B., Smith, P.D., Stengel, D.B., Venables, D.S., and O’Dowd, C.D. (2012). Coastal Iodine Emissions: Part 2. Chamber experiments of particle formation from Laminaria digitata-derived and laboratory- generated I₂. Environmental Science and Technology, dx.doi.org/10.1021/es3011805.

Nitschke, U., Connan, S., Stengel, D.B. (2012). Chlorophyll a fluorescence responses of temperate Phaeophyceae under submersion and emersion regimes: a comparison of rapid and steady-state light curves. Photosynthesis Research DOI 10.1007/s11120-012-9776-z

 

.       

 

Undergraduate Teaching

 

1st Year Biology (BO 101)

Microalgae, brown algae, red algae, green algae.

2nd Year Botany: Algae (BT206)/Aquatic Plant Science I (BT216)

Introduction to the algae; algal life histories and morphological types; marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments; Cyanophyta, diatoms and dinoflagellates; phytoplankton ecology; green, red, and brown algae and their characteristics; biotic interactions; introductions to algal metabolism, physiology and utilisation.

Marine Ecology I (MR316)

Physiological ecology of marine plants: rocky shore ecology, ecophysiological background to intertidal zonation, species distribution models, species interactions, competition and succession, ecology of rockpools.

Utilization of Algae (BT307)/Aquatic Plant Science II (BT317)

Introduction to the biology and utilisation of algae; traditional and current status of seaweed utilisation in Ireland, Europe and the Far East; seaweed uses and products; methods of seaweed harvesting and cultivation; specific examples of seaweed utilisation from harvesting to marketing; on- and offshore technology; ecological aspects of seaweed utilisation; potential utilisation of microalgae; nuisance algae/green tides.

Advanced Topics in Marine Science (MR401)

Physiological ecology of marine plants: classification schemes and models, reproduction, productivity, community structure, physiological responses to environmental factors, introduced species, plant - animal interactions, competition.

Specialist Topics in Marine Plant Science (BT421)

Marine plant biodiversity and other topics, depending on student projects.

Advanced Topics in Phycology (BT401/BT409)

Algal ecology, ecophysiology and general plant biodiversity.

Marine Ecology (MR309/310/314 ) and 3rd year Botany BT317); Field Trips

Rocky shore ecology, algal distribution and zonation, and visit to seaweed factory

      

    

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility