12/10/20 WONDERS AND CHALLENGES OF MARINE FIELDWORK 65 610 KM2 IN SRI LANKA EEZ: 460 000 km2 (size of Sweden!) PACO CARDENAS – PHARMACOGNOSY UPPSALA UNIVERSITY A BRIEF LOOK AT SRI LANKA A BRIEF LOOK AT SRI LANKA • POP: 22 MILLION (2016) • 82% OF THE POPULATION LIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE • LANGUAGES: SINHALESE (74%), TAMIL (18%), OTHERS (8%) • 4 MAIN PRODUCTION: • PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACY • TEA (3RD PRODUCER IN THE WORLD) • CAPITAL: COLOMBO (1.5 M.) • RUBBER (HEVEA RUBBER TREE) • DVPT. HUMAN INDEX: 0.766 (RANK: 73) • COCONUTS (NOT EXPORTED) • CIVIL WAR (1983-2009): ~150 000 DEATHS • RICE (NOT EXPORTED) 1 12/10/20 BIODIVERSITY AND CHEMODIVERSITY OF SRI LANKAN MARINE SPONGES: AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE NEW PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATIONS TWO TRIPS Gulf of Palk Strait Bengal • VR LINGAGE GRANT (2018-2021) PI SUNITHI GUNASEKERA, 1 200 000 SEK • JULY 2018: TRINCO (EAST) • 2 PHD STUDENTS (LAKMINI & JAYANI) Gulf of • FEBRUARY 2020: MANNAR AND JAFFNA Mannar • AIM 1. FILL THE KNOWLEDGE GAP IN SRI LANKAN SPONGE BIODIVERSITY (211 SPP.) (NORTHWEST AND NORTH) • AIM 2. CHARACTERIZE SPONGE CHEMICAL • FEBRUARY 2021? (SOUTH?) EXTRACTS AND ISOLATE SPECIALIZED METABOLITES • SUMMER 2021? (WHERE?) • AIM 3. ASSESS THE ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTICANCER BIOACTIVITY OF CRUDE AQUEOUS AND LIPOPHILIC SPONGE EXTRACTS. ROADS • 2 highways only (Colombo-airport; Colombo-Galle-Hambantota) • Bad condition of secondary roads (in the north especially)→ good vehicle (and good driver!) needed • Check-points • Use of paved roads by local population and animals: rice, nets, live stock, dogs… • Traffic (60-70 km/h, but in reality…) Be prepared: transport will be very time-consuming ! 2 12/10/20 Road leading to Karainagar, Karaitivu Road leading to Karainagar, Karaitivu Rice drying on the roads, Mannar island One of the numerous police checkpoints SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS COLLECTION METHODS COLLECTION METHODS snorkeling (1-4 m), VIDEO SCUBA-diving (4-40 m) 3 12/10/20 SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT - Collection net Trincomalee - Diving knife - Diving computer - Pre-labelled bags - Underwater camera - Diving torch - Diving gloves? + Diving equipment! Embarking for Pigeon Island National Park + Diving buddy! SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS COLLECTION COLLECTION IN TWO HABITATS VIDEO Coral reefs Grass beds 4 12/10/20 SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS COLLECTION COLLECTION Cinachyrella sp. Before After Acanthostrongylophora ingens? Haliclona (Gellius) fascigera? Stylissa massa SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS COLLECTION COLLECTION Spheciospongia vagabunda Charty Beach, Velanai Island, Jaffna area 1-1.5 m depth 5 12/10/20 SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS COLLECTION WEATHER Karainagar, FortCharty HammenhielBeach, Velanai, Island Karaitivu Island Karaitivu Island - Wind - Currents - Visibility in water - Crocodiles? Colonial ascidians ! VIDEO SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS PROCESSING OF SAMPLES PROCESSING OF SAMPLES 6 12/10/20 SAMPLING MARINE FAUNA IN SHALLOW WATERS MOLECULAR AND CHEMISTRY FIXATIONS PUBLIC OUTREACH • DRY • ETHANOL 96% • METHANOL? • RNALATER • HIGH TEMPERATURES IS YOUR ENEMY LOCAL COLLABORATION LOCAL COLLABORATION • CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD, 1992): SIGNED BY SWEDEN AND SRI LANKA • NAGOYA PROTOCOL (2010): SIGNED BY SWEDEN, NOT BY SRI LANKA • COLLECTION PERMITS OBTAINED THROUGH NARA FROM THE What to eat? Where to eat? MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. Where to collect? • TRANSLATOR (SINHALESE ↔ TAMIL) 7 12/10/20 PRELIMINARY SCIENTIFIC RESULTS CONCLUSION • Collaboration with the country is a big plus (permits, language, • AUG. 2018 (2 DAYS OF TRAVEL): 3 DAYS COLLECTION, 65 SPECIMENS network…) • FEB. 2020 (2 DAYS OF TRAVEL): 4 DAYS COLLECTION, 48 SPECIMENS • Training of Sri Lankan scientists (NARA, UoC). • SEVERAL COMMON SPECIES TO BOTH AREAS • Mannar area more interesting than Jaffna, worth reexploring. • We have collected 4 specimens for large-scale extractions • HIGHER DIVERSITY IN THE CORAL REEFS (Stylissa massa, Spheciospongia vagabunda, • PEPTIDE AND STEROL EXTRACTS SCREENED (WORK IN PROGRESS) Acanthostrongylophora ingens?, Keratosa sp.) Thank you Istouti Nandri 8.