1 Faculty of Natural Sciences, Saigon University, 273 An Duong Vuong Street, Ward 3, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2 Faculty of Geosciences, University of Szczecin, Mickiewicza 16, Szczecin, Poland
3 FR CNRS 3473 IUML, Mer-Molécules-Santé (MMS), Université du Maine, Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans CEDEX 9, France
The Cần Giờ Mangrove Biosphere Reserve (CGMBR) is a protected wildlife sanctuary listed by the UNESCO, with a high ecological importance. Some studies have been recently dedicated to the diatoms found in the mangrove’s sediments and the benthic specimens sampled in the mud flat or the roots of trees. Our purpose is to establish a culture collection of the diatoms from the mangrove, to study their biodiversity by performing taxonomical studies with the most accurate tools, i.e. Scanning Electron Microscopy and molecular barcoding. The isolation and cultivation of diatoms in CGMBR is currently being conducted in Saigon University, to establish monospecific and monoclonal cultures. This process involves many steps and can entail prolonged periods of time. After 3 months, five strains of diatom are now isolated and placed in f/2 medium, 24 ±1 oC, light/dark cycle: 12/12 for growth, and many others are under the process of isolation. Special attention will be paid to the study of species belonging to the Naviculaceae family, especially the genus Haslea, in the frame of the H2020-MSCA-RISE-2016 GHaNA 734708. In addition to the study of biodiversity and cryptic diversity of mangrove diatoms, this culture collection will be a valuable asset to the many aquaculture installations in the surrounding area, principally black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), mud crab (Scylla serrata) and oyster (Crassostrea spp.) farming.
