https://oceanexpert.org/expert/jordansruiz

ORCID : 0000-0002-5456-2434

MSc in Microbiology

Teaching/Education
Research

Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology
Marine Biotechnology, Marine Products

I am a Marine Biologist, have a Master’s degree in Microbiology and I am finishing a Doctoral degree in Marine Sciences (awaiting defense). I am from Colombia, I am very passionate about microbiology and corals and I have been working on coral probiotics and coral microbiomes for the last three years. I have wide expertise and experience working with marine bacteria. My passion is bacteria living associated with corals and the coral host. I have been always fascinated by the coral holobiont, the interaction between corals and their microbiota, and the adaptability of corals to changing environments. I started working on the isolation of bacteria from a resistant urban coral in the Colombian Caribbean and screened beneficial traits (antioxidant activity, pathogen control, and nutrient scavenging) to select strains to assemblage an experimental consortium to test its probiotic potential by mitigating damage and improving coral’s health in a heat-stress mesocosm. I isolated up to 132 bacterial strains and assembled a consortium composed of seven beneficial strains. With the application of this consortium, I managed to improve the physiological and microbiome response of two treated coral species by increasing survival and decreasing color loss and the abundance of opportunistic bacteria. I observed that with the addition of this beneficial consortium, I managed to maintain the coral microbiome stable and avoid the loss of symbiotic algae. Parallel, I have been working on the dynamics of the coral microbiome under different environmental conditions. I selected coral Madracis auretenra as a model and studied its microbiome for two years, comparing contrasting locations, seasonality, health status, and coral-macroalgae interaction. I found amazing information about stability, re-shaping, and buffering effects in M. auretenra microbiome with a dominance of specific taxa. These results are part of my doctoral thesis project.

Caribbean Sea

English
Spanish

Google Scholar

I am finishing a Doctoral degree in Marine Sciences, this is my last year and I am implementing potential strategies to assess microbial communities associated with corals and how these bacteria could protect or improve coral health through the application of potential probiotic bacteria.