Straight Talk
Dr. Riyadh Moosa, Corporate Technology Manager at
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), visited SQU recently on
the occasion of SQU-PDO Technology Souq, an event jointly
organised by SQU DVC for Postgraduate Studies & Research
and PDO Corporate New Technology Division. During this
event, PDO engineers and scientists presented a series of
selected PDO technical challenges to explore possibilities
of initiating research in these areas with possible PDO
funding. During his visit to SQU, Dr. Riyadh Moosa spoke to
‘Horizon’ about the past, present and future of PDO’s research
collaboration with Sultan Qaboos University.
Dr. Riyadh Moosa
Corporate Technology Manager, PDO
Horizon: How would you substantiate the importance of annually holding SQU-PDO technology poster session? How would you evaluate
the merit of the Technical Souq for the current year?
Dr. Moosa: This is for the third consecutive year that SQU and PDO are organizing this event. SQU-PDO Technology Souq would provide
SQU researchers with an idea of the technical challenges faced in terms of oil exploration production and motivate them to undertake research
projects or to provide services in the respective areas that would help PDO to resolve the challenges. This year the souq featured posters about
PDO water management challenges, chemical and thermal enhanced oil recovery, exploiting technology to enhance value, production well testing
technology and challenges, reservoir geophysics for finding the oil, microbial enhanced oil recovery and its applications, geomatics technologies,
chemical challenges, and artificial lift challenges.
Horizon: Would you elaborate the existing research collaboration between SQU and PDO?
Dr. Moosa: PDO has been collaborating with SQU in terms of research for the last seven years. For the last four years, we have been running
an average of eight collaborative research projects every year. The projects for this year include microbial enhanced oil recovery techniques,
chemical and mechanical profile control, etc. A couple of laboratories have been set up in SQU with the support of PDO which include an expandable
technology lab, a solid elastomers materials lab and a core flooding lab. PDO is currently helping SQU to set up a
PVT analysis lab on its premises. Our company has earmarked 1.5 to 1.8 million US dollars for collaborative
projects with SQU for the year.
Horizon:
We trust that PDO is by and large satisfied with the outcomes of collaborative
research project with SQU. Is it not so?
Dr. Moosa: We have achieved some great success with SQU. Great outcomes and benefits
to PDO have been achieved from the chemical profile control, sand control, solid expandable
tubular, and elastomers projects, to name a few. A few projects have faced initial hiccups to some
extent and this is common with any research. The nature of research is that not everything will work.
It is not a 100 per cent success rate obviously. We are looking forward to have more successes in
future by framing more collaborations in the areas where PDO faces technical challenges and SQU
has demonstrated interest and capability.
Horizon: Do we have plans to expand the collaboration to other areas such as management,
information technology, etc.?
Dr. Moosa: As of now, SQU-PDO research collaboration encompasses a wide range of science
and engineering fields. However, there are more areas in which we are interested in involving SQU as a
research partner. We have projects on carbon dioxide sequestration for which we have been driving the
momentum with a couple of universities outside the country (Columbia and Nottingham). We believe that
SQU is in a better position to participate in this project. Now we have agreed tentatively to proceed in this
direction together. Actually, PDO needs to have the support of SQU, the pioneering research establishment in
the country, to keep the momentum going. In this Technical Souq we focused primarily on the challenges in the
areas of Engineering and Science because these are the challenge areas that we have to deal with the most given
the difficult nature of the geology and recovery mechanisms we are dealing with in PDO. By comparison,
when it comes to other areas, like IT for example, our challenges are neither unique nor extreme, and as
a result we are happy to be followers and not necessarily peruse the state of the art.
Horizon:
How would you comment on the idea of extending collaboration to more areas
such as development of non-conventional energy sources, etc.?
Dr. Moosa: The fact is that PDO is not an energy company in the broad sense of
the term. It is in the field of oil and gas exploration and production. We don’t see ourselves
being involved in alternative energy generation as that will divert our focus and resources.
However, while we don’t look at non-conventional energy from an energy generation point
of view, we do look at it from an energy efficiency point of view. For instance, in a recent
meeting with a team from the World Bank, we found out that the solar powered RTUs
(Remote Telemetry Units) we use on the majority of our wells makes us the biggest user of
solar energy in Oman. In addition, PDO has plans to trial a solar system that will use the
sun’s energy to generate steam for our thermally enhanced oil recovery project in Amal,
which would be the first of its kind in the whole region.
Issue 194
Graduates, Get Ready to be Employed
Panorama
Biodiversity: A Life-supporting System
Mind Over Matter
SQU Participates in Traffic Safety Expo
News Update
Desert Microbes
in Oman
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
View Point
Summer Activities
As summer vacation nears, the kids are out of school and they have the long lazy days
of July and August ahead. The notion is that summer is time to take a break and refresh
the mind with entertainment and, of course, nurture extra skills. The Centre for Community
Service & Continuing Education, one of the important community service organs of the
university has come up with an array of activities for school children who join SQU Summer
Club for the year. The activities constitute a mix of sports and art activities, learning sessions
and field trips.
For those who grew up before the onset of the new millennium, summer holidays used to be
a glorious period of enjoyment with grand parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and
nephews. Running wild on date farms fields, climbing trees and slipping more often, diving
into the village springs… holidays are no longer the same.
Khamis Rajab Khamis
Editorial Supervision
Hilal Al Badi
Editor -in-chief
Younis Al Harrasi
Editor & Translator
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Anisa Al Jabri
Design & Layout
What makes us send our children to summer camps these days? Who opts for it – working
parents or housewives and for what reason? Do children really enjoy at these camps? What
are their expectations? There is no dearth of such questions and the debate goes on. Yet
the summer camps have come to stay, going by their increasing numbers each year across
the world. The reason is not too difficult to fathom -- disappearance of joint family structure,
increased migration from village to cities and the added pressures on children to do well in
school and competitions.
Summer clubs may or may not have put an end to the idyllic mode of enjoyment. But when
there is a flush of such activities, children too tend to develop an inclination. After all, change
is the only constant and when times change so do the avenues of enjoyment.
Let us hope that this summer club provide our kids with an opportunity to make new friends
besides helping them learn new skills. In the contemporary world we are left with no option
but believe that summer camps are a necessity for children who live in an era of competition.
Our summer camp seems to be filling in with the right kind of approach and combination of
activities which contributes to overall development of a confident child.
Rashad Al Wahaibi
Photography
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited
for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
30 May 2010
P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
Panorama
Graduates, Get Ready to be Employed
This article written by Al Hassan Al Issa, Tasneem Al Wahaibi and Khalil Al Mufargi on the basis of
a research done by during Business Communication course at College of Commerce and Economics.
Okay, you have graduated from college. With
your degree in hand, you are now looking for a
job that fits your educational qualifications. In
today’s tough economy, that is not always easy
to attain. Searching for a job, understanding
employers’ needs, and writing a resume that
stands out from the pack will be essential for you
to produce in the near future. In order to help
you get your head around the current situation in
the market place, a study of both graduates’ and
employers’ expectations, needs, and challenges
was undertaken by one of the Business
Communication sections in the College of
Commerce and Economics. 35 graduates and 35
employers participated in the research conducted
through questionnaires and interviews. The
findings are well-worth considering if you would
like to increase your chances of being hired.
The large part of the survey was dedicated to
graduates’ expectations of their future workplace.
According to the research, expectations differ
from males to females. The interesting thing
is that male graduates consider salary as the
number one priority among their expectations,
while less than half of female graduates think the
same. The majority of female graduates believe
that professional growth and challenging tasks are
more important than materialistic benefits. Also,
the greater number of females who are working
or looking for a job are willing to stay in their job
for a long period of time, whereas less than half
of males are willing to continue in their job only
for a short period of time . Furthermore, male and
female graduates have a strong belief that the
private sector is a better place to work than the
public sector. Quite reassuring are the findings
that more than half of both male and female
respondents are convinced that the Omani labour
market is providing adequate and appropriate
offers to meet their expectations.
The research also shows that companies are
aware of graduates’ expectations and are trying
their best to meet them. The reputation and name
of a company is the first step towards attracting
graduates. Companies which are well-known
in the international world and have proved that
they are concerned with employees’ well-being
and professional growth have better chances to
succeed in employing graduates. Another way
of attracting graduates to apply for jobs is to
bring to the graduates’ attention the importance
of considering the “whole” package, not just
the salary. Large recruiters often offer a set of
benefits as well as a competitive salary as a way of
attracting graduates to work for them. Among the
financial benefits are subsidized sports facilities,
a company car, a pension scheme, employee
share allowances, relocation allowances, child
care services or other facilities. Non-financial
incentives include training, acknowledgement
of achievements, motivation, positive work
environment and good relationships among
employees.
During the research process, key areas that require
graduates’ attention in order to be successful at
work were identified. The first and most essential
area that graduates should focus on is business
communication skills. Meetings, business writing,
presentations, negotiations, making phone calls,
analytical and problem solving skills fall into this
category. These professional communication skills
have proven to be very important for graduates
and employers, whether males or females,
as the research shows that 50% of them have
undergone special self-paid courses to improve
their professional communication skills. Other
areas that deserve graduates’ special attention
are English language, ability to work in teams,
developing the right attitude, and cross-cultural
communication skills.
Using the results of our research, five major
challenges that graduates face in the jobhunting process were established. High level of
competition heads our list as being the biggest
challenge out there. Here is a typical scenario:
you have graduated from college with a decent
degree; you feel on top of the world and ready
to pick your dream job. The reality, however, is
that you are one of many in the same boat. So
what can you do to differentiate yourself from
the rest of the crowd? You need to ensure that
your resume is in the top 5-10% of all resumes.
A single mistake in your resume can be the
difference between your resume ending up in the
interview stack or in the deleted folder. Secondly,
lack of experience is the big “Chicken and Egg”
problem that all new graduates face. You need
experience to be able to get a job. However, in
order to gain experience, you need a job. Too
high expectations come in third. Many graduates
complete university and expect to get the job
which they want. Furthermore, graduates have
an expectation that they know what is best and
should actually be the boss rather than working
for the boss. It is important for graduates to realize
that they need to gain experience before they can
call themselves the boss. In number four comes
in the debate between further higher education
and job seeking. Do you continue to study or
start straight away with the job seeking? Many
graduates continue to study, which can pay back
in the long run. Others feel that there is no better
education than the real life experience of learning
on the job. Finally, and just recently, the downturn
in the economy has managed to become a new
challenge in the job searching process. The best
thing to do is to network, stay patient and increase
the effort you put into the job search. You are going
to have setbacks and days when you feel like the
whole world is against you. The real challenge will
be to preserve confidence and not to give up.
All in all, you will be searching for your first job and
most of the time you may end up doing something
you never imagined or studied in college. However,
there is no need to press the panic button just yet.
These possibilities can certainly be translated into
a learning experience.
30 May 2010
P7
News Round Up
SQU Students Qualified
for Imagine Cup Finals
By: Samah Al-jadeedi
Students from college of science at SQU have successfully and creatively positionedd the
country in the global map with the Imagine Cup 2010 competition. The Sultanate of Oman has
been qualified for the final challenge of Imagine Cup after Microsoft Gulf announced the winning
regional teams for the Imagine Cup 2010 competition after competitive challenges amongst
students across the GCC region from various colleges and universities. The eliminations for
the regional competition as students displayed their innovative projects were recently hosted
in Dubai, UAE.
The team ‘HAQ’ from SQU has qualified for the final round with the students Al Waleed Al
Rashdi, Hamed Al Hinai, Irkan Al Faraji, and Ahmed Al Arfati, all from the Computer Science
Department of the College of Science. Their winning project “Show Me The Traffic” is an
educational project based on three technology mediums, being the radio, mobile and website.
The idea revolves round the ability to know which streets have more traffic and accordingly to
choose another road to take through an electronic system. Drivers are effectively and efficiently
informed of the status of the roads.
CCE Students Attend
Women’s Forum
The project “Find Me A Taxi” presented by the team ‘SQU’ constituted by
Mazen Al Amri, Ahmed Al Yamani, Ahmed Al Habsi, and Hussain Al Muqbali
from the Computer Science Department also won,. The project enables
request of a taxi through a simple electronic method that determines your
location accurately and sends a taxi to your location as it saves you time,
effort and money.
The Imagine Cup competition aims to empower the student in creatively and
innovatively utilizing technology to find solutions that have current social
value globally, as defined by the United Nations millennium development
goals. This ranges from designing mobile health care applications, enabling
children worldwide to receive a good education and to designing games that
contribute in elevating awareness for disease prevention. The competition
also motivates students to challenge their imagination and creativity
for a good cause with a world where technology can help make a great
difference under the theme “Imagine a world where technology helps solve
the toughest problems.”
The competition also benefits students to realize solutions that empower
their communities and lives, with Imagine Cup being the world’s premium
student technology competition. Imagine Cup is an initiative launched by
Microsoft with the final stage for the 2010 competition scheduled in Warsaw,
Poland from July 3rd to the 8th, 2010.
PROs from Ministry
of Health Visit SQU
Twenty eight female students from the College of Commerce were given the opportunity
to attend the Women in Business Conference. The participation of the female students
was arranged under the sponsorship of Qalhat Liquified Natural Gas (QLNG) and
Envent. The annual Women in Business Conference for the year 2010 was held recently
under the patronage of HE Dr Rawya Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education, at the
Intercontinental Hotel, Muscat.
This year’s Women in Business Conference held under the theme “Changing the Face
of Business - Women as an Economic Force” took off on the first day by giving gifts and
trophies to the guests of honor and sponsors. Later, the speakers of the day covered the
topics of “Women’s ingenuity”, “Re-entry and reinventing’ and “Developing Leadership
and Management Skills” and also shared their experiences with the delegates attending
the conference. A panel discussion on “Work Life Balance” which was moderated by
Jamal Al Asmi - Business Director, Reality CG, gave the opportunity for the participants to
share and elaborate on their experiences with the speakers. Two separate workshops on
“Strategy Development” and “Transforming ideas into Business” were held after the panel
discussion in two sessions. The second session of the workshops was continued after
lunch which was served at the hotel.
The Women in Business Conference 2010 was a great success. Women from various
backgrounds and walks of life were given the opportunity to meet and share their knowledge
and experiences. The delegates attending the conference benefited tremendously from
the speeches and workshops. The emphasis on the importance of empowering women,
by the conference, boosted the level of confidence within each of the female delegates.
Karima Al Amri, Students Affairs Officer at the College of Commerce and Economics, said
“This is the fourth time I participate in the conference” and I would like to thank Qalhat
LNG and Envent for giving us this great opportunity to take part in the conference. “I have
learned a lot from listening to the various speakers and attending the different workshops.
I have now gained experience on how to set targets and achieve goals”, she said.
30 May 2010
P6
A group of Public Relations Officers in the Ministry of Health,
presently undergoing in-service training at Institute of Public
Administration functioning under the Ministry of Civil Service, visited
the Public Relations and Information Department of SQU recently.
Khamis Rajab Khamis, Director of Public Relations & Information
Department received the team at the University.
An computer aided audiovisual presentation on SQU and its different
colleges and centres was screened for the visiting delegation. The
Public Relations Officers at the Ministry of Health are responsible
for disseminating health information to the public directly and
through different mass media platforms. The Institute of Public
Administration provides in-service training to government and public
sector organisation employees in the country, aimed at enriching
their official skills and capabilities.
The team visited different sections of the Department of Public
Relations & Information at SQU and interacted with the employees
to learn more about the working of different sections including the
media and journalism sections.
SQU Participates in Traffic Safety
Expo; Exhibits 16 Paintings
Sultan Qaboos University actively participated in Road Traffic Exhibition held
at Oman International Exhibition Centre in Al Seeb. In addition to the display
of 16 paintings which depicted the ill effects of road traffic accidents, the SQU
pavilion showcased various traffic safety awareness activities organized at
different levels in the university including the Information Section and student
groups campaigns. All the 16 paintings were done by students from the Art
Education Department of the College of Education at SQU.
The road traffic accidents prevention campaign organized by the Business
Group of the College of Commerce & Economics and the traffic safety
campaign organized by the Media Group functioning under the Deanship
of Student Affairs were highlighted at the SQU corner in the Traffic Safety
Exhibition. Movies portraying the need for road traffic safety prepared by the
Media Innovation Group and movie clippings of Traffic Week events organized
by the SQU Department of Public Relations & Information were screened at the
SQU corner during the exhibition. The annual traffic week is observed at SQU
with a number of activities every year.
1st Traffic Safety Exhibition was held on the fringes of the ‘Traffic Safety
Symposium’ organized by Royal Oman Police. The Traffic Safety Expo
featured the latest and most innovative road safety solutions from both local
and international exhibitors. It was an essential event for the Sultanate of Oman.
The event was successful in improving understanding among key players and
stakeholders of how the latest technological advancements and best practices
can assist in accident reduction and encourage more responsible attitudes to
road usage that will lead to a safer driving environment.
News Update
Summer Club to Begin
on June 13
The 7th Summer Club organised by the Centre for Community Service &
Continuing Education will be held from June 13 to July 21, 2010 from 9 am to 2
pm. The Summer Club, aimed at school students will be held in collaboration with
different colleges and centres of SQU. All the summer club’s activities will taken
place at SQU premises including its sports halls, computer labs, swimming pools
and lecture rooms.
The activities include computer skills training, English language training, fine arts
learning sessions (painting, formation of raw materials, printing on canvas, crafts
making etc.) Sports activities for girls include gymnastics, basket ball, handball,
and swimming and for boys, soccer, swimming and gymnastics.
In addition to these, field trips will also be arranged for participants. Female
students aged between 9 and 15 years and males between 9 and 14 years
old can participate in the Summer Club. The registration fee is RO 70 including
transportation and RO 55 for those who do not want transportation facility.
Transportation will be provided to those students living between Gala roundabout
and Baraka roundabout. The Centre for Community Service & Continuing
Education authorities informed that a total of 550 students (275 male and 275
female) can register for Summer Club this year.
A Monograph on Management of Salt-Affected
Soils and Water for Sustainable Agriculture
SQU was the Principal Investigator of the project. This collaborative effort of the two organisations
produced excellent results in diversified areas in the management of soil and water salinity for
sustainable agriculture in the Sultanate. The Ministry of Regional Municipality and Water Resources
and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture also collaborated in the project. The results
obtained from this research project, featuring multidisciplinary approach, are expected to benefit
the farmers and the country in adapting to live with salinity and contributing towards combating
desertification.
Dr. Salim Ali Al-Rawahy
The College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences (CAMS) and the
Ministry of Agriculture (MA) have jointly conducted a strategic
research project supported by His Majesty’s Strategic Research
Trust Fund entitled “Management of Salt-affected Soil and Water
for Sustainable Agriculture”. Dr. Salim Ali Al-Rawahy of CAMS,
CAMS and MA also brought out a book containing results and recommendations of the project.
The book titled “A Monograph on Management of Salt-affected Soils and Water for Sustainable
Agriculture” was edited by Dr. Mushtaque Ahmed, Associate Professor in the Department of Soil,
Water and Agricultural Engineering of CAMS, Dr. Salim Ali Al Rawahy, Assistant Professor in the
Department and Dr. Nazir Hussain from the Ministry of Environment, Qatar.
The monograph was released on the occasion of the International Conference on Management of
Soils and Groundwater Salinization in Arid Regions, recently hosted by SQU and jointly organized
with the MA. The book consists of 14 papers related to the strategic research project authored by
researchers from SQU and the MA. The monograph can be downloaded from this internet link: http://
www.squ.edu.om/tabid/8578/language/en-US/Default.aspx
30 May 2010 P3
Insight
Desert microbes in Oman
Dr. Raeid Abed
Many people would see deserts as fascinating environments of adventure and exploration while others consider them as boring areas
where only sparse vegetation, little water and a limited population of people and animals exist. Microbiologists have a different opinion
where deserts for them are fantastic hotspots to discover unique microorganisms and to find out their adaptation mechanisms, which
enable them to survive the desert’s extreme conditions of high temperature, UV and light intensity and on top the scarcity of water. A
study carried out by Dr. Raeid Abed and his team at the Biology Department at Sultan Qaboos University focused on the diversity of
microorgansism, their adaptation and role in improving soil stability and productivity in biological soil crusts from Omani deserts. The
study revealed many novel and interesting findings.
What are biological soil crusts and why deserts?
Biological soil crusts are composed of a few millimeters of topsoil layer of highly
specialized organisms, including cyanobacteria, green algae, fungi and many
heterotrophic bacteria. Crusts are distributed worldwide, particularly in arid and semiarid landscapes. Approximately one-third of the Earth’s land surface is desert, arid land
with meager rainfall. More than half of Oman’s surface area is covered by deserts.
Oman’s desert climates vary from hyperarid in the central desert to arid in the coastal
regions, receiving an annual mean rainfall of about 40 and 85 mm, respectively.
Summer air temperatures are normally in the 40s, but can reach 50 °C, and soil surface
temperature may exceed 65 °C. So far nothing is known about microbiology of Omani
deserts and whether bacteria can survive these extreme environments. The absence
of water, almost throughout the year, makes it hard to believe that there can be any
sort of life there. Research on deserts have recently attracted many scientists around
the globe with the aim to reveal some of the mysteries of how life could exist on other
planets and what are the limits of this life.
What microbes could we find?
Different techniques were empolyed that included direct microscopy, enrichment
cultivation and state-of-art molecular tools in order to describe the bacterial diversity in
Omani deserts. More than 300 different types of bacteria were identified based on their
16S rRNA gene sequence. Cyanobacteria formed around 77–81% of the total microbial
communities and the rest belonged to the bacterial groups Alpha- and Deltaproteobacteria,
Bacteriodetes, Gemmatimonas and Planctomycetes. The cyanobacterium Microcoleus
vaginatus was the most abundant cyanobacterium, but Nostoc and Scytonema types
dominated in cultures. Thirty-seven percent of the cyanobacteria were affiliated with
heterocystous types such as Nostoc, Scytonema, Brasilonema and Petalonema, which
are known for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
How could these microbes tolerate desert environments?
Many cyanobacteria inhabiting Omani deserts were found to contain a special pigment
called scytonemin, know to act as a sunscreen for UV protection. This pigment has
been shown to occur in many cyanobacteria in other deserts. Other cyanobacteria
that are not able to produce scytonemin were also detected but were found to hide
beneath the scytonemin-containing types. Some other bacteria belonging to the genus
Deinococcus were also found in Omani deserts. Deinococcus is known for being the
most radiation-resistant vegetative cell and in fact it can live through blasts of radiation
thousands of times greater than the level that would kill a human being. These bacteria
can fragment its DNA ito small pieces upon exposure to UV radaition but reassemble it
so efficiently when normal conditions are restored. Dessication-tolerant cyanobacteria
that could survive without water for exteneded periods of time were also found. Nostoc
spp. were isolated in cultures from Omani deserts and these cyaobacteria were found to
survive around 2 years of dessication but come back to life as soon as they are wetted
with water. This amazing ability to survive dryness for such a long time is still puzzling
at the cellular level and such bacteria are presumably having special proteins and DNA,
which awaits further investigations.
30 May 2010
P4
Cyanobacteria migrate in search of water
One of the most amazing discoveries of this study is the ability of cyanobacteria to
track water in Omani desert soils, a process known as “hydrotaxis”. Since the discovery
of hydrotaxis in cyanobacteria in 2004, no further studies were performed to find out
whether this phenomenon occurs in other desert soils and whether hydrotaxis is
widespread among different cyanobacterial species. We investigated the greening
of soil surface in four biological soil crusts from geographically different locations in
the Sultanate and identified the cyanobacteria that colonized the crusts surface using
imaging and molecular tools. The greening of the surface was evident in minutes
after wetting and increased with time. While Oscillatoria sp. was found to cause the
greening in crusts from Spain, high abundance of Microcoleus vaginatus, identified by
its typical morphology and 16S rRNA sequence, were concentrated in the topsoil layer
of our crusts. This cyanobacterium was found to be responsible for the greening of
the surface layer in all studied crusts. To find out whether the observed greening of
the crust surface was due to migration of cyanobacteria (i.e. hydrotaxis), chlorophyll a
(Chl a) was extracted from the top (0-1 mm) and bottom (1-10 mm) layer of the crusts
and measured using high performance layer chromatography (HPLC) at different time
intervals. Surprisingly, the concentration of Chl a after wetting increased in the top layer
5 times in 5 min and then remained stable for 12h, but it remained unchanged in the
bottom layer. This observation primarily suggests that the greening of crusts surface
is not only due to hydrotaxis but could also be due to rapid increase in the production
and/or reassembly of Chl a molecules, which is still puzzling of how this could happen
in such a short time. Out results suggest cyanobacteria have a very powerful response
mechanisms to short pulses of rainfall that enables them to switch from almost zero to
manifold metabolism in a very short time. This still requires further studies using modern
hyperspectral imaging and proteomics techniques to gain more understanding of the
response of desert microorganisms to wetting.
Desert crusts
Omani soil crusts were found to contain abundant community of heterocystous
cyanobacteria which possess the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation
rates in these crusts were measured usig acetylene reduction assay and were found to
be very high. This suggests that these crusts play a very important role in soil fertilization
and can facilitate desert revegestation and use for agriculture. Crusts were also found
to improve soil characteristics by increasing its water holding capacity and reducing soil
erosion. Research is still underway to explore the desert microbes for biotechnological
applications. The microbes living in crusts are adapted to high UV and light intensity
as well as to dessication and may produce special types of enzymes. Scytonemin,
which is known as a sunscreen pigment is abundantly produced in these organisms and
one can explore isolated bacteria from crusts for mass production of this pigment and
possible commercialization. The crust microbes will also be screened for the production
of bioactive compounds and bioplastics.
Mind Over Matter
Biodiversity: A Life-supporting System
Dr. Amina Al Farsi - Dept. of Biology - College of Science
Biological diversity is the variety of life forms on Earth. This includes all plants,
animals and their habitats. Biodiversity is usually considered at three levels: genetic
diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity refers to the
variation of genes in all of the individual plants, animals and micro-organisms.
It occurs between populations of species as well as between species. Species
diversity refers to the variety of living species, which can be measured by means
of species richness, abundance and taxonomic or phylogenetic relationships. Each
species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play in safeguarding
the diversity. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life
forms. Ecosystem diversity relates to the variety of habitats, biotic communities
and ecological processes. Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover
from disasters and provide many benefits to everyone, for free!
Biodiversity benefits include ecosystem services such as protection of soil and
water resources, nutrient storage and cycling, pollution breakdown and absorption,
and contribution to climate stability. Another important benefit is the availability of
biological resources like food (plants, animals, and marine resources), medicinal
plants, wood products (for fuel, construction, and paper production), ornamental
and horticultural plants, breeding stocks & population reservoirs (e.g. stock of fish
and aquatic fauna in mangroves and wetlands). Conservation of components of
biodiversity also allows for social benefits as natural areas provide excellent living
laboratories for research, education and monitoring of ecosystems. Other important
social benefits include tourism for recreational purposes and cultural values to
conserve the environment for present and future generations.
As a result of human activities, biodiversity is facing severe threats and many wildlife
species are disappearing at an alarming rate. While extinction is a natural process,
species and ecosystems today are threatened with destruction at a rate rarely
seen in history. The main threats to biodiversity are invasive alien species, climate
change, nutrient loading (leading to pollution), and habitat change. Invasive alien
species are those which are not native to an area and they can invade an ecosystem
via trade, transport and travel. These species are harmful to native biodiversity by
being competitors, predators, parasites or by spreading disease. Climate change
is predicted to have a major role in biodiversity loss. Terrestrial and marine life
will be affected as concentration of dissolved atmospheric carbon dioxide grows.
Climate change will also greatly impact polar ecosystems, with effects such as
thawing frost and decreased snow cover. Because of human activities (agricultural,
industrial and urban) nutrients that occur naturally in the environment will increase
in their levels. High nutrient concentrations are putting species at risk through air,
water and soil pollution. Excess pollutants can leave a species susceptible to other
dangers of biodiversity loss such as habitat change or competition from invasive
species. Habitat destruction, degradation and unsustainable management as
a result of human activity have reduced the Earth’s biodiversity. Statistics show
almost 70% of Mediterranean forest, woodland and scrub were lost by 1990. In the
Caribbean, average hard coral cover has declined about 50% to 10% in the last
three decades. Some 35% of mangroves have been lost in the last two decades.
The United Nations negotiated a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to
acknowledge the threats to ecological, economical, spiritual, recreational and
cultural benefits of the Earth’s living resources. The CBD was opened for signature
by world leaders at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and
Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. The objectives
of the convention are the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of
biological resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the
use of genetic resources.
The Middle East is a transition zone between three major biogeographic units (the
Palaearctic, the Afrotropical and the Oriental). This results in an outstanding biogeographic significance and a unique biological diversity. The countries of the region
have signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Over the last decades, a wealth of research on the Middle Eastern biodiversity has
been carried out, both inside and outside the region, to address biodiversity loss
due to uncontrolled development and climate change.
In Oman, the ecosystems are fragile and the renewable natural resources are
scarce. Thus conservation of biodiversity is very important, where the ecosystems
are challenged by many factors such as over-grazing, soil erosion, over-fishing,
land degradation and desertification. Many aquatic and terrestrial species are
believed to have either disappeared or subject to severe threats resulting from
deterioration of their habitats.
In recognition of the current state of biodiversity, the Sultanate of Oman realized the
need to maintain a healthy environment to protect nature, economic, agricultural
and industrial productivity towards a sustainable development. Oman signed the
CBD in June 1992 and has ratified it in 1994 by a Royal Decree (119/94). It has
also ratified other United Nations conventions such as climate change (NUFCCC)
and Basel conventions. In 2001, a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
were prepared by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water
Resources. The plan is viewed to be an ongoing, continuous and cyclical process.
The actions outlined in the strategy get implemented along the line on national
development and in light of the regional and international context. The action
plan is made of eleven themes: conservation of natural resources; terrestrial and
freshwater fauna; marine life and fisheries; terrestrial and aquatic plants; agriculture
resources; energy resources; mineral resources; industry, technology and services;
urban environment; water resources; environmental emergencies; participation
of the public, non-government organizations and private sector; societal values;
quality of life and spiritual values.
30 May 2010
P5