Bogdan Druga

Am absolvit Facultatea de Biologie si Geologie din Cadrul Universitatii Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca in anul 2005, iar in 2010 am obtinut titlul de doctor, de asemenea la UBB Cluj, studiind cianobacteriile cu potential toxic din Transilvania. Au urmat doua stagii postdoctorale: primul partial in Romania si partial in Marea Britanie, la Imperial College London (2011-2013), iar al doilea in Elvetia, la Institutul Federal de Stiinte si Tehnologii Acvatice (Eawag) (2014-2016).


In prezent sunt cercetator la Institutul de Cercetari Biologice din Cluj-Napoca (din octombrie 2016). De aici, in masura in care experienta acumulata imi va permite, doresc pe de o parte sa ma implic activ si in rezolvarea problemelor comunitatii stiintifice din Romania, si de asemenea sa interactionez/colaborez cu alti oameni de stiinta care impartasesc aceleasi interese pentru cercetarea romaneasca.

Institutul de Cercetari Biologice, Cluj-Napoca, .

E-mail: trimite un mesaj.

Pagina web a instituţiei: http://www.icbcluj.ro/
Pagina web personala: http://www.bogdandruga.com

Nascut(a) in: 1983

Interese: Schimbari climatice, microalge, ecologie acvatica, microbiologie, evolutie adaptiva

Detalii:
Sunt un cercetator cu background in biologie moleculara si ecologie acvatica, iar in prezent interesul meu stiintific se indreapta spre intelegerea modului in care diverse specii-cheie de fitoplancton sunt afectate/interactioneaza in contextul schimbarilor climatice. Fitoplanctonul reprezinta organismele unicelulare, fotosintetice, care populeaza atat apele dulci cat si pe cele marine, si care reprezinta baza lanturilor trofice acvatice. De asemenea, fitoplanctonul produce jumatate din oxigenul pe care il respiram. Orice perturbare a fitoplanctonului poate avea consecinte majore asupra ecosistemelor acvatice, asupra ciclurilor biogeochimice, si chiar asupra climei. De aceea, intelegerea modului in care aceste organisme diverse reactioneaza la modificarile climatice reprezinta in prezent o prioritate, a carei scop final este acela de a sugera masurile necesare diminuarii acestor efecte negative.

In timpul doctoratului am studiat pentru prima oara cianobacteriile cu potential toxic din numeroase lacuri din Transilvania. In paralel, am studiat comunitatile de cianobacterii asociate forajelor termo-minerale din Campia de Vest. Am fost de asemenea implicat in cateva proiecte (inclusiv primul meu postdoctorat) axate pe producerea de biocombustibili cu ajuorul cianobacteriilor si al algelor verzi, timp in care am avut ocazia sa invat o tehnica de obtinere a mutantilor bacterieni, la Imperial College London (2012). Ca si postdoctorand in Elvetia, am cercetat interactiunile dintre diverse populatii de fitoplancton (cianobacterii) si zooplankton (Daphnia). Acest tip de cercetare este importanta in contextul incalzirii globale si a cresterii frecventei infloririlor cianobacteriene. Rezultatele mele au confirmat existenta unor puternice diferente intraspecifice cu privire la toleranta clonelor de Daphnia la cianobacteriile toxice/netoxice, sugerand astfel existenta unor efecte microevolutive.

Details:
I am a scientist with a background in molecular biology and aquatic ecology, and presently my research interest in focused on understanding the way various key-species of phytoplankton are affected/interact in the context of climate change. Phytoplankton are the single celled photosynthetic organisms found in freshwaters and marine waters, and represent the diverse foundation of aquatic food webs. Furthermore, phytoplankton produces about half of the oxygen we are breathing. Any disturbance in phytoplankton might have crucial consequences for marine ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles and climate patterns. Therefore, understanding the way these diverse organisms respond to climate change is a priority, with the final goal of taking the necessary actions to mitigate these negative effects.

During my PhD I studied for the first time the potentially toxic cyanobacteria from various lakes in Transylvania, Romania. Separately, during a three-years project I studied the cyanobacterial communities associated with several thermo-mineral water drillings in western Romania. Moreover, I was involved in several projects focused on biofuel production by cyanobacteria and green algae, during which I had the chance to learn a technique for obtaining cyanobacterial mutants as a visiting researcher in the laboratories of the Imperial College, London (in 2012). As a postdoc in Switzerland, my research focused on the interactions between phytoplankton (cyanobacteria) and zooplankton (Daphnia) populations over multiple generations. This research is important in light of global warming and increasingly frequent cyanobacterial blooms. My results confirmed strong intraspecific differences in the tolerance of Daphnia clones to toxic/non-toxic cyanobacteria, suggesting micro-evolutionary effects.


Selected publications

1. Drugǎ B, Turko P, Spaak P, Pomati F, 2016. Cyanobacteria affect fitness and genetic structure of experimental Daphnia populations. Environ Sci Technol, 50: 3416−3424.

2. Hegedus A, Mocan A, Barbu-Tudoran L, Coman C, Drugǎ B, Sicora C, Dragoș N, 2015. Morphological, biochemical, and phylogenetic assessments of eight Botryococcus terribilis strains collected from freshwaters of Transylvania. J Appl Physiol, 27: 865–878.

3. Szekeres E, Sicora C, Dragoş N, Drugǎ B, 2014. Selection of proper reference genes for the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7002 using real-time quantitative PCR. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 359: 102-109.

4. Drugǎ B, Welker M, Sesărman A, Hegedus A, Coman C, Sicora C, Dragoş N, 2013. Molecular characterization of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria from Romanian fresh waters. Eur J Phycol, 48: 287-294.

5. Coman C, Drugǎ B, Hegedus A, Sicora C, Dragoş N., 2013. Archaeal and bacterial diversity in twohot spring microbial mats from a geothermal region in Romania. Extremophiles, 17: 523-534.

6. Miu AC, Criş an LG, Chiş A, Ungureanu L, Drugǎ B, Vulturar R., 2011. Somatic markers mediate the effect of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms on Iowa Gambling Task. Genes Brain Behav, 11:398-403.

7. Drugǎ B, Şuteu D, Roşca-Casian O, Pârvu M, Dragos N, 2011. Two Novel Alliin Lyase (Alliinase) Genes from Twisted-Leaf Garlic (Allium obliquum) and Mountain Garlic (Allium senescens ssp.montanum). Not Bot Horti Agrobo, 39: 293-298.

8. Coman C, Bica A, Drugǎ B, Barbu-Tudoran L, Dragoş N, 2011. Methodological constraints in the molecular biodiversity study of a thermomineral spring. Anton Leeuw Int J, 99: 271-281.

9. Crişan LG, Pana S, Vulturar R, Heilman RM, Szekely R, Drugǎ B, Dragoş N, Miu AC, 2009. Genetic contributions of the serotonin transporter to social learning of fear and economic decision making, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 4: 399-408.