Luis Leyva and Claudia Rojas are constructing an
anti-herbivorous metal fence in a field experiment
using native desert trees to protect the newly planted seedlings (2004).
Name: Luis A. Leyva
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2003-2006
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Effect of gluconic acid on its metabolic enzymes in the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense Cd associated with mesquite trees. .
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
  • Leyva L.A. and Bashan, Y. 2008. Activity of two catabolic enzymes of the phosphogluconate pathway in mesquite roots inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense Cd. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 46 : 898-904

Luis Leyva is helping to eradicate an invasive grass
in CIBNOR field preserve to make room for
re-vegetation with native plants (2003).

Name: Adan Trejo
Degree: Diploma in Biology
Years: 2005-2006
Graduate school: The Autonomus Metropolitan University (UAM), Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Characterization of Chlorella sorokiniana LAP1, a heat and solar-radiation tolerant microalgae, for wastewater treatment under extreme desert conditions.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising.
Publication from thesis:
  • de-Bashan, L.E., Trejo, A., Huss, V.A.R., Hernandez, J.-P. Bashan, Y. 2008. Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 2805, a heat and intense, sunlight-tolerant microalga with potential for removing ammonium from wastewater. Bioresource Technology 99: 4980-4989

Juan–Pablo Hernandez (left) and Adan Trejo (right) evaluating a high light intensity- high temperature photobioreactor for wastewater treatment with microalgae.

wastewater, phototrophic, chlorella
Octavio analyzing dissolved oxygen in some
samples of wastewater from the wastewater
treatment plant of La Paz, Mexico.
Name: Octavio Perez
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2006-2009
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Heterotrophic growth of Chlorella vulgaris coimmobilized with Azospirillum brasilense in alginate beads to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publications from thesis:
  • Perez-Garcia, O., de-Bashan, L.E., Hernandez, J.-P., and Bashan, Y. 2010. Efficiency of growth and nutrient uptake from wastewater by heterotrophic, autotrophic, and mixotrophic cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris immobilized with Azospirillum brasilense. Journal of Phycology 46: 800–812

  • Perez-Garcia, O., Escalante, F.M.E., de-Bashan L.E., and Bashan, Y. 2011. Heterotrophic cultures of microalgae: Metabolism and potential products. Water Research 45: 11-36. The definitive version is available at: http://www.elsevier.com

  • Perez-Garcia, O., Bashan, Y., and Puente M.E. 2011. Organic carbon supplementation of sterilized municipal wastewater is essential for heterotrophic growth and removing ammonium by the microalga Chlorella vulgaris. Journal of Phycology 47: 190-199.

Name: Blanca Estela Romero Lopez
Degree: D.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2004-2009
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Effect of plant-endophytes interaction on rock weathering.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publications from thesis:
 acetylene, mammillaria
Blanca injecting acetylene to her mammilaria
samples to determine nitrogen fixation.

chlorella, FISH, DGGE, restoration
Adan preparing a gel for PCR.
Name: Adan Trejo
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2007-2010
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: The potential use of microbiological residues from biological wastewater treatment; their application as inoculant for improvement of eroded soils.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis: Trejo, A., de-Bashan, L. E., Hartmann, A., Hernandez, J.P., Rothballer, M., Schmid, M. and Bashan, Y. 2012. Recycling waste debris of immobilized microalgae and plant growth-promoting bacteria from wastewater treatment as a resource to improve fertility of eroded desert soil. Environmental and Experimental Botany 75 : 65-73

Name: Sergio Hernandez Covarrubias
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2009-2011
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Interaction of the jointly immobilized microalga-bacteria system with the microbial community of domestic wastewater .
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
Sergio Hernandez Covarrubias
Sergio is thinking about his
next year and next experiments
with microalgae.
mangrove, restored, Balandra
Alejandra Vovides is measuring salinity in
the restored mangrove ecosystem at Balandra
Lagoon, near the city of La Paz,
Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Name: Alejandra Vovides
Degree: D.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Years: 2006-2011
Graduate school: Ecology Institute, Xalapa, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Nitrogen fixation in disturbed, reforested and conserved mangroves in arid and tropical zones of Mexico.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publications from thesis:
  • Vovides, A. G., Bashan, Y., Lopez-Portillo, J. A. and Guevara, R. 2011 Nitrogen fixation in preserved, reforested, naturally regenerated and impaired mangroves as an indicator of functional restoration in mangroves in an arid region of Mexico. Restoration Ecology 19: 236–244

  • Vovides, A.G., Lopez-Portillo, J., and Bashan, Y. 2011. N2-fixation along a gradient of long-term disturbance in tropical mangroves bordering the gulf of Mexico. Biology and Fertility of Soils 47: 567–576



Name: Luis Alonso Leyva
Degree: D.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2009
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: A study of association of Chlorella vulgaris and Azospirillum brasilense coimmovilized in alginate beads: Modulation mechanisms of AcetylCoA Carboxylase activity and lipid synthesis from C. vulgaris
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
Luis Alonso Leyva
Luis is preparing raw-fish cocktail
(ceviche) for the traditional
Christmas party .

francisco javier choix ley

Francisco Choix is measuring pH and accumulation of carbohydrates in the microalga Chlorella vulgaris coimmobilized with Azospirillum brasilense

Name: Francisco Javier Choix Ley
Degree: D.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2010
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Evaluating the accumulation of carbohydrates of residual biomass from microalgae Chlorella spp. coimmobilized with Azospirillum brasilense.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:

Name: Oskar Palacios Lopez
Degree: D.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2011
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Effect of ribose and thiamine produced by Chlorella on Azospirillum when co-immobilized in algined beads
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
francisco choix

Even the family is part of the doctorado studies, as Oskar knows very well. (Claudia, his wife and Eduardo, his son)


Name: Ivonne Cruz Santander
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2009
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Evaluation of efficiency of the micralga-bacteria system under autotrophic and heterotrophic conditions for treatment of domestic wastewater in 50 liters bioreactors
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
ivonne cruz santander

Ivonne Cruz measuring phosphorus and ammonium obtained from a photobioreactor and heterotrophic bioreactor treating wastewater with the microalgae Chlorella vulagris.


francisco javier choix ley

To eat or not to eat that is the question facing Betty

Name: Beatriz Meza Marquez
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2010
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Effect of indole-3-acetic-acid-producing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense on the microalga Chlorella vulgaris related to ammonium removal from synthetic wastewater treatment.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:

Name: Cinthya Chavez
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2010
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: Effect of the inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in the flow of protons of the cellular membrane of mezquite root (Prosopis articulata) in aeroponic system.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
ivonne cruz santander

Cinthya Chavez is probably thinking about her future experiments or maybe she is thinking if she can eat another “taco”.


edgar amavizca

Before star his studys Edagar took a day off in a beach. (He looks like a baywatch).

Name: Edgar Amavizca Valdez
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2011
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: To be defined
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:

Name: Emmanuel Vidana Avila
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2011
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: To be defined.
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:
emmanunel vidaña

Emmanuel took all his inspiration from the potato chips.


francisco javier choix ley

Can I use this fork for my experiments?? Is as it seems that Cristina wants to ask.

Name: Cristina Galaviz Bustamante
Degree: M.Sc. in: Use,management and conservation of natural resources
Starting year: 2012
Graduate school: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Location of thesis’ work: The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, La Paz, Mexico
Thesis: To be difined
Type of support: Financial and scientific advising
Publication from thesis:

students, mangrove, cactus