Mr Didier AURELLE's HOLODIV project, labelled by the A*Midex Foundation in the framework of the "Mediterranean 2018" call, started its activities in September 2019. This project strengthens Aix-Marseille's cooperation with the University of Istanbul in Turkey and the University Badji Mokhtar in Annaba in Algeria.
The project led by Prof. Didier Aurelle, and scientifically co-sponsored by Marc Bally and Christelle Desnues, was selected on 18 March 2019 by the Steering Committee of the A*Midex Foundation within the framework of the A*Midex "Mediterranean 2018" call for projects. This call aims to strengthen Euro-Mediterranean collaborations of the Aix-Marseille University site with privileged research partners.
The project entitled "Hologenome diversity and adaptation in Mediterranean gorgonians: tools for new management strategies of marine forests" (HoloDiv) aims to contribute to the knowledge of the ecological status of Mediterranean ecosystems, which is essential for the preservation and management of biodiversity, particularly within marine protected areas (MPAs). The project will explore the adaptive potential of a structuring species of Mediterranean benthic ecosystems, the yellow gorgonian gorgonian Eunicella cavolini, through an integrated study of its genetic and microbial diversity (hologenome). A large part of the interest of the project lies in particular in the use of genomic tools that provide access to information on the evolution and response of species to environmental constraints.
The project will study populations in the East and West, North and South basins of the Mediterranean that are subject to local anthropogenic pressures (pollution, fishing) or preserved (MPAs). Genetic diversity, population demographics, and local adaptation of gorgonians will be studied. At the level of associated microbiomes, a global analysis of diversity (bacteria, viruses, eukaryotes) will be completed by a detailed study of the variations of certain key taxa. These results will be compared to standard ecological indicators to better understand the status and trajectories of the populations. The genetic tools developed will feed into a discussion with MPA managers for the design of innovative actions to promote population evolution.
The project is implemented at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO) in Aix-Marseille (UMR AMU-CNRS-IRD-UTLN), in association with teams from the Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections (MEPHI) laboratory in Aix-Marseille (UMR AMU-IRD-CNRS) in partnership with the University of Istanbul in Turkey and the Badji Mokhtar University in Annaba in Algeria, as well as IFREMER (France) and the Parc National des Calanques (France). Collaboration between the various Mediterranean partners will make it possible to study these species under very different environmental conditions and over a wide geographical area. The involvement of Algerian and Turkish partners is essential for the ecological study of these gorgonians in their respective countries. This project will thus strengthen existing collaborations between AMU, Turkey and Algeria.
HoloDiv started up on 1 September 2019 for a duration of 36 months. Over this period, the project will be subsidised by the A*Midex Foundation to the tune of 80,000 euros.
Photo credits: F. Zuberer / OSU Pythéas