COCONET - Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential
Summary
The Project will identify groups of putatively interconnected MPAs in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, shifting from local (single MPA) to regional (Networks of MPAs) and basin (network of networks) scales. The identification of physical and biological connections with clear the proceses that govern patterns of biodiversity distribution. This will enhance policies of effective environmental management, also to ascertain if the existing MPAs are sufficient for ecological networking and to suggest how to design further protection schemes based on effective exchanges between protected areas. The coastal focus will be widened to off shore and deep sea habitats, comprising them in MPAs Networks. Socioeconomic studies will integrate to knowledge-based environmental management aiming at both environmental protection (MPAs) and clean energy production(OFW). Current legistations are crucial to provide guidelines to find legal solutions to problems on the use of maritime space. Two pilot project (one in the Mediterranean Sea and one in the Black Sea) will test in the field the assumptions of theoretical appproaches. The Project covers a high number of Countries and involves researchers covering a vast array of subjects, developing a timely holistic approach and integrating the Mediterranean and Black Seas scientific communities through intense collective activities and a strong communication line with stakeholders and the public at large.
SZN role
SZN works as sub-partner of CONISMA and is responsible of assessment of genetic diversity and connectivity within Pilot sites (South Adriatic Sea and Black Sea) in two seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltei.
Partners
3e, Belgium; Clu, Italy; Cnr-Ismar, Italy; Cnrs, France; Coispa, Italy; Conisma, Italy; Csic, Spain; Dtu Aqua, Denmark; Geoecomar, Romania; Hcmr-Ioo, Greece; Iber-Bas, Bulgaria; Ibmk, Montenegro; Ibss Nasu, Ukraine; Ieo, Spain; Ih Cantabria, Spain; Inat, Tunisia; Io-Bas, Bulgaria; Iolr, Israel; Israbat, Morocco; Istanbul University, Turkey; Metu, Turkey; Mhi, Ukraine; Naturebureau, Uk; Nea, Georgia; Nenuphar, France; Nersc, Norway; Nimrd, Romania; Obibss, Ukraine; Rshu, Russia; Sinop University, Turkey; Sio Ras, Russia; Ukrsces, Ukraine; University Of Malta, Malta; University Of Rostock, Germany; University Of The Aegean, Greece; University Of Zadar, Croatia; Unizkm, Albania; Usof, Bulgaria; Ustv, France.
Project lifetime
2012-2015
P. I.
Gabriele Procaccini
Project coordinator: Ferdinando Boero (University of Salento, Italy)
Funding Institution
EU, FP7-KBBE
Contribution to SZN
€ 47,506.65
Website
ESSEM COST Action ES0906: Seagrass productivity: from genes to ecosystem management
Summary
The main objective of this Action is to provide the scientific basis for estimating and preserving the goods and services arising from the productivity of European seagrass ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure. Seagrass ecosystems rank with coral reefs and tropical rainforests in their many ecosystem services, yet are drastically declining worldwide as a consequence of both anthropogenic and natural pressures including habitat fragmentation, eutrophication, poor water clarity and climate change stressors. In spite of this, the level of awareness is low and management ineffective. Seagrass research is fragmented and there is little integration between researchers and coastal zone managers. The Action aim is to form a European-wide research coordination network that integrates expertise in physiological ecology, ecological genomics and conservation-resource management.
SZN role
G. Procaccini, Management Committee member and coordinator of the WG2. Develop functional genetic and genomic tools to understand seagrass photosynthetic responses to environmental stressors.
Project lifetime
2011-2014
P. I.
Gabriele Procaccini
Project coordinator: Rui Santos (University of Algarve, Portugal)
Funding Institution
EU - ERF
Website
FB: Seagrass Productivity _ Cost Action ES0906
HEATGRASS - Tolerance to HEAT stress induced by climate change in the seaGRASS Posidonia oceanica
Summary
Climate change is increasing in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events during European summers. Heat waves are enhancing the water thermal stratification in the Mediterranean Sea with dramatic consequences for coastal ecosystems. As a consequence of these heat waves, it has recently been predicted that Posidonia oceanica meadows could be functionally extinct by the middle of this century. However, there no exist evidences of this cause-effect relationship and almost nothing is known about the tolerance capacity of this seagrass species to warming. There is, therefore, an urgent need to determine the resilience and acclimation capacity of the species for the conservation of these valuable ecosystems, the functions, and the services they provide. The general objective of this research is to find out how sporadic extreme heat events will affect P. oceanica meadows, and to forecast how they will respond under the effects of climate change along the European Mediterranean coasts. To this end, the present project will be based on mesocosm experimentation and will combine novel transcriptomic and ecophysiological approaches for a comparative analysis of plants from contrasting thermal regimes. The main specific objectives are: i) to determine and analyse on an integrated approach the stress responses and tolerance mechanisms of P. oceanica over the course and recovery period of a simulated heat wave, ii) to identify specific genes associated with the tolerance and resilience of the species to heat stress, iii) to compare whether genotypes from thermally contrasting depths of a population differ in their tolerance and resilience to warming, and iv) to compare whether populations from thermally contrasting localities differ in their tolerance and resilience to warming. Findings will represent a substantial and novel contribution to the capacity of the species to adapt to global warming particularly useful to adopt decisions in management and conservation policies.
SZN role
Project coordinator and host organization
Project lifetime
7/2015-6/2016
P. I.
Funding Institution
EU, FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
Contribution to SZN
€ 249,242.80
GRASSMET - Climate change effects on seagrass secondary metabolism: ecological implications
Summary
This project aims to answer a relevant but yet unexplored question concerning the implications of climate change on seagrass communities: what will be the impact of changes in the relative availability of carbon and nitrogen in the plant’s primary and secondary metabolite profiles and how will this affect seagrasses capacity to defend themselves against oxidative stress and against epiphytes and herbivores? Seagrasses form some of the world's most productive marine ecosystems, with a very high ecological and economical importance and yet little is known regarding the physiological and ecological consequences of climate change on these plants. Most climate change scenarios predict that atmospheric CO2 concentrations will reach values in excess of 700 ppm before 2100, changing the relative availabilities of carbon and other nutrients, with foreseen important impacts on plant metabolism. Based on what is known for land plants, it is expected that C assimilation and N use efficiency will increase with rising CO2 availability, with direct consequences to the C:N balance in plant tissues. In this scenario, it is likely that seagrasses defence capacity be significantly affected, since the molecules involved in defense processes are also rich in carbon and/or nitrogen and share metabolic pathways with carbohydrates and amino acids synthesis. The antioxidant system depends on the activity of several enzymes, phenolic compounds and alkaloids, molecules with distinct compositions. While polyphenols, a large group of phenolic compounds, are N free, alkaloids are N containing compounds. In addition, phenolics, alkaloids and antioxidants, all play important roles in allelopathy and in the plant-epiphytes-herbivores relationships. Therefore, changes in carbon and nitrogen availabilities have the potential to affect not only seagrasses stress responses, but also the settlement of epiphytic communities and the grazing activity. To address this complex question, we designed a stepwise plan, that starts by optimizing the analytical methodologies for the screening and identification of the phenolic compounds, alkaloids, amino acids and soluble sugars in seagrasses, focusing on the molecules known to be relevant to defensive mechanisms, due to their antioxidant, allelopathic or anti-herbivory activity. The second step will be to investigate the effect of high CO2 and different nitrogen concentrations on the phenolics:alkaloids balance. This will be done through a series of manipulative experiments to be conducted in the mesocosm facility already in place at the CCMAR marine station and also by sampling plants at the vicinity of submarine volcanic vents in the Mediterranean where C. nodosa plants are exposed to naturally high CO2 and low nitrogen concentrations. Finally, we will investigate how different metabolite profiles will affect plants-epiphytes-herbivores relationships, again using a series of mesocosm manipulative experiments. To acomplish the ambitious worklplan, we assembled a team that largely derives from two previous sucessful projects that have set the stage for this natural followup, the European Science Foundation COST action "Seagrass productivity: From genes to ecosystem management" (ES0906) and the FCT-funded project "High-CO2 effects on seagrass photosynthetic ecophysiology" (PTDC/MAREST/ 3687/2012). The seagrass Cymodocea nodosa was selected as a model species, for which the team has recently sequenced the full transcriptome, making available a large amount of molecular resources. Methodologically, we shall use an innovative combination of ecophysiological tools, coupled to genetic techniques, in order to link the biochemical processes to the underlying transcriptional responses. Previous work by the team, relating functional genomics with ecophysiology, has revealed new perspectives about how marine angiosperms respond to environmental pressures and have paved the way for this next step.
SZN role
Participant Institution for the genetic characterization of Cymodocea nodosa individuals in situ and in mesocosms experiment and for assessment of gene expression in situ and controlled conditions.
Partners
University of Algarve, Portugal; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy
Project lifetime
2015-2016
P. I.
Gabriele Procaccini
Project coordinator: Joao Silva (University of Algarve, Portugal)
Funding Institution
Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia - Portugal
HighGrass - High-CO2 effects on seagrass photosynthetic ecophysiology
Summary
The atmospheric concentration of CO2 has been steeply increasing since the beginning of the industrial era. The oceans are responsible for taking up around 25% of the anthropogenic CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, but in this process the seawater chemistry is being altered, with the increase of total dissolved inorganic carbon (Ci) and the decrease of pH. At present, very little is known on the potential effects that these changes may have on seagrass biology and ecology, despite the fact that these plants are among the world's most productive marine ecosystems, with a very high ecological and economical importance (Costanza et al. 1997). A major impact is likely to occur at the photosynthetic carbon acquisition level. On the current state of the art, major uncertainties still persist concerning the operation of the fundamental processes of light harvesting and carbon acquisition in seagrasses. Much of these gaps are related to the fact that, although seagrasses are angiosperms, some of the physiological mechanisms and pathways of light harvesting and carbon acquisition are not identical to those found in their terrestrial counterparts, neither to those used by macroalgae inhabiting similar aquatic environments. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the operation of these mechanisms is a pre-requisite for further research aiming to predict the effects of a high-CO2 environment on seagrass physiology, productivity, distribution and ecosystem function. While it is commonly assumed that seagrass photosynthetic rates will respond positively to a high-CO2 scenario (Hellblom et al. 2001), the few published studies on this subject are not consensual, showing diverse responses and lacking physiological insights and explanations for the observed results. On the other hand, studies conducted in natural CO2 vents revealed that seagrasses have adapted to live under permanently high CO2 levels (Hall-Spencer et al. 2008) and are able to exploit CO2 of volcanic origin (Vizzini et al. 2010). Nevertheless, little information is still available on the effects of more diffuse and stable release of hydrothermal CO2 on seagrass productivity.
The first step in our research will be to solve critical knowledge gaps regarding the operation of the fundamental physiological processes of light harvesting and carbon acquisition in seagrasses. The next step will be to determine, in controlled mesocosm conditions, the short and long-term effects of high CO2 exposure on the operation of these two processes. Finally, we shall investigate how seagrasses growing in the vicinity of natural CO2 venting sites have adapted to long-lasting high CO2 conditions, under both high- and low-light regimes. To address this sequential set of objectives, we shall use an innovative combination of ecophysiological tools, coupled to genomics and proteomics techniques in a multilevel approach, from genes to the whole-plant level.
SZN role
Participant Institution for the genetic characterization of seagrass species in situ and in mesocosms experiment and for assessment of gene expression in situ and controlled conditions.
Partners
University of Algarve, Portugal; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy; University of Palermo, Italy; University of Calabria, Italy
Project lifetime
2013-2014
P. I.
Gabriele Procaccini
Project coordinator: Joao Silva (University of Algarve, Portugal)
Funding Institution
Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior - Portugal
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