GENORMALG

Climate change in European abalone: Population genetics and bioremediation for algae

Coordination

Sabine ROUSSEL, Grégory CHARRIER

Project type

National

Funding

C2CO CNRS (Ormalg)

Isblue (HOPOPoP)

ATM Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Ormoclim)

Project duration

Start Date

12/04/2026

End Date

12/04/2026

Links

Genormalg sur le site d’Océanopolis

The European abalone is an emblematic species of the Breton coast, whose local populations have suffered a massive decline since the late 1990s due to the impact of a pathogenic bacterium (Vibrio harveyi). For several years, scientists and professionals have been working together to restore the decimated natural populations. However, the global changes we are now facing raise a major question about the capacity of abalone populations to cope with the rapid changes in their natural environment (rising temperatures, ocean acidification). In this context, the GENORMALG project was conducted within OCEANOLAB to explore how abalone can respond to environmental changes (acidification and warming). This experiment was structured around two components:

The first component consisted of comparing the capacity of wild and farmed populations to cope with current environmental variations as well as those projected for 2100 according to IPCC scenarios. The restoration of abalone populations relies heavily on hatchery-raised juvenile production. Consequently, in the context of current climate change, it is particularly important to ensure the capacity of farmed animals to cope with the environmental conditions predicted for the very near future.
The second part of the project focused on studying abalone acclimatization processes to their environment in the context of global change, taking into account the abiotic (pH/temperature) and biotic (interaction with macroalgae) environmental factors to which abalone will be subjected in their natural environment or in aquaculture. This project will specifically assess the potential of algae as a bioremediation method to mitigate the detrimental effects of global change on this calcifying mollusc

An integrative approach was conducted, focusing on the molecular (e.g., gene expression), cellular (e.g., mitochondrial respiration), and individual (e.g., respiration, excretion, behavior, biomineralization) levels to better understand the mechanisms involved in abalone responses to environmental pressures. The experimental phase was carried out over one year, in 2024, followed by the results analysis phase in 2025. A significant part of the project also involved presenting the experimental approach and the issue of climate change to the general public at the Océanolab site, allowing them to see "science in action." In total, 26,135 visitors discovered our experimental setup and met researchers in action! [av_slideshow img_copyright='left' size='no scaling' control_layout='av-control-default' slider_navigation='av-navigate-arrows av-navigate-dots' nav_visibility_desktop='' nav_arrow_color='' nav_arrow_bg_color='' nav_dots_color='' nav_dot_active_color='' img_copyright_font='' av-desktop-font-img_copyright_font='' av-medium-font-img_copyright_font='' av-small-font-img_copyright_font='' av-mini-font-img_copyright_font='' animation='slide' transition_speed='' autoplay='true' interval='5' img_scale='' img_scale_end='10' img_scale_direction='' img_scale_duration='3' img_scale_opacity='1' conditional_play='' img_scrset='' lazy_loading='disabled' alb_description='' id='' custom_class='' template_class='easy-slider-text-white' av_uid='av-ug0rdpg' sc_version='1.0'] [av_slide id='205130' av_uid='av-25i1nz8'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205132' av_uid='av-gxj8euc'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205134' av_uid='av-dh0nt9g'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205128' av_uid='av-oga3rac'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205136' av_uid='av-74yg95w'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205138' av_uid='av-dh0nt9g'][/av_slide] [av_slide id='205140' av_uid='av-74yg95w'][/av_slide] [/av_slideshow]