HOLO-DEG

Understanding senescence and degradation of opportunistic seaweed holobionts

Coordination

Zujaila Nohemy Qui-Minet

Project type

European

Funding

Bienvenue COFUND MSCA

Project duration

Start Date

27/04/2024

End Date

27/04/2024

Links

Understanding symbiotic relationships is crucial from the biological, ecological, and evolutionary point of view Over the last decades, scientific research has demonstrated strong interdependence between multicellular organisms and their associated microbiome for the thriving, development/growth, and adaptation of their host. This has led to the emergency of the holobiont concept as a theoretical and experimental framework to study the interactions between hosts and their associated microbial communities and thus, it offers another scientific dimension to understand and unravel biological and ecosystem processes that are essential for managing and preserving marine ecosystems. In this respect, studying macroalgae from the holobiont perspective is fundamental for the comprehension of the environmental conditions that make them thrive and decay. Global change is increasing the arrival of invasive and opportunistic macroalgae, as well as the rate and extent of blooming events, causing severe negative impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems. Valorization appears as a key solution to transform their huge biomass into a potential for biotechnological and socioeconomic innovation. Before this, it is crucial to understand how the environment (spatio-temporal variability in physicochemical parameters) modulates the relationship between macroalgae and their microbiome. The objective of this project is to study Sargassum spp. as holobionts to: 1) shed light on invasive macroalgae ecophysiology, 2) assess the intrinsic (microbiome) and extrinsic (environment) factors affecting the quality of their metabolome through senescence and degradation, and 3) address natural disasters caused by invasive macroalgal species.