Fany Sardenne & Yoann Thomas
International
EC2CO
Start Date
03/08/2026
End Date
03/08/2026
The SECOIA project examines the functioning of West African coastal ecosystems through the lens of the response of the ark, a species of bivalve harvested by small-scale fisheries in coastal and estuarine areas. By combining approaches from ecology, biology and biogeochemistry, the aim is to use a variety of biomarkers (stable isotopes, fatty acids, sterols, trace elements, environmental DNA) to characterise the arche’s ability to reflect the diversity of hydro-climatic conditions to which it is subjected across its range, from Mauritania to Gabon. The combination of biomarkers and the integration of in-situ observation and laboratory experimentation approaches will enable us to address short- and medium-term dynamics (e.g. environmental DNA, fatty acids, sterols) and to adopt a retrospective approach at the scale of an individual life cycle (e.g. stable isotopes and trace elements in carbonates).
Laboratory Members
Contributors
Babacar Sané & Malick Diouf (UCAD)
Fabien Dewilde (IUEM)
Christophe Leboulanger (MARBEC)
Nestor Ngoua Aba’a (CENAREST)
