Mr Didier AURELLE's HOLODIV project, labelled by the A*Midex Foundation as part of the "Mediterranean 2018" call, began its activities in September 2019. This project will strengthen Aix-Marseille's cooperation with Istanbul University in Turkey and Badji Mokhtar University in Annaba, Algeria.
The project led by Prof. Didier Aurelle, and co-scientifically led by Marc Bally and Christelle Desnues, was selected on 18 March 2019 by the A*Midex Foundation Steering Committee as part of the A*Midex "Mediterranean 2018" call for projects. This call aims to strengthen the 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 our knowledge of the ecological state 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 Eunicella cavolini, through an integrated study of its genetic and microbial diversity (hologenome). A large part of the project's interest lies 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 eastern, western, northern and southern basins of the Mediterranean, subjected to local anthropogenic pressures (pollution, fishing) or preserved (MPAs). The genetic diversity, population demography and local adaptation of gorgonians will be studied. In terms of associated microbiomes, an overall analysis of diversity (bacteria, viruses, eukaryotes) will be complemented by a detailed study of variations in certain key taxa. These results will be compared with standard ecological indicators to gain a better understanding of the state and trajectories of populations. The genetic tools developed will be used to work with MPA managers to design innovative actions aimed at encouraging the evolution of populations.
The project is being implemented at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO) in Aix-Marseille (UMR AMU-CNRS-IRD-UTLN), in conjunction with teams from the Microbes Evolution Phylogeny and Infections Laboratory (MEPHI) in Aix-Marseille (UMR AMU-IRD-CNRS), in partnership with the University of Istanbul in Turkey and the Badji Mokhtar University in Annaba, 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 strengthen existing collaborations between AMU, Turkey and Algeria.
HoloDiv started on 1 September 2019 and will run for 36 months. Over this period, the project will be subsidised by the A*Midex Foundation to the tune of €80,000.
"This project is supported by A*Midex" / "This project is co-financed by A*Midex".