ATLASea is one of the winners of the Priority projects and equipment for exploratory research (PEPR), which target emerging scientific or technological sectors for which the State wishes to identify and structure these communities.
Co-piloted by CNRS and CEA, the aim of the programme is to sequence the genomes of 4,500 marine species (eukaryotes only), with a high coverage of species from mainland France and overseas territories.
AMU has been a partner in the project since the first letter of intent was drawn up, and this year the Endoume Marine Station is hosting the second 100% sampling campaign dedicated to this programme (pilot project...). DIVESea) . It will be held from 16 at 28 June 2025This two-week campaign will bring together nearly 100 participants (60-70 per week). This sampling campaign will mobilise all the resources available to theOSU Pythéas (Antedon2, Astroides, Apogon) and the schooner TARA.
This will be a major oceanographic campaign, with the flagship being the Endoume Marine Station. For AMU, teams from IMBE, MIO, UAR Pythéas and a number of student interns will be involved in the preparation and execution of the project. For a fortnight, the work will be intense, starting very early in the morning with sampling at sea, continuing with the sorting and taxonomic identifications, and often ending late in the evening with the final tubing of samples for genomics. Bringing together a large number of taxonomic specialists from France and abroad to collect samples from La Ciotat to the Côte Bleue, this campaign will also be an opportunity to update our knowledge of the ecosystems in the Marseille region.
Later in the year, two calls for tenders will be published to encourage the emergence of major research programmes aimed at exploiting the genomes produced by ATLASea. They are currently being drafted and should initially focus on the dynamics of marine ecosystems under environmental pressure, with a particular focus on the impact of non-native species, and also on biotechnological applications, particularly in the field of marine natural substances.
The operation is expected to receive extensive media coverage, and beyond, IMBETV has already scheduled three live broadcasts on Youtube.
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