OSMOTIC SEAGRASS · Physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic responses to salinity excess in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica provide insights of tolerance mechanisms and tools for environmental biomonitoring
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31
- EU contribution
- €172,932
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Physiological, biochemical and transcriptomic responses to salinity excess in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica provide insights of tolerance mechanisms and tools for environmental biomonitoring
Brines constitute a desalination residue of mostly a concentrated seawater that in cases can double natural salinity levels od the sea. The main objective of this project was to deepen in the knowledge of brine discharges affection on seagrasses. The project achieved: to assess the global trend of shallow Posidonia oceanica meadows on a wide spatial and temporal trend in Spain; to determine affection of a seagrass meadow submitted to a desalination discharge and other coexisting impacts; develop a risk assessment of tolerance in P. oceanica to desalination at the metabolic and physiological levels; the investigation was extended to the seagrass Zostera chilensis and the macroalgae Dyctiota dichotoma and Dyctiota kunthii; to assess the physiological, oxidative and osmoregulatory responses of P. oceanica against hypersalinity caused by brine and sea salts; test the viability of biochemical and molecular descriptors as brine-specific biomarkers in the field; unravel hypersalinity tolerance of P. oceanica by comparing metabolic and oxidative responses of shoot apical meristems and leaves and test their suitability as target organs for biomonitoring applications.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Desalinization has become an important water management activity, Especially in countries along the Mediterranean Seashore. Desalination produces a discard of brines which are directly discharged to the subtidal; these can cause detrimental effects on coastal communities, most of which are nurtured by seagrass meadows. Posidonia oceanica is a protected seagrass, base of the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems along the Mediterranean coast. Our project aims to assess the effects of brines on the stress metabolism of P. oceanica through laboratory- and field-based experiments. We aim to provide insights of tolerance mechanisms through observations on antioxidant metabolism, osmotic regulation and the whole transcriptome; this will be contrasted with observations on the physiology and primary metabolism. Laboratory experiments can provide valuable information on specific metabolic features but do not necessarily represent responses at the natural, more complex, environment; in contrast, field observations denote responses under realistic conditions but lack information that can be attributed to specific stressors. In this context, the latter will provide valuable information on mechanisms to thrive under hypersalinity and contribute to study biomarkers that could act as environmental biotechnology tools to follow the extent of brine impacts. The research will be led Dr. Claudio Sáez, experienced researcher in the field of biochemical and molecular stress metabolism. Groups of Prof. José Luis Sánchez-Lizaso at Universidad de Alicante (beneficiary) and Dr. Juan Manuel Ruiz at the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (secondment), in addition to the Spanish Association of Desalination and Reuse (industry link) through Dr. Domingo Zarzo, will support the researcher to develop this interdisciplinary project that merges the expertise of highly achieved scientists in the areas of ecology, physiology, biochemistry, transcriptomics and innovation.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE · AlicanteCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union