Proiecte
MARCO-BOLO PREMIERE: Long-term observations of coastal marine biodiversity
| Responsabil: | Dr. Mihaela Mureșan, CSII |
| Coordonator: | GeoEcoMar |
| Beneficiar: | GeoEcoMar |
| Finanțator: | UEFISCDI |
| Schema de finanțare: | Planul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare și Inovare 2022– 2027 |
| Durata: | 12 months |
| Data începerii: | 12.01.2024 |
| Data finalizării: | 31.12.2024 |
MARCO-BOLO PREMIERE: Long-term observations of coastal marine biodiversity
The project aims to respond to the modern challenges regarding loss of biodiversity and habitats by approaching the molecular investigation of the Black Sea environment and its species. Sustained efforts towards harmonization of molecular techniques are made globally in order to halt the loss of biodiversity in agreement with the UE Biodiversity Strategy 2030 desiderates – “to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030” – and The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/CE), which requires the achievement of Good Environmental Status of biodiversity and habitats.
Unlike the ”classical” approach based on morphological characters, Barcoding and e-DNA techniques rely on the genetic markers to identify species. Worldwide, the number of marine species whose genome has been sequenced is only 190, while the proportion of those in the Black Sea is less than 0.1% of the total of over 2000 existing species.
The main objective of the project is to assess the biodiversity of the Black Sea by addressing the molecular techniques for rapid detection and identification of species in the current context in which the risks of their loss and the degradation of their habitats are increasing as a result of the anthropogenic impact and climate change.
Expected results:
- Isolation of total DNA for analysis of specific genetic markers for various groups of phytoplankton, invertebrates and fish;
- Genomic sequencing and their introduction into international databases and creation of the sequence library for the Black Sea;
- Molecular identification of species living in the Black Sea.
Relevant results obtained in the project: creation of a DNA sequence library for a number of the Black Sea species in NCBI. After analyzing and “decrypting”, with the help of bioinformatics, the unique amplicon sequences (genetic information), approximately 30 planktonic and benthic species were identified and taxonomically validated.