Expérimenter l'avenir - HoloDiv

Preservation and management of biodiversity in marine protected areas

Led by Didier Aurelle, Senior Lecturer at the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie ((MIO, AMU/CNRS/IRD/Université de Toulon), this project focuses on knowledge of the ecological state of ecosystems is essential for the preservation and management of biodiversity, particularly within marine protected areas (MPAs). 

Studying the adaptation of the gorgonian sea fan Eunicella cavolini

While the classic study of species richness and abundance enables us to assess the current state of an ecosystem, genomic tools now provide access to information on the evolution and response of target species to environmental constraints. 
The project explores the adaptive potential of a key species in Mediterranean benthic ecosystems, the gorgonian Eunicella cavolini, through an integrated study of its genetic and microbial diversity (hologenome). 
The project team is studying populations in the eastern and western (northern and southern) basins of the Mediterranean, subjected to local anthropic pressures (pollution, fishing) or preserved (MPAs), to gain a better understanding of their evolution.

In this video, Didier Aurelle, Dorian Guillemain, head of diving services at OSU Pythéas, and Marc Bailly, research fellow at MIO, take us to the heart of the Parc national des Calanques.

The HoloDiv project is a winner of the "Méditerranée 20218" call for projects, funded by the A*Midex Foundation.