Mediterranean lagoons are currently facing multiple anthropogenic pressures, both regional and global. This is leading to changes in the structure, functioning and services provided by these ecosystems. Understanding the future response of lagoon biological communities is therefore a major issue in defining effective conservation actions to preserve or restore these ecosystems. Metabarcoding is currently used as an integrative tool for characterising biodiversity based on environmental DNA (eDNA). This tool, commonly used in the marine environment, has not yet been developed for macrophytes, even though they play an essential role in the formation of habitats for many species. The aim of this project is to develop eDNA-based methods for assessing the diversity of macrophytes and their microbiome, a potential indicator of host health. The MACDNA project will focus specifically on (1) assessing the performance of molecular tools for identifying macrophytes, (2) characterising the microbiome associated with the physiological state of macrophytes and (3) optimising the in situ sampling strategy and eDNA capture tools for macrophytes in Mediterranean lagoons.
Based on experimental and in situ approaches, the development of molecular methods could eventually make it possible to anticipate changes in the regimes of these ecosystems and help implement preventive management measures.
The MacDNA project aims to develop a complementary tool to morphological recognition approaches, based on eDNA, for the early detection of changes in the lagoon environment (1) by identifying emerging/new or rare macrophyte species and (2) by characterising the microbiome associated with macrophytes (a potential indicator biological compartment prior to decline)
