Biotechnological tools for assisting seagrass natural recovery in the Mediterranean Sea

forthcoming

Current degradation of marine ecosystems, worsen by global change processes, have triggered scientific and public awareness for environmental conservation. That is the case of seagrass meadows, unique coastal habitats which provide a variety of ecosystem services, play essential roles in coastal ecology and biogeochemistry and are endangered by human development. Even though seagrass restoration might be locally helpful with some species, in the case of the iconic Mediterranean species Posidonia oceanica, conservation and recovery of the existing meadows is the most urgent topic to be addressed. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the active strategies which could be applied to enhance present meadow's tolerance and future resilience to environmental stressors. Through an interdisciplinary approach based on assisted genetic migration, active priming strategies, assisted ecological succession and science communication, SEACOVERY project will explore new insights into assisted recovery techniques and increase awareness in local communities. My experience in seagrass ecotoxicology and population dynamics will be complemented with the recognised expertise on assisted evolution and transcriptomic responses of Dr. Gabriele Procaccini (SZN, Italy), combined with the essential knowledge on seagrass physiological and ecological responses to environmental stressors of Dr. Lázaro Marín-Guirao (IEO-CSIC, Spain). The outreach of this research will be augmented thanks to the placement with the CSI Gaiola onlus, which will support science communication and education events. SEACOVERY will provide an urgently needed knowledge on assisted natural recovery of P. oceanica meadows, with the potential of being a cost-effective climate change mitigation strategy.