Seagrass productivity: from genes to ecosystem management

COST-ES0906

Sobre o projeto

Seagrass ecosystems rank with coral reefs and tropical rainforests in their many ecosystem services, yet are drastically declining worldwide as a consequence of both anthropogenic and natural pressures including habitat fragmentation, eutrophication, poor water clarity and climate change stressors. This Action aims at forming a European-wide research coordination network that integrates expertise in physiological ecology, ecological genomics and conservation-resource management in order to integrate the currently fragmented research to support effective management of seagrass meadows.

Research is integrated into six tasks: (1) establish continuous, in-situ measurement devices for seagrass productivity, (2) establish a modelling and monitoring tool based on seagrass light requirements, (3) understand seagrass responses to global changes, (4) assess seagrass genetic adaptative variation at photosynthetic related loci, (5) evaluate the effectiveness of existing and new seagrass-health ecological indicators, and (6) provide guidelines to improve the conservation and management of seagrass dominated ecosystems.

Seagrass productivity: from genes to ecosystem management

Datas

15.03.2010 - 14.03.2014

Grupos de Investigação

Marine Plant Ecology Research Group

Entidade Coordenadora

CCMAR

Coordenação do CCMAR

Rui Santos

Referência

COST Action ES0906

Agencias de financiamento

Comissão Europeia

Orçamento do CCMAR

244000.00€

ES0906 website

Atividades

Action Chair: Rui Santos; CCMAR members: João Silva, Irene Olivé, Monya Costa, Begoña Martínez-Crego

Organization of international workshops and conferences

International Conference “Seagrasses in Europe: Threats, Responses and Management” (2014 March 4-6, Olhão, Portugal). 110 participants from several countries

COST Workshop within the European Marine Biology Symposium (2012 September 4-6, Arendal, Norway)

Workshop on “CO₂ / ocean acidification effects on seagrass meadows” (2012 May 9-10, Nottingham, UK)

Workshop on “Linking ecophysiology and ecogenomics in seagrass systems” (2011, March 1-2, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy)

Organization of Training Schools

Training School “Effects of CO2/Ocean Acidification on Seagrass Meadows” (2013 May 6-11, Vulcano, Italy). Participants: 20 young researchers and PhD students from 8 countries.

Coordination of other research meetings and collaborative exchanges

Several meetings of experts working in the Action working groups WG1 (Ecophysiology: Drivers and resilience to anthropogenic driven change), WG2 (Genetics: photosynthetic responses to environmental stressors), WG3 (Scientists-Managers Interface), and WG4 (Innovative approaches to seagrass monitoring and management in Europe)

Provision of funding for numerous “Short Term Scientific Missions” of young researchers (14 STSM in 2010-2012)