Descrizione del progetto
Nuovi meccanismi per affrontare specie alloctone invasive
Le specie alloctone invasive rappresentano una delle principali cause di perdita della biodiversità. Anche se il successo della capacità invasiva di queste specie è stato recentemente associato ai processi evolutivi e al rapido adattamento, si sa ancora ben poco sui meccanismi coinvolti. Comprendere questi meccanismi consentirebbe di prevedere invasioni future. Il progetto interdisciplinare EvoTox, finanziato dall’UE, studia l’evoluzione e il rapido adattamento delle popolazioni delle specie alloctone invasive in risposta ai fattori di stress ambientali, concentrandosi sullo studio dei meccanismi legati al gambero della Louisiana in aree acquatiche con un alto livello di agenti inquinanti antropogenici. Il progetto abbina approcci laboratoriali e sul campo e si avvale di tecniche derivate da vari ambiti scientifici per studiare le popolazioni che circondano la costa mediterranea francese.
Obiettivo
Climate change and biodiversity loss are one of the biggest threats facing the world in the next decade. Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the most important direct drivers of biodiversity loss. While evolutionary processes and rapid adaptation have recently been linked with the increase of invasive capacity of IAS, still there is little known about the mechanisms involved in their success. EvoTox is an interdisciplinary project that seeks to address how IAS populations can evolve and adapt rapidly in response to environmental stressors. EvoTox focuses more particularly on the study of the mechanisms that facilitate the rapid adaptation of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii in aquatic areas with high-level of anthropogenic pollutants. The study involves both field and laboratory approaches using technics from several scientific fields such as evolutionary biology, toxicology, physiology, ethology and molecular biology. The studied populations come from three sampling stations, with freshwater and brackish water bodies, around the French Mediterranean coastline and adjacent aquatic areas, where P. clarkii has successfully established and environmental characteristics such as salinity and chemical pollutant concentrations differ. Understanding the mechanisms that contributes to the rapid and adaptive evolution in P. clarkii is important for identifying candidate genes involved in invasiveness, and, more generally, predicting future invasion scenarios, improving management and risk assessment of IAS in Europe and worldwide. EvoTox also contributes to the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 by addressing IAS issues and their ecological and economic repercussions. EvoTox includes the training and the two-way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host institution. The research, scientific and transferable skills acquired during the EvoTox project will have a direct impact in the development of my scientific career.
Campo scientifico
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
75794 Paris
Francia