Objective The particular status of estuaries, deltas and lagoons in coastal areas, located at the interface between sea and river influences, results in highly variable environmental and ecological conditions that shift over space and time. The combined effects of climatic changes and human activities have tremendous consequences on these ecosystems.The conservation of these environments is one of the biggest challenges for humanity. In order to achieve an integrated management, researchers, ecologists and managers try to select relevant indicators, which could be used as tracers of the state of estuarine areas. These indicators are generally chosen among living species or physicochemical parameters or a combination of both. Among the fish species living in estuarine ecosystems, very few are able to live in a wide diversity of habitats. It is yet the case of one peculiar species, Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae), which is found worldwide and is cosmopolitan in almost all tropical coastal estuarine zones, but also in temperate ones. This species is able to live and reproduce in widely different habitats.The mechanisms, which are involved in this process, are poorly known or are studied separately in each area. Moreover this species and related ones support important fisheries, especially in developing countries. The aim of the MUGIL project is to build an observation network and to coordinate across the world the action of using this species as an indicator of the state of estuarine areas by observing the population genetics, the life history trait variations and the physiological responses to salinity or pollution.The project covers four world areas (Europe, Africa, Asia, America) and involves collaborators from southern Europe (France, Spain, Greece) and tropical countries (Mexico, Senegal, Benin, South Africa, Taiwan). Finally, it aims at proposing this species as a tool to follow littoral environmental changes through a new STREP proposal within the 7th Framework Programme. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollutionnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyichthyology Programme(s) FP6-INCO - Specific measures in support of international cooperation: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) INCO-2002-A2.2 - Reconciling multiple demands on costal zones Call for proposal FP6-2002-INCO-DEV/SSA-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme SSA - Specific Support Action Coordinator INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT Address 213 rue la fayette Paris France See on map Links Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (9) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1919 route de mende Montpellier See on map Links Website Opens in new window CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOLÓGICAS DEL NOROESTE, S.C. Mexico EU contribution € 0,00 Address Mar bermejo no. 195, col. playa palo de santa rita La paz, b.c.s. See on map Links Website Opens in new window HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCH Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 46,7km athens sounion bd Mavro lithari, anavyssos See on map Links Website Opens in new window INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES SCIENCE, NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY Taiwan EU contribution € 0,00 Address No.1, sec. 4, roosevelt road Taipei See on map Links Website Opens in new window SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY South Africa EU contribution € 0,00 Address Somerset street Grahamstown See on map Links Website Opens in new window UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE CAMPECHE - CENTRO EPOMEX Mexico EU contribution € 0,00 Address Av. agustín melgar entre juan de la barrera y calle 20 - col buenavista Campeche See on map Links Website Opens in new window UNIVERSIDAD ISLAS BALEARES Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address Carretera valldemossa km.7,5 Palma de mallorca See on map Links Website Opens in new window UNIVERSITÉ D'ABOMEY CALAVI' Benin EU contribution € 0,00 Address 01 b.p. 526 Cotonou See on map Links Website Opens in new window WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE - WESTERN AFRICAN MARINE ECOREGION Senegal EU contribution € 0,00 Address 9639 sacré coeur iii Dakar See on map Links Website Opens in new window
