Project description
Protecting bivalves from the rising threat of harmful algal blooms
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) increasingly threaten marine ecosystems, human health and coastal economies, particularly impacting bivalve aquaculture, which is a vital source of food and income. While HAB toxins’ effects on food safety are known, their impact on bivalve reproduction remains largely unexplored. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PERIL project will study how HABs affect the reproduction and early development of key bivalve species in European waters. Using physiological, molecular and epigenetic methods, PERIL will uncover how exposure during gamete formation and early life stages impairs reproduction and trait inheritance. This research will pave the way for a standardised bioassay to assess reproductive toxicity.
Objective
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) pose significant threats to marine ecosystems, human health, and coastal economies worldwide. These blooms often coincide with the breeding periods of bivalves, adversely affecting their reproductive output. Bivalve aquaculture, which is crucial for food security and coastal economies, is particularly vulnerable to these effects, threatening the sustainable production of cultivated bivalve species. Despite extensive research on HAB-related toxins and their implications for food safety, the broader physiological effects on bivalve reproductive health remain poorly understood. With HABs increasing in frequency due to global changes, investigating their impacts on bivalve reproduction is essential for addressing the resulting ecological and socioeconomic challenges.
The PERIL project aims to assess the impact of regularly blooming and emerging HAB species in European waters on the reproduction and early developmental stages of commercially and ecologically important bivalves. Specifically, the project will elucidate the toxicity of HABs on bivalve gametes through both direct and parental exposure. The mechanisms affected by HAB exposure during bivalve gametogenesis, embryo-larval development, and the parental transmission of traits to offspring will be thoroughly investigated. To achieve these objectives, a novel integrative approach will be employed, encompassing physiological, cellular, molecular, and epigenetic analyses.
Overall, PERIL represents a pivotal step toward a comprehensive understanding of HAB phenomena on bivalve population renewal. It will generate data to support the development of a standardized bioassay, which will serve as an innovative tool for assessing the reproductive toxicity of HABs. This approach has the potential to revolutionize strategies for bivalve conservation, restoration, and aquaculture.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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75794 Paris
France
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