by EH
The ambitious “Traversing European Coastlines” (TREC) expedition, an international mission dedicated to the study of coastal ecosystems, has made its latest stop in the historic port city of Trieste. This mission, spearheaded by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation and the European Marine Biology Resource Centre (EMBRC), aims to shed light on how ecosystems are adapting to both natural and human-induced changes.
Over the next three weeks, scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS) will host the TREC expedition, providing crucial support and access to their state-of-the-art research facilities to study the marine life in the Gulf of Trieste.
The TREC expedition set sail from Roscoff, France, in 2023 and is scheduled to conclude by mid-2024. Throughout its journey, the expedition will have gathered samples from 120 sites across 21 European countries, integrating extensive scientific activities on both land and sea. Earlier in Italy, the team conducted preliminary sampling in the coastal regions of Pisa and Naples.
In Trieste, the researchers will focus on selected model species, including the polychaete Platynereis dumerilii, various anemones, sponges, lucinid clams, and marine phanerogams. These species, inhabitants of the northern Adriatic Sea, will be analyzed to assess genetic variations in comparison with samples from other parts of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Notably, the team recently performed a nighttime sampling operation at the OGS laboratory’s pier at Aurisina Filters. This operation aimed to study the reproductive behavior of Platynereis dumerilii, an invertebrate that ascends to the water’s surface at night to spawn during specific lunar phases. By collecting both adult and larval specimens, the scientists hope to understand the genetic adaptations of this species from its juvenile stages in response to environmental changes.
The TREC project, led by EMBL, strives to explore the biodiversity and molecular adaptability of microbial communities and key organisms along Europe’s coastlines. Coastal habitats, which are rich in biodiversity but also heavily polluted, were chosen for this comprehensive study. By leveraging the combined expertise and resources of EMBL and its numerous European partners, including OGS, TREC aims to initiate a new era of coastal ecosystem exploration, providing vital insights into how environmental changes impact organisms and communities at cellular and molecular levels.
For more information on the TREC project, visit EMBL’s TREC project page.
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