Functional Variability and Dynamics of Responses of Marine Forests to Global Change

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Ludwig Eichinger, since 10/2020; Dr. Klaus Valentin
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Plant Genetics and Genomics ; Plant Physiology ; Plant Breeding and Plant Pathology
• Term: from 2016 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 318182282

Marine forests, typically dominated by kelps of the orders Laminariales and Fucales, represent important blue-green infrastructures. They form one of the most productive and diverse ecosystem along rocky coasts worldwide and provide important ecosystem functions and -services (e.g. food, chemical substances, climate regulation, maintenance, tourism, science and education) underpinning economic activities along European coasts. Influenced by global change currently there is a shift in distribution of algal forests, possibly leading to a loss of unique genetic resources. Biogeographic boundaries in the NE Atlantic along with a low distribution potential of kelps probably limit connectivity and thereby reduce long-term fitness of these ecosystems. Project MARFOR aims to explain the future condition of marine forests by understanding the functional and genomic diversity and the resulting actual and possible future fitness of this key ecosystem. Major goals include: 1. Understand critical traits (adaptation, ecophysiology, genetic biodiversity and connectivity) of key species that facilitate function of algal forests along European coasts. 2. Model and predict consequences of global change through application of knowledge on genomic biodiversity, dynamics, and critical traits of these marine communities. This shall help to ensure long-term sustainability of ecosystem function and ecosystem services of marine forests. Collaborating project teams have outstanding complementary expertise and geographically reside along relevant coastal areas. This leads to a qualified partnership and an added value to best study ecological, eco-physiological and genomic differences of species and populations along European coasts. To achieve this we will replicate interdisciplinary comparisons at different sites. This will be supported by a large citizen science initiative allowing communication with and participation of the public and local stakeholders. Results on distribution, ecophysiology and species-specific temperature traits will allow predictions for current and future climate scenarios. Based on sampling along European coasts we will estimate genetic connectivity and functional genetic diversity of key species and meta-populations which will be interpreted in the context of distribution models. This shall help to implement conservation practices, evaluate survival capacity of populations, lay the foundation to manage nature conservancy areas and support the blue economy sector. White papers will assist stakeholders in the implementation of sound climate policies and strategies based on a cost-benefit analysis for sustainable development.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden
• Partner Organisation: Agence Nationale de la Recherche / The French National Research Agency; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT); Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA); The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS)
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Antonio Flores-Moya; Professorin Kerstin Johannesson; Professorin Ester Serrao; Dr. Fernando Tempera; Dr. Thierry Thibaut; Dr. Myriam Valero
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Inka Bartsch
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Gernot Glöckner, until 9/2020 (†)