Environmental DNA (eDNA) still has a lot to offer. From extending the known diversity (Juhel et al 2022) to revisit global ecological patterns (Marques et al. 2020) and challenge conservation paradigms (Boulanger et al. 2021) (and many more studies…), eDNA has shaken the world of ecology. Now this technique will be used to review what we thought we knew about coastal fish species distribution.
In France, a new scientific project called BioDivMed has been launched. This project is led by the University of Montpellier, a common lab financed by ANR between the research unit Marbec and the enterprise SpyGen and is supported by the Agence de l’eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse.
The BioDivMed project will make use of state-of-the-art eDNA techniques to redefine the distribution of marine species of fish in the French Mediterranean coast. This technique involves collecting water samples and analyzing the DNA left behind by marine organisms in the water. The project aims to develop a new and comprehensive database on the distribution of fish species in the area. A first cartography of marine biodiversity (10 kilometers resolution) will be made available to all stakeholders, managers of protected areas and the public on the mapping platforms Medtrix (https://medtrix.fr/) and Vigilife Maps (the World Observatory of Living Things, of which the University of Montpellier and SpyGen are two founding members) in 2024.
An unprecedented effort
This unprecedented effort is the result of the collaboration and synergy of four oceanographic campaigns planned this year between May and August 2023:
- PISCIS, a campaign to monitor the state of health of Posidonia meadows and coralligenous implemented on behalf of the Water Agency by Andromède Oceanologie;
- PIAF, study of the marine life of soft and sandy substrates, coordinated by the University of Montpellier;
- The OceanoScientific Expedition which will follow the Mediterranean coast from the Italy to Spain to collect eDNA samples; to inform and raise awareness about the issues related to the ocean and its biodiversity by carrying out the Sea & Trades Tour of the Exemplary Mediterranean Facade program – Famex 2030 ;
- The Pelagos expedition of the association We are Méditerranée, whose ambition is to study marine life in the pelagic zone, in particular that of the Pelagos sanctuary, a marine protected area (Aspim) aiming to protect marine mammals in a triangle comprising the French and Italian continents and including Corsica at the top.
Key dates of the BioDivMed 2023 Mission
- April 27, 2023: Launch of the PIAF program from Carnon
- May 9, 2023: Launch of the Pelagos expedition from the port of Nice
- May 20, 2023: Launch of the OceanoScientific Expedition from Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône
- June 8* 2023: Presentation of the BioDivMed 2023 Mission in Montpellier in the presence of partners and the press
- June 6, 2023 : Launch of the PISCIS program from Carnon
- June 8* 2024: Presentation of the final results and a map of the French Mediterranean marine biodiversity
* June 8 is World Oceans Day
References
Jean-Baptiste Juhel, Virginie Marques, Rizkie Satriya Utama, Indra Bayu Vimono, Hagi Yulia Sugeha, Kadarusman Kadarusman, Christophe Cochet, Tony Dejean, Andrew Hoey, David Mouillot*, Régis Hocdé* and Laurent Pouyaud. (2022) Estimating the extended and hidden species diversity from environmental DNA in hyper-diverse regions. Ecography, e06299. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06299
Virginie Marques, Tristan Milhau, Camille Albouy, Tony Dejean, Stéphanie Manel, David Mouillot, Jean-Baptiste Juhel (2020) GAPeDNA: Assessing and mapping global species gaps in genetic databases for eDNA metabarcoding. Diversity and Distribution, 00:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13142
Emilie Boulanger, Nicolas Loiseau, Alice Valentini, Véronique Arnal, Pierre Boissery, Tony Dejean, Julie Deter, Nacim Guellati, Florian Holon, Jean-Baptiste Juhel, Philippe Lenfant, Stéphanie Manel and David Mouillot (2021) Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals and unpacks a biodiversity conservation paradox in Mediterranean marine reserves. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 288: 20210112. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0112
