Browsing by Author "Steinhagen, Sophie"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- A European biobanking strategy for safeguarding macroalgal genetic material to ensure food security, biosecurity and conservation of biodiversityPublication . Hofmann, Laurie C.; Brakel, Janina; Bartsch, Inka; Arismendi, Gabriel Montecinos; Bermejo, Ricardo; Parente, Manuela I.; Creis, Emeline; Clerck, Olivier De; Jacquemin, Bertrand; Knoop, Jessica; Lorenz, Maike; Machado, Levi Pompermayer; Orfanidis, Sotiris; Probert, Ian; Menendez, , Cecilia Rad; Ross, Michael; Rautenberger, Ralf; Schiller, Jessica; Serrao, Ester A.; Steinhagen, Sophie; Sulpice, Ronan; Valero, Myriam; Wichard, Thomas; Serrao, Ester A.; Martins, neuzaBiobanking (also known as germplasm banking) of genetic material is a well-established concept for preserving plant genetic diversity and also contributes to food security, conservation and restoration. Macroalgae currently represent a very small percentage of the strains in publicly accessible European germplasm banks, despite the increasing recognition of their contribution to achieving several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. There is no strategic coordination of existing macroalgal strains, which could have severe ecological and economic implications as species and their genetic diversity disappear rapidly due to local and global environmental stressors. In this opinion paper, we stress the importance of a coordinated European effort for preserving macroalgal genetic diversity and suggest the development of a three-pillared system to safeguard European macroalgal genetic material consisting of (1) a European Board of Macroalgal Genetic Resources (EBMGR) to provide supervision, support and coordination, (2) a network of germplasm banks consisting of currently existing and newly established infrastructures and (3) an interoperable databank integrating existing databanks. While it will be the task of the EBMGR to identify and coordinate priorities, we offer initial recommendations for preserving macroalgal genetic material, discuss the risks of inaction, and highlight the challenges that must be overcome.
- Salinity and host drive Ulva‐associated bacterial communities across the Atlantic–Baltic Sea gradientPublication . Van der Loos, Luna M.; D’hondt, Sofie; Engelen, Aschwin; Pavia, Henrik; Toth, Gunilla B.; Willems, Anne; Weinberger, Florian; De Clerck, Olivier; Steinhagen, SophieThe green seaweed Ulva is a model system to study seaweed-bacteria interactions, but the impact of environmental drivers on the dynamics of these interactions is little understood. In this study, we investigated the stability and variability of the seaweed-associated bacteria across the Atlantic-Baltic Sea salinity gradient. We characterized the bacterial communities of 15 Ulva sensu lato species along 2,000 km of coastline in a total of 481 samples. Our results demonstrate that the Ulva-associated bacterial composition was strongly structured by both salinity and host species (together explaining between 34% and 91% of the variation in the abundance of the different bacterial genera). The largest shift in the bacterial consortia coincided with the horohalinicum (5-8 PSU, known as the transition zone from freshwater to marine conditions). Low-salinity communities especially contained high relative abundances of Luteolibacter, Cyanobium, Pirellula, Lacihabitans and an uncultured Spirosomaceae, whereas high-salinity communities were predominantly enriched in Litorimonas, Leucothrix, Sulfurovum, Algibacter and Dokdonia. We identified a small taxonomic core community (consisting of Paracoccus, Sulfitobacter and an uncultured Rhodobacteraceae), which together contributed to 14% of the reads per sample, on average. Additional core taxa followed a gradient model, as more core taxa were shared between neighbouring salinity ranges than between ranges at opposite ends of the Atlantic-Baltic Sea gradient. Our results contradict earlier statements that Ulva-associated bacterial communities are taxonomically highly variable across individuals and largely stochastically defined. Characteristic bacterial communities associated with distinct salinity regions may therefore facilitate the host's adaptation across the environmental gradient.