Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic: an integrated approach towards their preservation and sustainable exploitation

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A community perspective on the concept of marine holobionts: current status, challenges, and future directions

Publication . Dittami, Simon M.; Arboleda, Enrique; Auguet, Jean-Christophe; Bigalke, Arite; Briand, Enora; Cárdenas, Paco; Cardini, Ulisse; Decelle, Johan; Engelen, AH; Eveillard, Damien; Gachon, Claire M.M.; Griffiths, Sarah M.; Harder, Tilmann; Kayal, Ehsan; Kazamia, Elena; Lallier, François H.; Medina, Mónica; Marzinelli, Ezequiel M.; Morganti, Teresa Maria; Núñez Pons, Laura; Prado, Soizic; Pintado, José; Saha, Mahasweta; Selosse, Marc-André; Skillings, Derek; Stock, Willem; Sunagawa, Shinichi; Toulza, Eve; Vorobev, Alexey; Leblanc, Catherine; Not, Fabrice

Host-microbe interactions play crucial roles in marine ecosystems. However, we still have very little understanding of the mechanisms that govern these relationships, the evolutionary processes that shape them, and their ecological consequences. The holobiont concept is a renewed paradigm in biology that can help to describe and understand these complex systems. It posits that a host and its associated microbiota with which it interacts, form a holobiont, and have to be studied together as a coherent biological and functional unit to understand its biology, ecology, and evolution. Here we discuss critical concepts and opportunities in marine holobiont research and identify key challenges in the field. We highlight the potential economic, sociological, and environmental impacts of the holobiont concept in marine biological, evolutionary, and environmental sciences. Given the connectivity and the unexplored biodiversity specific to marine ecosystems, a deeper understanding of such complex systems requires further technological and conceptual advances, e.g., the development of controlled experimental model systems for holobionts from all major lineages and the modeling of (info)chemical-mediated interactions between organisms. Here we propose that one significant challenge is to bridge cross-disciplinary research on tractable model systems in order to address key ecological and evolutionary questions. This first step is crucial to decipher the main drivers of the dynamics and evolution of holobionts and to account for the holobiont concept in applied areas, such as the conservation, management, and exploitation of marine ecosystems and resources, where practical solutions to predict and mitigate the impact of human activities are more important than ever.

2021Journal article

Open access

A blueprint for an inclusive, global deep-sea ocean decade field program

Publication . Howell, Kerry L.; Hilário, Ana; Allcock, A. Louise; Bailey, David M.; Baker, Maria; Clark, Malcolm R.; Colaço, Ana; Copley, Jon; Cordes, Erik E.; Danovaro, Roberto; Dissanayake, Awantha; Escobar, Elva; Esquete, Patricia; Gallagher, Austin J.; Gates, Andrew R.; Gaudron, Sylvie M.; German, Christopher R.; Gjerde, Kristina M.; Higgs, Nicholas D.; Le Bris, Nadine; Levin, Lisa A.; Manea, Elisabetta; McClain, Craig; Menot, Lenaick; Mestre, Nélia; Metaxas, Anna; Milligan, Rosanna J.; Muthumbi, Agnes W. N.; Narayanaswamy, Bhavani E.; Ramalho, Sofia P.; Ramirez-Llodra, Eva; Robson, Laura M.; Rogers, Alex D.; Sellanes, Javier; Sigwart, Julia D.; Sink, Kerry; Snelgrove, Paul V. R.; Stefanoudis, Paris V.; Sumida, Paulo Y.; Taylor, Michelle L.; Thurber, Andrew R.; Vieira, Rui P.; Watanabe, Hiromi K.; Woodall, Lucy C.; Xavier, Joana R.

The ocean plays a crucial role in the functioning of the Earth System and in the provision of vital goods and services. The United Nations (UN) declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Roadmap for the Ocean Decade aims to achieve six critical societal outcomes (SOs) by 2030, through the pursuit of four objectives (Os). It specifically recognizes the scarcity of biological data for deep-sea biomes, and challenges the global scientific community to conduct research to advance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems to inform sustainable management. In this paper, we map four key scientific questions identified by the academic community to the Ocean Decade SOs: (i) What is the diversity of life in the deep ocean? (ii) How are populations and habitats connected? (iii) What is the role of living organisms in ecosystem function and service provision? and (iv) How do species, communities, and ecosystems respond to disturbance? We then consider the design of a global-scale program to address these questions by reviewing key drivers of ecological pattern and process. We recommend using the following criteria to stratify a global survey design: biogeographic region, depth, horizontal distance, substrate type, high and low climate hazard, fished/unfished, near/far from sources of pollution, licensed/protected from industry activities. We consider both spatial and temporal surveys, and emphasize new biological data collection that prioritizes southern and polar latitudes, deeper (> 2000 m) depths, and midwater environments. We provide guidance on observational, experimental, and monitoring needs for different benthic and pelagic ecosystems. We then review recent efforts to standardize biological data and specimen collection and archiving, making "sampling design to knowledge application" recommendations in the context of a new global program. We also review and comment on needs, and recommend actions, to develop capacity in deep-sea research; and the role of inclusivity - from accessing indigenous and local knowledge to the sharing of technologies - as part of such a global program. We discuss the concept of a new global deep-sea biological research program 'Challenger 150,' highlighting what it could deliver for the Ocean Decade and UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.

2020Journal article

Open access