Scientists from around the world, including those from CEAB-CSIC, join forces to decipher the genomes of fauna and flora; prioritizing endangered and lesser-known species. The genetic information is being brought together in a kind of “atlas” that compiles DNA “maps,” the reference genomes of different living beings. The goal is to gain a deep understanding of each species, its role in nature, and the adaptive mechanisms it possesses.
This collaborative work is providing key information to define and implement effective biodiversity conservation actions. From here, numerous further collaborations have enabled—and are continuing to enable—access to the genetic information of thousands of species, especially endangered fauna and flora, as well as those beings that are still largely unknown to us.
Through various interlinked projects—such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) or the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA)—scientists from around the globe are collaborating to sequence the genomes of the planet’s species. Contributions are diverse: from providing wild-collected samples to extracting DNA or participating in genomic analysis. CEAB-CSIC researchers contribute to all of them.
In fact, the first reference genome achieved within the ERGA initiative—coordinated in Catalonia by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE-CSIC-UPF) and the National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG)—was that of a small endangered fish, Aphanius iberus, emblematic of the Ebro Delta and the Albufera in Valencia. It was made possible thanks to CEAB-CSIC researchers. The work led to the identification of genes related to adaptations to changes in salinity and other environmental factors—key information for designing conservation and reintroduction guidelines in restored habitats.
Some of the genomes sequenced, or under analysis, with the collaboration of CEAB-CSIC researchers*
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Completely decoded genomes of about ten marine sponge species (Crambe crambe, Chondrosia reniformis, Aplysina aerophoba, Axinella damicornis, Petrosia ficiformis, Oscarella lobularis, Disydea avara, Acanthella acuta, and Agelas oroides – M. Maldonado, in collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a world leader in genomic sequencing)
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Genome of Aphanius iberus (M. Ventura and team, within the ERGA initiative)
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Clavelina lepadiformis and Ascidiella aspersa (X. Turon–M. Rius and team, within ERGA)
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Styela plicata, Arbacia lixula, and Paracentrotus lividus (X. Turon, within the Spanish National Plan MarGeCh and with the Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics in Germany)
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Diplodus puntazzo (E. Macpherson and N. Raventós, within the Catalan Initiative for the Earth Biogenome Project)
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Genomes of various decapod crustaceans (E. Macpherson collaborating in the ATLASea Project, with the French CNR and the Natural History Museum of Paris)
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Mesochaetopterus rogeri (D. Martín) and cave-dwelling polychaete species from the Balearic Islands (D. Martin, within the ERGA project)
Research staff at CEAB-CSIC involved in genome-decoding initiatives explain that “reference genomic data allow us to understand adaptive mechanisms, phylogenetic relationships, and the ecological role of each species in the ecosystem. Every species plays a role, no matter how insignificant it may seem. If one disappears, the entire ecosystem can be disrupted, because everything is interconnected.”
In this regard, they highlight the importance of uncovering the genetics of species whose ecological role is suspected to be key, but whose genomes are still unknown—such as microalgae, some macroalgae (like kelp species), or many invertebrate animals.
The researchers point out that having genetic information from both the most visible organisms and those that are less so is also highly useful in the opposite case: “we don’t just lack genetic information on species that are key to ecosystem balance, but also on species that are key to disrupting it, such as invasive ones. Through the research carried out by various CEAB-CSIC groups, we also contribute significant genetic data on exotic species with invasive potential—information that can be crucial for management.”
To give some examples, this work in genetic study can help—from understanding the migratory route of an endangered aquatic animal, providing crucial information for its protection, to understanding how an invasive ascidian functions that severely harms native species, offering scientific insight to prevent or reduce its impact.
Coordinated initiatives to obtain a single global “atlas”
In Europe alone, genome cataloguing initiatives already involve more than a thousand scientists working regularly, affiliated with research centres in around twenty countries.
To work in unison, each project has territorial coordinators and the data provided are synchronized. The genetic information obtained is stored in the International Nucleotide Sequence Data Collaboration, and physical samples are kept in the natural science museums of each region.
The coordinators of these genome sequencing projects for species point out that they represent a major step towards achieving a unified catalogue of the planet’s biodiversity—a genomic “atlas” designed to help deeply understand, value, and protect life in all its forms.
