IHCantabria’s BioCa project, which studies the possible effect of climate change on macroalgae biodiversity, gets underway

The State Research Agency, which reports to the Ministry of Science and Innovation, granted a grant to finance the implementation of the BioCa project, whose objective is to evaluate biotic interactions between macroalgae, as well as their evolution in different projected scenarios, as a tool for studying the vulnerability of intertidal ecosystems to climate change.

To meet this objective, it is necessary to increase knowledge of how biotic relationships between native and invasive macroalgae species may be modified. To achieve this, the IHCantabria research team, led by Elvira Ramos Manzanos, is developing the BioCa project.

Macroalgae are particularly vulnerable to climate change, especially those species that live close to their tolerance limits. Variations in physical parameters also modify the patterns of biological interaction, which alters the productivity, composition and structure of the community. In many cases, these modifications are a new opportunity for colonization by invasive species, which modifies the functioning of the ecosystem and compromises the maintenance of marine biodiversity. The BioCa project will expand knowledge about these circumstances, to understand and predict the responses of native and non-native macroalgae to climate change.

The grant assigned to BioCa is part of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), through NextGenerationEU funds; based on the Call for grants for strategic projects aimed at the Ecological Transition and Digital Transition, of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2021-2023.

To learn more visit the
project website