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The event aims to be an open space for multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral dialogue aimed at contributing to the definition of a joint vision of “the science we need for the ocean we want” from a gender perspective. We need to focus on solutions based on the science-society binomial. How to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment in ocean science and ocean-related activities, and how to include the gender dimension in the production of knowledge in marine research will be discussed. It will be a space to recognise and make visible the contribution of women to the knowledge and sustainability of the oceans. The conclusions of the event, turned into recommendations, will be provided to key actors in policy making and research. PROGRAMME 15.15 – 15.30: Opening, moderation and closing: Arantza Acha (UN Etxea) and Valentí Sallarès (ICM/CSIC) 15.30 – 16.15: Speakers: Begoña Lasagabaster, Director of the Division for Gender Equality in the Cabinet of the Director-General, UNESCO. Esther Garcés, marine researcher at ICM/CSIC. Farah Obaidullah, Women4Oceans. 16.15 – 16.30: Interactive dialogue

Following the recommendations of the European research institutions, research should be considered as a complete cycle that includes the impact of results on society, economy, business opportunities, creativity, innovation, the use of resources, end-users, local or global development, the environment, etc., and it is in these aspects that the inclusion of gender considerations brings quality to research. The analysis about the different needs, attitudes and preferences of both genders increases the social relevance and quality of scientific development reached. The Commission for Women and Science already pointed out in 2015 and 2018 the need to receive training for the adequate inclusion of gender issues in research contents. In this way, the available materials such as tools for that purpose were revised and the delivery of a specific in-house CSIC training course was promoted. In general, there is great difficulty (and also some resistance) in applying the gender dimension in research content. The Commission for Women and Science presents this informal guide to help applicants to complete gender mainstreaming issues in contents, for both national and European calls, contributing to the objectives of the 3rd Equality Plan (AXIS 7) and CSIC’S HRS4R (Action 17) strategy.

We identified two new parasite species of Chytridiomycota isolated during blooms of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum in the coastal Mediterranean Sea. Light and electron microscopy together with molecular characterization of the nuclear 18S, ITS, and 28S rDNA regions led to their identification as two new species, Dinomyces gilberthii and Paradinomyces evelyniae, both belonging to the family Dinomycetaceae, order Rhizophydiales. Dinomyces gilberthii differs from the previously described D. arenysensis by the presence of discharge papillae and the development of a drop-shaped sporangium. Paradinomyces evelyniae differs from the previously described P. triforaminorum by the prominent lipid globule present in early sporangia and by the pointed end producing a rhizoid. The two chytrids differed in their geographical distribution. Dinomyces gilberthii was detected in several Mediterranean habitats, including harbours and beaches, and was particularly prevalent during summer dinoflagellate blooms. Its widespread occurrence in coastal ecosystems suggested a high level of adaptability to this environment. Paradinomyces evelyniae had a more restricted distribution in the coastal-marine environment, occurring in harbour sediments and only occasionally in the water column during winter and early spring. Paradinomyces evelyniae has previously been detected in the Baltic Sea, suggesting that its distribution encompasses contrasting coastal environments, although its presence is rare

La taula rodona i inauguració de l’exposició “Dona, vida i ciència” se celebra amb motiu de la celebració del Dia Internacional de la Dona i la Ciència; amb la presència d’Esther Garcés, biòloga marina i investigadora del CSIC, Ma José Alonso, farmacèutica, Ana Gras, enginyera agrònoma de l’UPC i Victoria Girona, química i directora general d’Universitats, Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

The European Commission is fully committed to promoting gender equality in research and innovation. It is a priority for the European Research Area (ERA) and a cross-cutting principle under Horizon Europe. Gender equality plans (GEPs) have been established as the primary instrument for implementing institutional changes in Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) to address structural barriers to gender equality in research and innovation. Within this framework, specific objectives are defined, and thematic areas for intervention are recommended. In this regard, the formulation of a GEP for the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), implied a broader challenge as it had to comply with diverse national regulatory frameworks. Nevertheless, the variety of reference frameworks, instruments and approaches did not condition the aspiration to design a GEP that fully responded to the specific context of the ICM. Thus, the GEP became the roadmap to generating an organisation cultural change that allows the effective integration of gender equality across all its areas and actions. Drawing from ICM’s experiences, we aim to share the path undertaken by ICM and shed light on the multifaceted challenges encountered during the GEP’s design and successful implementation. There is a pressing need to transition from mere adherence to the normative framework to achieving genuine gender equality in practice. Transforming normative principles into practice requires tailored and individualised strategies, feasible objectives with measurable results, appropriate measures to achieve them, and indicators to measure progress. This challenge involves effective institutional changes that remove obstacles to gender equality, both inherent in the research system and stemming from the institutional model of human resources management, funding, decision-making and research programs. The commitment to gender equality must transcend the field of research and research to encompass all staff and institut

[EN] Current knowledge of marine fungi is limited, marked by gaps in the understanding of their diversity, spatio-temporal patterns, and ecological roles within marine ecosystems. The underexplored nature of specific fungal groups, like chytrids occurring during phytoplankton blooms, and the lack of research in most marine regions, such as the Mediterranean Sea, emphasise the need for this thesis. Consequently, the main objective of this doctoral thesis is to investigate the composition of the fungal community in the Mediterranean coastal ecosystem, with a focus on the basal fungal group Chytridiomycota (chytrids). The study sets for specific objectives: i) to evaluate the spatial distribution of Chytridiomycota diversity in various coastal areas during dinoflagellate proliferations; ii) to evaluate the temporal dynamics of the fungal community in epiphytic communities during benthic dinoflagellate proliferations and to investigate their interaction with hosts; and iii) to identify and describe new parasitic Chytridiomycota species associated with their host proliferations. The chytrid community in coastal environments is particularly dynamic and diverse, with a marked specificity towards their preferred hosts. These communities are more diverse and abundant in sediments and on macroalgae surfaces than in the water column. The relative abundance of chytrids increases in the water column during dinoflagellate proliferations, suggesting their opportunistic parasitic behaviour. In the laboratory, strains of four chytrid species, including the most abundant species detected by metabarcoding sequencing, have been cultured and identified by co-culture techniques with dinoflagellates. Three strains correspond to as yet undescribed species and the cultures have allowed the morphological and molecular characterisation of two of them, Dinomyces gilberthii and Paradinomyces evelyniae, which have been newly described in this thesis. In terms of geographic distribution of specie, [ES] El conocimiento actual sobre los hongos marinos es limitado, marcado por la falta de conocimiento de su diversidad, patrones espacio-temporales y funciones ecológicas en los ecosistemas marinos. El desconocimiento sobre algunos grupos fúngicos específicos, como los quítridos presentes en proliferaciones fitoplanctónicas, y la falta de investigación en algunas regiones marinas, como el Mar Mediterráneo, enfatizan la necesidad de esta tesis. [...]

The presence of phytoplankton parasites along the water column was explored at the Long Term Ecological Station MareChiara (LTER-MC) in the Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea) in October 2019. Microscopy analyses showed diatoms dominating the phytoplankton community in the upper layers (0-20 m). Metabarcoding data from the water column showed the presence of Chytridiomycota predominantly in the upper layers coinciding with the vertical distribution of diatoms. Laboratory incubations of natural samples enriched with different diatom cultures confirmed parasitic interactions of some of those chytrids – including members of Kappamyces – with diatom taxa. The temporal dynamics of diatoms and chytrids was also explored in a three-year metabarcoding time-series (2011-2013) from surface waters of the study area and in sediment samples. Chytrids were recurrently present at low relative abundances, and some taxa found to infect diatoms in the incubation experiments were also identified in the ASV time-series. However, co-occurrence analyses did not show any clear or recurrent pairing patterns for chytrid and diatom taxa along the three years. The chytrid community in the sediments showed a clearly different species composition compared to the recorded in the water column samples, with higher diversity and relative abundance. The combination of observations, incubations and metabarcoding confirmed that parasites are a common component of marine protist communities at LTER-MC. Host-parasite interactions must be determined and quantified to understand their role and the impact they have on phytoplankton dynamics

The majority of species of the highly diverse genus Chaetoceros are described as chain-forming, although several species are described as strictly solitary (such as C. tenuissimus) or having an alternate solitary and a chain-forming phase during their life history (such as C. salsugineus). In this study, the diversity of small forms of Chaetoceros from the NW Mediterranean coastal waters was explored through the morphological and molecular characterization of four different strains belonging to two distinct species. Based on their morphology, three of the strains were identified as C. salsugineus (Takano, 1983). The SSU and LSU rDNA sequences represented the first available for well-characterized C. salsugineus strains and were 96.6–100% similar to publicly available C. tenuissimus (Meunier, 1913) sequences. Both species share the same morphological features, such as setae and ultrastructure of the valves, as well as the rimoportula characteristics. In addition, the morphology of the solitary form of C. salsugineus matched with that of C. tenuissimus. Here, we propose the two species as synonyms (the name C. tenuissimus prevailing as it has priority for this taxon), emend the original description and designate an epitype. The fourth strain was identified as C. olympicus sp. nov., a new species, which alternates solitary and chain-forming forms within its life history. The main differential characteristics of this species are the absence of rimoportula both in terminal and intercalary valves, the setae ultrastructure, which is thin and circular in cross-section with a few, slightly twisted, rows of small rectangular poroids and some spirally arranged spines, and the morphology of the resting spores, with primary valve vaulted and covered with short to medium-sized spines, and secondary valve smaller, rounded and smooth. A comparison of C. tenuissimus and C. olympicus with other species as well as information on their life cycle and ecology is also provided.

Siguiendo las recomendaciones de las instituciones europeas de investigación, se debe plantear la investigación como un ciclo completo en el que se incluya el impacto de los resultados sobre la sociedad, la economía, las oportunidades de negocio, la creatividad, la innovación, el uso de recursos, los usuarios finales, el desarrollo local o global, el medioambiente, etc., y es en estos aspectos donde la inclusión de consideraciones de género aporta calidad a la investigación. El análisis sobre las distintas necesidades, actitudes y preferencias de ambos sexos incrementa la relevancia social y la calidad del avance científico alcanzado. La Comisión de Mujer y Ciencia ya señaló en 2015 y en 2018 la necesidad de recibir formación para la adecuada inclusión de las cuestiones de género en los contenidos de investigación. En este sentido, revisó el material disponible como herramientas para tal fin y promovió la impartición de un curso de formación interna del CSIC específico en la materia. En general, se encuentra gran dificultad (y también alguna resistencia) en la aplicación de la dimensión de género en los contenidos de investigación. La CMyC presenta esta guía informal como ayuda para completar las cuestiones de integración del género en los contenidos, de modo que sirvan de apoyo en la preparación de solicitudes tanto en las convocatorias nacionales como europeas, contribuyendo así a los objetivos del III Plan de Igualdad (Eje 7) y a la estrategia HRS4S (Acción 17) del CSIC.

Women Researchers Report 2023 provides disaggregated data by sex regarding the distribution of research staff, access and promotion, scientific activity and training in CSIC from December 31st, 2022. This report highlights the analysis of the scenario for women who belong to scientific categories, because in this group evidence suggest an important gender gap that still continues to be accused despite the passage of time, already more than 20 years since the collection of first data.

The presence of phytoplankton parasites along the water column was explored at the Long-Term Ecological Station MareChiara (LTER-MC) in the Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea) in October 2019. Microscopy analyses showed diatoms dominating the phytoplankton community in the upper layers (0–20 m). Metabarcoding data from the water column showed the presence of Chytridiomycota predominantly in the upper layers coinciding with the vertical distribution of diatoms. Laboratory incubations of natural samples enriched with different diatom cultures confirmed parasitic interactions of some of those chytrids—including members of Kappamyces—with diatom taxa. The temporal dynamics of diatoms and chytrids was also explored in a 3-year metabarcoding time-series (2011–2013) from surface waters of the study area and in sediment samples. Chytrids were recurrently present at low relative abundances, and some taxa found to infect diatoms in the incubation experiments were also identified in the ASV time-series. However, co-occurrence analyses did not show any clear or recurrent pairing patterns for chytrid and diatom taxa along the 3 years. The chytrid community in the sediments showed a clearly different species composition compared with that recorded in the water column samples, with higher diversity and relative abundance. The combination of observations, incubations, and metabarcoding confirmed that parasites are a common component of marine protist communities at LTER-MC. Host–parasite interactions must be determined and quantified to understand their role and the impact they have on phytoplankton dynamics

El Informe Mujeres Investigadoras 2023 presenta los datos desagregados por sexo del CSIC referentes a la distribución del personal investigador, de acceso y promoción, de actividad científica y de formación a fecha de 31 de diciembre de 2022. Este informe se detiene en particular en el análisis de la situación de las mujeres pertenecientes a las escalas científicas porque en este colectivo la evidencia sugiere una importante brecha de género que sigue siendo acusada a pesar del paso de tiempo, ya más de 20 años desde que se recogieron los primeros datos. La distribución del personal muestra una ligera mayoría de mujeres en la etapa predoctoral (51%). Sin embargo, a medida que se progresa en la carrera científica, el porcentaje de ellas que logra convertirse en Científicas Titulares no supera el 43% y solo un 26% alcanza el puesto de Profesoras de Investigación, el más alto en la carrera científica. En algunas sub-áreas de conocimiento, como Ciencia y Tecnologías Físicas, y, muy especialmente, en Recursos Naturales, los datos son muy llamativos puesto que los porcentajes de mujeres en la escala de Profesoras de Investigación es aún menor, un 16% y 12% respectivamente. Las mujeres científicas del CSIC realizan una actividad investigadora de la misma magnitud, extensión, impacto y financiación que sus compañeros. A pesar de lo cual, la brecha de género es estable y no disminuye con el paso del tiempo. Por ello, la presidencia del CSIC ha encargado a un equipo de investigación experto en políticas científicas y género del Instituto de Bienes y Políticas Públicas de nuestra propia institución, un análisis detallado para dimensionar adecuadamente el problema e identificar los factores causantes de esta brecha y de su resistencia. El compromiso de esta Presidencia con la igualdad de género de este y los demás colectivos de mujeres del CSIC es firme y en todos los casos debe realizarse un análisis profundo que describa la situación con precisión. En concreto, los análisis d

This hybrid event will be held on January 20, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and It is organized in the framework of the European project LeTSGEPs (Leading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans in research performing organizations). In this event will be presented the European framework on gender and research, different perspectives on gender power and its indicators at the structural and cultural level and its reflection in research organisations, and it will be also shared a practice on how to ensure that sex and gender analysis is considered in the design and outputs of research projects. It is also an objective of this event to strengthen the synergies of organizations working to make the integration of the gender dimension into R&I a priority

[EN] Esther Garcés, Maria Gracia Puga and Silvia Donoso, from the Gender Equality Commission, will hold a workshop to raise awareness of the messages that came out of the #metooscience campaign for the International Day for the Elimination of Gender Violence, [ES] Esther Garcés, Maria Gracia Puga y Silvia Donoso, de a Comisión de Igualdad de Género del ICM, nos harán un Workshop de concienciación sobre los mensajes que surgieron de la campaña #metooscience con motivo del Día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Violencia de Género, [CAT] Esther Garcés, Maria Gracia Puga i Silvia Donoso, de la Comissió d'Igualtat de Gènere de l'ICM, ens faran un Workshop de conscienciació sobre els missatges que van sorgir de la campanya #metooscience amb motiu del Dia Internacional de l'Eliminació de la Violència de Gènere

This session is part of the ICM Support Programme "The ERC journey" and intended to help ICM researchers become more familiar with the ERC grants within marine sciences. During the session key information will be provided by the national experts and complemented with tips and best practices from PIs that have already prepared an ERC proposal

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are likely an important strategy of transport and communication in marine microbial community. Their isolation and characterization from axenic culture of microbial eukaryotes represents a technological challenge not fully solved. Here, for the first time, we isolated EVs from a near-axenic culture of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum. Pictures of the isolated vesicles were done with Cryo TEM (Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy). Based on their morphotype the EVs were clustered in five major groups (rounded, rounded electron-dense, lumen electron-dense, double and irregular) and each EV was measured resulting in an average size of 0.36 µm of diameter. Taking in account that in prokaryotes it has been demonstrated that EVs play an important role in the mechanism of toxicity, this descriptive work aims to be the first step to study the possible role of EVs in the toxicity of dinoflagellates

The field of marine fungal diversity and ecology remains largely unexplored. This study provides new and valuable insights into the diversity, ecology, and temporal dynamics of epiphyte protist and fungal assemblages on coastal Mediterranean macroalgae during the summer season. The temporal sampling results showed that dinoflagellates become the most abundant taxonomic group, and its structure and relation with fungi, especially on Chytridiomycota, were evaluated in detail. The study revealed that temporal dynamics of the chytrid community are significantly impacted by the assemblage of epiphytic dinoflagellate species. The Chytridiomycota group was found to be primarily represented by Dinomyces arenysensis and a Lobulomycota representative yet to be described. The relative abundance of chytrids was at its highest following the peak of the dinoflagellate Ostreopsis sp. proliferation with D. arenysensis being the dominating chytrid, having a maximum infection prevalence of 2%. The results of laboratory experiments showed a low prevalence of D. arenysensis over its host Ostreopsis and a stable coexistence. Moreover, although the chytrid demonstrates a preference for parasitizing dinoflagellate cells, it has been shown to utilize pollen as a resource to sustain viable infections demonstrating a facultative and generalist parasite. The study underscores the diversity and potential impact of marine chytrids on epiphyte protist communities, bringing attention to the presence of zoosporic parasites in this understudied benthic habitat

This study aims to investigate the temporal dynamics of the epiphytic protist community on macroalgae, during the summer months, with a specific focus on fungi, and the interactions between zoosporic chytrid parasites and the proliferation of the dinoflagellates. We employed a combination of environmental sequencing techniques, incubation of natural samples, isolation of target organisms and laboratory experiments. Metabarcoding sequencing revealed changes in the dominant members of the epiphytic fungal community. Initially, fungi comprised < 1% of the protist community, mostly accounted for by Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, but with the emergence of Chytridiomycota during the mature phase of the biofilm, the fungal contribution increased to almost 30%. Chytridiomycota became dominant in parallel with an increase in the relative abundance of dinoflagellates in the community. Microscopy observations showed a general presence of chytrids following the peak proliferation of the dinoflagellate Ostreopsis sp., with the parasite, D. arenysensis as the dominant chytrid. The maximum infection prevalence was 2% indicating host-parasite coexistence. To further understand the in-situ prevalence of chytrids, we characterised the dynamics of the host abundance and prevalence of chytrids through co-culture. These laboratory experiments revealed intraspecific variability of D. arenysensis in its interaction with Ostreopsis, exhibiting a range from stable coexistence to the near-extinction of the host population. Moreover, while chytrids preferentially parasitized dinoflagellate cells, one of the strains examined displayed the ability to utilize pollen as a resource to maintain its viability, thus illustrating a facultative parasitic lifestyle. Our findings not only enrich our understanding of the diversity, ecology, and progression of epiphytic microalgal and fungal communities on Mediterranean coastal macroalgae, but they also shed light on the presence of zoosporic parasites in l

El projecte europeu LeTSGEPs, que tenia com a objectiu connectar diferents organitzacions de recerca i universitats en el disseny i implementació de plans d’igualtat de gènere (GEP) finalitza al desembre 2023. Amb aquesta motiu ens hem avaluat col·lectiva i individualment. El consorci ha fet assoliments importants i comptem amb bones pràctiques que han quedat recollides en un Manual que tot just acabem de publicar. Els assoliment de l’ICM són més que significatius. Moltes de les mesures implementades han estat transformadores i han propiciat canvis institucionals sistèmics que estan contribuint a reduir els biaixos de gènere al centre. Comptem amb noves eines i instruments, com per exemple el protocol per a l’abordatge de l’assetjament sexual i per raó de sexe, la Guia de llenguatge inclusiu, un equip amb capacitats reforçades en matèria de gènere, i procediments institucionalitzats que garanteixen la igualtat d’oportunitats (convocatòries SO) entre d’altres. Amb el nostre GEP ens hem posicionat com a referents per a altres ICUs del CSIC (hem fet al voltant de 30 assessoraments) i col·laborem amb altres nombroses organitzacions de l’ecosistema de recerca nacional. També queden reptes pendents. Hem de dur a terme l’anàlisi de la bretxa salarial de gènere i finalitzar el manual per a la integració de la variable sexe/dimensió de gènere als continguts de la recerca. Tenim un repte més gran, garantir la sostenibilitat de les intervencions i avançar cap a un GEP més interseccional i inclusiu

Following the IOC–UNESCO definition of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the categorization of the impacts of harmful microalgae in the world’s oceans proposed by Lassus et al. (2016), this chapter will focus on pelagic species that affect shellfish safety by producing toxins and consequently causing various symptoms in humans by consuming poisoned food. Pelagic HABs that have a dormant benthic phase in their life cycle are also included (Table 4.1). [...]

The Cova del Gegant (Barcelona) is a Paleolithic archaeological site with evidence of human occupation between MIS 5 and MIS 2 (Daura et al. 2021). Its rich fossil record includes a repertoire of Middle and Upper Paleolithic lithic industry, various faunal taxa, remains of Homo neanderthalensis and evidence of pyrotechnology. The latter consists of hearths documented and excavated in the stratigraphic profile preserved at the end of the GP2 gallery. Their dimensions are small (generally no more than 1 m in diameter) and are characterized by facies of white and/or gray calcitic ash over thin underlying dark (black layer) and reddish (rubefacted) facies. Given their limited size and the fact that samples for other techniques have also been collected, it was not possible to collect oriented samples for archaeomagnetic (directional) analysis and the sampling focused on studying the magnetic properties. The main objective is to characterize the magnetic properties of these facies in order to determine the variations in the composition, concentration and granulometry of the ferromagnetic minerals present in the samples, as well as to infer possible heating temperatures. Almost 50 samples from different hearths were analysed, including several control samples of non-thermally altered sediments. The magnetic analyses include the measurement of magnetic susceptibility, stepwise acquisition isothermal remanent magnetization curves, hysteresis loops (+/- 1 T), backfield curves and thermomagnetic curves up to 700 ºC. All samples are dominated by ferrimagnetic minerals (magnetite and/or maghemite), with slight variations of hematite depending on the facies. Unlike the black and reddish subjacent facies, ashes exhibit the highest ferromagnetic mineral concentration and high thermomagnetic reversibility, indicating that they reached the highest heating temperatures (> 500 – 600 ºC). The integration of these results with the previous data from Cova del Gegant and the body of knowle, La Cova del Gegant (Barcelona), es un yacimiento paleolítico con evidencias de ocupación humana entre el MIS 5 y el MIS 2 (Daura et al. 2021). Entre su rico registro fósil destaca un amplio repertorio que incluye industria lítica del Paleolítico Medio y Superior, diversos taxones faunísticos, restos de Homo neanderthalensis y evidencias de pirotecnología. Estas últimas consisten en hogares documentados y excavados en la parte final de la galería GP2, parte de los cuales se conservan en el perfil estratigráfico. Sus dimensiones son reducidas (generalmente no exceden 1 m) y se caracterizan por facies de ceniza calcítica de color blanco y/o gris, sobre finas facies subyacentes de color oscuro (nivel negro) y enrojecido (rubefactadas). Dado sus reducidas dimensiones y que también se han recogido muestras para otras técnicas, no fue posible recoger muestra orientada para análisis arqueomagnéticos y el muestreo se centró en estudiar las propiedades magnéticas. El objetivo principal es caracterizar las propiedades magnéticas de estas facies con el fin de determinar sus variaciones en la composición, concentración y granulometría de los minerales ferromagnéticos presentes, así como inferir posibles temperaturas de calentamiento. Se han analizado unas 50 muestras de diferentes hogares, incluyendo también varias muestras de control de sedimento no termoalterado. Los análisis magnéticos incluyen la medida de la susceptibilidad magnética, curvas de adquisición progresiva de la magnetización remanente isotermal, ciclos de histéresis (+/- 1 T), curvas de backfield y curvas termomagnéticas hasta 700 ºC. Todas las muestras están dominadas por minerales ferrimagnéticos (magnetita y/o maghemita), con ligeras variaciones de hematites según la facies analizada. A diferencia de las facies oscuras y rubefactadas, las cenizas presentan la mayor concentración de minerales ferromagnéticos y una alta reversibilidad termomagnética, indicativas de que alcanzaron las mayores temperaturas (> 500

Desde la aprobación de su primer Plan de Igualdad de Género (2021-2024), el Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM) viene implementado acciones orientadas a una transformación estructural que implique la adopción e institucionalización de la igualdad de género como principio transversal al quehacer del centro. En ese marco, se ha llevado a cabo una encuesta de percepción sobre la igualdad de género entre el personal en el ICM (y personal de administración adscrito al CMIMA), anónima y voluntaria, que ha contado con una participación del 41.6% del personal, de este, el 59,8% han sido mujeres. [...]

Marine harmful algal blooms (HABs), caused by various aquatic microalgae, pose significant risks to ecosystems, some socio-economic activities and human health. Traditionally managed as a public health issue through reactive control measures such as beach closures, seafood trade bans or closure of mollusc production areas, the multifaceted linkages of HABs with environmental and socio-economic factors require more comprehensive ecosystem-based management approach tools to support policies. This study promotes a coordinated understanding and implementation of HAB assessment and management under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), targeting the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in European marine waters. We introduce two novel tools: GES4HABs (GES for HABs) decision tree, and MAMBO (environMental mAtrix for the Management of BlOoms), a decision support matrix. These tools aim to streamline HABs reporting and prioritize resource allocation and management interventions. The GES4HABs decision tree defines a sequence of decision steps to identify HAB management strategies according to their state (evaluated against predefined baselines) and causes (anthropic or natural). MAMBO is proposed to address different HABs and their interaction with human and environmental pressures. The matrix utilizes two axes: natural trophic status and level of human influence, capturing major aspects such as nutrient supply. While acknowledging the limitations of this simplified framework, MAMBO categorizes marine regions into quadrants of varying management viability. Regions with high human influence and eutrophic conditions are identified as most suitable for effective management intervention, whereas regions with minimal or mixed human influence are deemed less amenable to active management. In addition, we explore and describe various indicators, monitoring methods and initiatives that may be relevant to support assessments of HAB status and associated pressures

The last century has witnessed an increasing rate of new disease emergence across the world leading to permanent loss of biodiversity. Perkinsea is a microeukaryotic parasitic phylum composed of four main lineages of parasitic protists with broad host ranges. Some of them represent major ecological and economical threats because of their geographically invasive ability and pathogenicity (leading to mortality events). In marine environments, three lineages are currently described, the Parviluciferaceae, the Perkinsidae, and the Xcellidae, infecting, respectively, dinoflagellates, mollusks, and fish. In contrast, only one lineage is officially described in freshwater environments: the severe Perkinsea infectious agent infecting frog tadpoles. The advent of high-throughput sequencing methods, mainly based on 18S rRNA assays, showed that Perkinsea is far more diverse than the previously four described lineages especially in freshwater environments. Indeed, some lineages could be parasites of green microalgae, but a formal nature of the interaction needs to be explored. Hence, to date, most of the newly described aquatic clusters are only defined by their environmental sequences and are still not (yet) associated with any host. The unveiling of this microbial black box presents a multitude of research challenges to understand their ecological roles and ultimately to prevent their most negative impacts. This review summarizes the biological and ecological traits of Perkinsea—their diversity, life cycle, host preferences, pathogenicity, and highlights their diversity and ubiquity in association with a wide range of hosts.

The Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) has recently begun the development of its Gender Equality Plan (GEP), as part of the project “Leading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans” in research performing organizations (LeTSGEPs), funded by the European Commission’s Horizon2020 Program. This project aims to design and implement actions that will address gender biases in the participating organizations and ultimately lead to systemic institutional change. The project proposes the articulated use of two tools in the development of Equality Plans: the Gender Equality in Academia and Research (GEAR) tool, developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality, and Gender Budgeting (GB). The formulation of ICM’s GEP, implies the compliance with a large regulatory framework stemming from the Spanish Organic Law 3/2007 for effective equality between women and men and its necessary articulation with the Plan for Equality between women and men of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC), the umbrella institution to which ICM belongs. The GEP that is fully consistent with, and responds to, the reality at ICM and present a set of actions aiming at conducting assessment of procedures and practices to identify gender bias, identifying and implementing innovative strategies to correct any bias, and setting targets and monitoring progress via indicators. This challenge requires promoting institutional change that will gradually eliminate barriers to gender equality, both those that are inherent to the research system, and also those that result from biased institutional practices in human resources management, financing, decision- making and research programs management

Ocean microbes constitute ~ 70% of the marine biomass, are responsible for ~ 50% of the Earth’s primary production and are crucial for global biogeochemical cycles. Marine microbiotas include core taxa that are usually key for ecosystem function. Despite their importance, core marine microbes are relatively unknown, which reflects the lack of consensus on how to identify them. So far, most core microbiotas have been defined based on species occurrence and abundance. Yet, species interactions are also important to identify core microbes, as communities include interacting species. Here, we investigate interconnected bacteria and small protists of the core pelagic microbiota populating a long-term marine-coastal observatory in the Mediterranean Sea over a decade.

Marine protist communities are not exempt from parasitic infections and saprophytic interactions, especially by highly diverse groups, which include Apicomplexa, Perkinsozoa, Syndiniales, and Chytridiomycota among others. Parasites, parasitoids and saprophytes take part in complex networks of interactions and multi-host–multiparasite interactions which determine coexistence of a large number of species, microbial web chain length and ecosystem properties. In their host interactions, parasites can be generalists, infecting a multitude of hosts, or specialists, infecting only one or a limited range of hosts. Infections by either type of parasites or by both, whether sequentially or simultaneously, may have additive, antagonistic, neutral, or synergistic effects on their hosts. Furthermore, the order of infection by different parasites and the time lag between exposures may fundamentally shape competition and the progression among competent host and non-host populations within a community as well as host and parasite fitness. Here, we faced the complexity of multi-host and multi-parasite systems in costal planktonic communities of protists disentangle their parasites associated and the impact on their hosts

L'Institut de Ciències del Mar, juntament amb la plataforma de divulgació La Ciència al teu Món, han donat vida al documental "Relats del canvi global. Capítol 1: El Delta de l'Ebre", que analitza els canvis que ha experimentat el Delta de l'Ebre durant les darreres dècades. El film posa el focus en com estan gestionant aquests canvis els habitants del Delta, que els han viscut i els expliquen aquí en primera persona donant peu a una reflexió profunda sobre la situació actual i futura d’aquest punt de la costa catalana. El film, finançat per la Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnologia (FECYT), presenta el Delta de l'Ebre com un ecosistema dinàmic del qual formen part diferents col·lectius que interactuen entre ells i presenten interessos individuals que permeten entendre el passat i el present del lloc, així com les seves possibilitats de futur. El format docu-reality del film ofereix a l'espectador una experiència participativa i fomenta el debat sobre la presa de decisions a partir de l'evidència científica. A través de les històries que expliquen els protagonistes, l'espectador pot connectar amb l'evolució del territori i de la societat deltaica durant l'últim mig segle, així com amb la seva lluita, que va començar molt abans que es parlés de canvi climàtic. Els testimonis narren les seves experiències de manera directa, de manera que puguin servir d'inspiració per fer front al canvi global

Durant aquesta sessió parlarem i debatrem sobre el rol de la recerca a l'actualitat. Parlarem de la Recerca i Innovació Responsable (RRI) i compartirem les experiències de l'Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) al projecte "ResBios". També comptarem amb ponències sobre la importància de la Cultura Oceànica, la Participació Ciutadana i experiències de professorat que ha introduit el mar a les aules i que ha portat les aules al mar, presentarem la nova Xarxa d'Escoles Marines i com es treballen alguns dels grans reptes de la societat, com la Igualtat de Gènere, des de l'ICM-CSIC

[EN] In the "In Depth" section of this month's Newsletter we talk about how the Ebro delta and its people are adapting to global change, [ES] En el “A Fons” de la Newsletter de este mes hablamos de cómo se está adaptando el delta del Ebro y su gente al cambio global, [CAT] A l’”A Fons” de la Newsletter d’aquest mes parlem de com s’està adaptant el delta de l’Ebre i la seva gent al canvi global

Additional file 10: Figure S9. Distribution of the Clustering coefficient values in the core network.

A new chytrid genus and species was isolated and cultured from samples obtained in the Baltic Sea during a dinoflagellate bloom event. This species is characterized by having a spherical sporangium without papillae and zoospores of 2–3 µm in diameter that are released through 3 discharge pores. Molecular phylogeny based on ribosomal operon showed its sister position to the Dinomyces cluster in Rhizophydiales. Zoospores lack fenestrated cisternae but contain a paracrystalline inclusion, found in a Rhizophydiales representative for the first time. Additionally, the kinetid features are uncommon for Rhizophydiales and only observed in Dinomyces representatives so far. These morphological features and its phylogenetic relationships justify the description of the new genus and speciesParadinomyces triforaminorum gen. nov. sp. nov. belonging to the family Dinomycetaceae. The chytrid was detected during a high-biomass bloom of the dinoflagellate Kryptoperidinium foliaceum. Laboratory experiments suggest this species is highly specific and demonstrate the impact it can have on HAB development. The chytrid co-occurred with three other parasites belonging to Chytridiomycota (Fungi) and Perkinsea (Alveolata), highlighting that parasitic interactions are common during HABs in brackish and marine systems, and these multiple parasites compete for similar hosts

The interactions of parasitic fungi with their phytoplankton hosts in the marine environment are mostly unknown. In this study, we evaluated the diversity of Chytridiomycota in phytoplankton communities dominated by dinoflagellates at several coastal locations in the NW Mediterranean Sea and demonstrated the most prominent interactions of these parasites with their hosts. The protist community in seawater differed from that in sediment, with the latter characterized by a greater heterogeneity of putative hosts, such as dinoflagellates and diatoms, as well as a chytrid community more diverse in its composition and with a higher relative abundance. Chytrids accounted for 77 amplicon sequence variants, of which 70 were found exclusively among different blooming host species. The relative abundance of chytrids was highest in samples dominated by the dinoflagellate genera Ostreopsis and Alexandrium, clearly indicating the presence of specific chytrid communities. The establishment of parasitoid-host co-cultures of chytrids and dinoflagellates allowed the morphological identification and molecular characterization of three species of Chytridiomycota, including Dinomyces arenysensis, as one of the most abundant environmental sequences, and the discovery of two other species not yet described

[EN] Academic housekeeping takes time away from research, is undervalued and is the invisible work mainly performed by women, [ES] https://www.icm.csic.es/es/noticia/academic-housekeeping-el-trabajo-invisible-y-voluntario-de-las-mujeres, [CAT] https://www.icm.csic.es/ca/noticia/academic-housekeeping-el-treball-invisible-i-voluntari-de-les-dones

Background: Ocean microbes constitute ~ 70% of the marine biomass, are responsible for ~ 50% of the Earth’s primary production and are crucial for global biogeochemical cycles. Marine microbiotas include core taxa that are usually key for ecosystem function. Despite their importance, core marine microbes are relatively unknown, which reflects the lack of consensus on how to identify them. So far, most core microbiotas have been defined based on species occurrence and abundance. Yet, species interactions are also important to identify core microbes, as communities include interacting species. Here, we investigate interconnected bacteria and small protists of the core pelagic microbiota populating a long-term marine-coastal observatory in the Mediterranean Sea over a decade. Results: Core microbes were defined as those present in > 30% of the monthly samples over 10 years, with the strongest associations. The core microbiota included 259 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) including 182 bacteria, 77 protists, and 1411 strong and mostly positive (~ 95%) associations. Core bacteria tended to be associated with other bacteria, while core protists tended to be associated with bacteria. The richness and abundance of core OTUs varied annually, decreasing in stratified warmers waters and increasing in colder mixed waters. Most core OTUs had a preference for one season, mostly winter, which featured subnetworks with the highest connectivity. Groups of highly associated taxa tended to include protists and bacteria with predominance in the same season, particularly winter. A group of 13 highly-connected hub-OTUs, with potentially important ecological roles dominated in winter and spring. Similarly, 18 connector OTUs with a low degree but high centrality were mostly associated with summer or autumn and may represent transitions between seasonal communities. Conclusions: We found a relatively small and dynamic interconnected core microbiota in a model temperate marine-coastal site

[EN] The inclusion of the gender dimension improves the quality, rigor, reproducibility and creativity of research, [ES] La inclusión de la dimensión de género mejora la calidad, el rigor, la reproducibilidad y la creatividad de la investigación, [CAT] La inclusió de la dimensió de gènere millora la qualitat, el rigor, la reproductibilitat i la creativitat de la recerca

This talk presents the progress in the implementation of the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) at ICM and main achievements, as well as the main actions currently planned to promote gender equality. On June 18th 2021, the first ICM’s GEP was approved by the Governing Board and presented to all ICM’s staff. The following few months were focused on organizing different meetings to disseminate the document and on establishing a work plan that allocates finance resources and task leaders for the implementation of the GEP. Several actions have subsequently been carried out since September, according to the workplan foreseen for each measure in the GEP. Highlights of main achievements to date are: the allocation of a budget for ICM’s GEP and for the Equality Task Force, the approval and assignment of a lactation and rest room for the staff, including its refurbishment, the implementation of best practices in recruitment, and a self-tailored mentoring program put in place, which foresees the integration of the gender perspective in its methodology. Furthermore, awareness-raising initiatives about gender equality in science to make women researchers visible in the ICM have also been carried out, especially during the Awareness Month campaign. Moreover, a Guide for Inclusive and Non-sexist Communication in the local language, developed by ICM, has been published. Finally, in what concerns actions foreseen for the upcoming months, it is planned to conduct a survey on gender equality perception in the centre, to carry out training on Gender Equality measures to different ICM units and to analyse the gender pay gap, among several other actions