16 “Plan Estatal” projects in the Galician CSIC
* This article has been translated into English using Google Translate and may contain errors.
The Mission’s 5 projects cover multidisciplinary issues such as the circadian cycle of beans, how controlled fire affects forest ecological health, or the development of computational models of systems biology.
The research funded bythe State Plan – Generation of Knowledge of the MBG, IIM, INCIPIT and the IEO A Coruña will be developed until next year 2027.
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is launching its 16 new scientific investigation projects in Galicia financed by the State Research Agency (AEI) through the call for R&D&I projects within the framework of the “Generation of Knowledge and Scientific and Technological Strengthening of the R&D&I System” (2023) program.5 of the research projects are being developed at the MBG-CSIC, in Pontevedra and Santiago de Compostela.
This call aims to finance the implementation of research projects aimed at promoting the generation and significant advancement of scientific knowledge and research of proven quality, as well as moving towards finding solutions to society’s challenges. It may also finance actions aimed at training predoctoral research staff through the completion of a doctoral thesis associated with the research projects.
The 5 MBG projects
Development of computational biology models
The Computational Biology group leads “Data-driven mechanistic modeling, uncertainty quantification and optimization in systems biology”, with Julio R. Banga as principal investigator. Its objective is to develop and apply advanced computational models to understand how biological systems and biochemical pathways work at the cellular level. To do so, techniques are used that automatically generate dynamic models from data, adjusting these models so that their predictions are more precise, improving their effectiveness by applying mathematical techniques and, finally, using these models to understand and improve processes.
Optimizing the growth of common beans
The Plant Developmental Genetics group leads “Functional genomics and genetic improvement of common bean: fine-tuning meristem plasticity to optimize plant architecture for climate-resilient agriculture”. The principal investigator is Marta Santalla. Her goal is to understand the role of genes and genetic networks that dictate meristem maturation in common bean. Meristem is the tissue present in plants that drives plant growth, as it contains cells that are capable of dividing and forming new parts. Understanding how meristem maturation plasticity works genetically will allow rebalancing vegetative and reproductive growth to customize plant architecture and improve productivity (number of flowers, fruits and seeds) of crops in specific environments.
The emergence of fires and how biodiversity responds to fire
The Landscape Ecology group leads “Assessing the potential of restoring ecological fire regimes as a solution to extreme fires in Mediterranean systems: ecosystem services and future scenarios”. The project focuses on addressing the global environmental crisis of biodiversity loss by seeking innovative solutions for ecosystem restoration by reintroducing fire in a controlled manner to mimic natural processes, promoting ecological health and biodiversity. The subproject coordinated by the MBG, whose principal investigator is Adrián Regos, will focus on understanding the processes that influence the emergence of fire as a natural disturbance in complex socio-ecological landscapes, specifically in the Gerês-Xurés Biosphere Reserve. It will also analyze the response of biodiversity to fire, using birds as a study model, applying the IPBES Nature Futures Framework (NFF), with the aim of helping public decision-makers move towards more desirable regimes. in these ecosystems.
The circadian cycle and plant defense
The Brassica Genetics, Breeding and Biochemistry group leads “Nature’s hidden clock: Unveiling the power of the circadian rhythm in plant defence against biotic stress”. The principal investigator is Marta Francisco. Her goal is to unravel the role of the circadian clock in plant defence against pests, using Brassica crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) as a model. Circadian cycles are responsible for regulating the physical changes that occur in living organisms throughout a day. This research aims to identify the moments of maximum defensive response capacity in plants and the associated metabolites, through advanced analysis.
Sugars that activate crop defenses
The Signaling Mechanisms in Stress and Plant Development group leads “Deciphering the function of signaling sugars in crop resilience”, whose principal investigator is Patricia Fernández. The objective is to identify and characterize the behavior of signaling sugars produced under stress conditions and that activate the immune response of crops. These compounds could be used as innovative and environmentally safe strategies that allow increasing resistance to diseases and pests and, therefore, promote plant resilience by reducing highly polluting chemical inputs.
The 8 IIM projects
The Ecophysiology, Biomarkers and Sustainable Management of Bivalves group leads “Tools for resilient mussel farming: interactions between climate changes and new management trends”, whose principal investigator is José Manuel Fernández. The aim is to study the impact of both climate change and changes in mussel farming management on natural recruitment, that is, the abundance of mussel seed in natural banks. The starting hypothesis is that the shortage of mussel seed is a consequence of two factors that simultaneously affect the population dynamics of the species, which are related to each other: climate changes and changes in aquaculture management.
The Microbiology and Marine Product Technology group is leading “New molecular tools to monitor and identify known and emerging human pathogens present in mussels”, whose principal investigator is Alejandro Garrido. The main objective is to improve the microbiological safety of mussels produced in Galicia. To this end, the identification of pathogenic microorganisms present will be addressed through metagenomic analysis of mussels from the different estuaries of Galicia. Isothermal methodologies will then be developed for the detection of the pathogens identified in situ. Finally, the new methodologies will be validated through interlaboratory tests and with tests in rafts.
The Organic Geochemistry Laboratory group leads “Impact of Mesoscale Activity on Biogeochemical Processes in the Greenland Sea”, whose principal investigator is Xosé Antón Álvarez. The objective is to contribute to clarifying the role of the transient mesoscale and submesoscale structures that develop in the Greenland Sea during the summer, in the context of the Biological Carbon Pump; that is, the production of organic matter, its degradation, and its transport to the deep ocean.
The Immunology and Genomics group leads “Identification of metabolic alterations associated with infection and disease resistance in fish as a source of metabolic therapies”, whose principal investigators are Patricia Pereiro and Beatriz Novoa. The objective is to study the relationship between metabolism and immune response, known as immunometabolism, in two species of fish of high productive interest in Spain: turbot and sea bream.
The Organic Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry Laboratory groups are leading “Environmental impacts of coastal groundwater discharge on shellfish banks in Galician estuaries”, whose principal investigators are Juan Severino Pino and Antonio Cobelo. The objective is to identify and quantify the discharge of continental groundwater into bivalve shellfish banks in Galician estuaries and to elucidate the ecosystem regulation services performed by local underground estuaries in modulating the composition of this diffuse transport pathway to the coast.
Isabel Medina and Santiago Aubourg, with the collaboration of Carlos Spuch (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia-Sur IISGS) and Marta romeu (Universidad Rovira e Virgili), lead the project “Exosomes present in Foods of Marine Origin as a Source of Bioactives for Brain Health: technological and mechanistic developments”. The proposal is aimed at generating scientific knowledge for the extraction and use of extracellular vesicles of marine origin, providing new knowledge on their mode of action as regulators of brain health during aging. The overall objective will promote the technological development of a new family of bioactive and stable food compounds, through valorization processes of waste products from the echinoderm and mollusk processing industry. It will provide knowledge on the benefits associated with the consumption of marine exosomes, with a special focus on older adults, a population that requires nutritional initiatives for healthy aging.
The Microbiology and Marine Product Technology group coordinates, together with the HIBRO group of the University of Córdoba, the project “Advanced Models for Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (ECRM) aimed at unraveling the threats associated with polymicrobial biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes present in ready-to-eat foods, linked to consumption trends through the integration of a multi-omic approach”, whose principal investigators are Marta López Cabo and Juan J. Rodríguez Herrera. The main objective is to characterize the factors that facilitate the presence of L. monocytogenes in the food chain through an omic approach, and to incorporate this information into the development of Advanced Models for Quantitative Risk Assessment of listeriosis.
The project “Carbon dioxide flux and inventory, acidification and ocean health in repeated oceanographic campaigns in the Atlantic Ocean” is led by Xosé Antonio Padín and Fiz Fernández, from the Oceanic Processes in Global Change group. Its main objective is to collect high-quality oceanographic data in three oceanographic campaigns that will repeat historical campaigns such as FRUELA, in the Antarctic Ocean; FICARAM, along the Atlantic Ocean and OVIDE, in the North Atlantic. In general, the objective is to evaluate the forcings of the main effects of climate change on the ocean (oceanic acidification, warming, deoxygenation…) to improve pH forecasts and understand the role of the ocean in climate change. Specifically, the quantification of anthropogenic CO2 accumulation and ocean acidification rates will be carried out, distinguishing between its natural and anthropogenic components.
The 2 INCIPIT projects
INCIPIT participates in the project “Orientatio Ad Sidera VI: Astronomy in Culture, advanced classical techniques and remote sensing, a multidisciplinary approach” with the project “Orientatio Ad Sidera VI: an approach from the heritage sciences”, whose principal investigator is César González García. The objective is to expand the lines of research in Astronomy in Culture, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of astronomy with the social sciences, especially landscape archaeology and its correlation with celestial phenomena, collectively called celestial landscape or skyscape.
Jadranka Verdonkschot and Felipe Criado are the principal investigators of the project “Modeling Megalithic Space. Paleoenvironment, Navigation and Visibility in Monumental Landscapes”. The aim is to confirm, through scientific methods, the existence of a structural model of the megalithic landscape and the rules that define its spatial organization. The main hypothesis is that megalithic monuments not only fulfill a funerary function, but also structure social relations and interaction with the environment. The research focuses on the megalithic necropolis of the Sierra de Barbanza (Galicia).
The project of the Oceanographic Centre of A Coruña of the IEO “Sharing of microbial and metazoan food webs by intermediate trophic levels: Impact of seasonal and habitat variability” has Antonio Bode as principal investigator. The objective is to advance in the understanding of the role of intermediate trophic levels (MTL) in the functioning of marine food webs by exploiting microbial and metazoan resources. Led by the Oceanographic Centre of A Coruña, staff from the Oceanographic Centre of Vigo also participate.