Metabarcoding, metagenomics and other omics methods revolutionize the study and monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. Seven sessions are proposed and highlight the potential uses of Omics:
Session 1. Omics in aquatic ecosystems through participatory science
The session provides an opportunity to present research and/or teaching projects combining participative science with omics tools. Projects in which actors of society are actively involved in the entire workflow of the project (i.e. defining the problem, the implementation of actions and the reflection on the results) are especially encouraged as well as projects developing and/or implementing user-friendly, low-cost protocols for monitoring aquatic ecosystems on a large spatial and temporal scales.
Session 2. Leveraging omics data to go beyond detections and towards eco-evolutionary insights
After revolutionizing the science of species detection, evidence for the enormous potential of environmental omics to provide additional genetic and ecological information is rapidly growing. This session will provide a platform for the presentation of innovative approaches allowing for a broader interpretation of environmental omics data beyond the presence/absence detection of taxa. Key themes include, but are not limited to i) the inference of abundance and quantitative data interpretation, ii) population-genetic analyses, iii) the state and persistence of eDNA and eRNA in the environment, iv) ecological inferences going beyond the analysis of community compositions.
Session 3. Understanding Aquatic Ecosystems in an Era of Environmental Change: From Omics Monitoring to Forecasting
In an era of significant environmental change, freshwater ecosystems are increasingly impacted by both local and global anthropogenic pressures, including climate change, invasive species, and pollutants. Integrating omics methodologies into biomonitoring offers a powerful approach to assessing the ecological state, dynamics, and responses of these ecosystems to various stressors. This symposium session will explore the use of omics techniques to evaluate the effects of stressors on biota and ecosystem functioning, covering all levels of biological organization from species to complex communities. We will discuss the integration of omics in long-term observatories, the challenges of combining omics data with traditional –or new- observational methods like remote sensing, and the importance of these integrations in understanding ecosystem changes. Additionally, we will address recent advances in incorporating omics data into predictive models for biodiversity monitoring and ecological forecasting, as well as methods for multi-omics data integration to tackle diverse ecological issues, including emerging research domains such as stress ecology.
Session 4. Knowledge and technological and gaps in omics: what are they and how can they be filled?
Omics methods meet a number of challenges for aquatic environments understanding. But many technological and knowledge gaps remain, for example:
How to detect cryptic diversity? What to do with unassigned barcode, genes and metabolites? What impact do these gaps have on the assessment of biodiversity and function hotspots? How can reference libraries be completed? Which taxa, metabolites or functions need to be better known? What technological and bioinformatics tools can help overcome these difficulties?
Session 5. Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting: a stakeholders perspective
As biodiversity loss continues to pose significant risks to ecosystems and economies, the importance of accurate monitoring and reporting has never been more critical. This session will delve into omics methodologies and best practices for implementing biodiversity monitoring and reporting for industry and other stakeholders. Attendees will gain insights into aligning their biodiversity monitoring and reporting initiatives with the regulatory framework for the implementation of a water management policy in Europe (e.g. CSRD, SBTN, WFD, MSFD). This session is essential for sustainability professionals, corporate strategists, environmental managers, and all stakeholders committed to advancing biodiversity conservation through robust monitoring and reporting practices. How novel omics methodologies can help organizations to meet regulatory requirements while fostering a sustainable and nature-positive future.
Key topics can include:
- Understanding the requirements and expectations of biodiversity reporting.
- approaches to enhance transparency and accountability in nature-related financial disclosures.
- how to leverage technology and data management tools for effective biodiversity monitoring.
- Case studies and practical examples from leading organizations.
Session 6. Understanding biotic interactions through the prism of Omics techniques
Biodiversity is the backbone of ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems, and its dynamics are driven by a set of nested filters among which biotic interactions. In the context of significant environmental change, the ongoing loss of biodiversity requires a sound understanding of how these filters interacted and structure biodiversity. Omics techniques enable us to characterize biodiversity in depth, in terms of structure, composition and function. Additionally, some omics techniques have made it possible to study biotic interactions at the cellular level, while others, coupled with statistical modelling for example, enable us to characterize the dynamics of biotic interactions at the populations and community scales. This session will explore the use of omics techniques to study biotic interactions at different temporal and spatial scales and under diverse environmental conditions. We will discuss recent advances in omics techniques for characterizing biotic interactions at different levels of biological organization, from the cell to complexes communities.
Session 7. Integrating omics in macroecology to elucidate ecosystem patterns and processes
Applying (multi-)omics tools is crucial to gaining deeper insights into global biodiversity patterns in aquatic ecosystems. Emerging methodologies allowing the integration of multiple omics approaches can now offer precise, reliable, quantified, and complementary information, allowing a robust description of aquatic community structures and functions (from genes to metabolites). Linking these different types of data will help to get an overall “top-down” holistic understanding, revealing key insight from complex structures of aquatic populations to decipher mechanisms associated with their assembly, distribution, and dynamics across space and time. From local to global scales, this session will dive into the most recent and advanced omics studies in aquatic biodiversity and biogeography, shedding light on the scientific community dedicated to bringing new perspectives and scaling up current concepts in macroecology.
