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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
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Analyzing Gene Expression from Marine Microbial Communities using Environmental Transcriptomics
Published on: February 18, 2009
Population-level transcriptomic datasets from two benthic invertebrates exposed to long-term experimental warming and
Elisavet Kaitetzidou1,2, Harris Markomanolaki1, Francesco Fabiano3,1
1Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Heraklion, Greece Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture Heraklion Greece https://ror.org/038kffh84.
Biodiversity Data Journal
|June 29, 2026
Summary
Ocean warming and acidification impact marine life. New RNA-seq datasets for sponges and gastropods offer insights into their resilience to climate change stressors.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Genomics
- Ecotoxicology
Background:
- Marine ecosystems face significant threats from ocean warming and acidification.
- Low-mobility benthic organisms are particularly vulnerable to these climate change stressors.
- Limited genomic and transcriptomic data exist for key benthic invertebrates under combined climate stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate population-level RNA-seq datasets for the sponge *Chondrilla nucula* and the gastropod *Hexaplex trunculus*.
- To investigate the transcriptional responses of these species to simulated near-future climate change conditions.
- To provide valuable genomic resources for studying climate change resilience in benthic invertebrates.
Main Methods:
- Collected sponge (*C. nucula*) and gastropod (*H. trunculus*) populations from the Aegean Sea.
- Exposed organisms to elevated temperature and reduced pH for three months in a common-garden experiment.
- Generated paired-end Illumina RNA-seq data, performing *de novo* transcriptome assembly for *C. nucula* and genome-guided alignments for *H. trunculus*.
Main Results:
- High-quality RNA-seq datasets were successfully generated for both species.
- A complete *de novo* transcriptome assembly for *C. nucula* was achieved.
- Genome-guided alignments were completed for *H. trunculus*.
Conclusions:
- The generated datasets are a crucial resource for understanding transcriptional plasticity in response to climate change.
- These data will facilitate research into the resilience mechanisms of benthic marine invertebrates.
- This study enhances our capacity to predict and mitigate the impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity.
