Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2023-R9-low (1) - Flipbook - Page 26
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Bertarelli Foundation
Prof. Barb Block
Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Professor of
Marine Sciences, Professor of Oceans and
Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the
Environment, Stanford University, USA
Lead: Shark Genomics Seascapes
“Human technology has
made it to Mars. We are
transmitting gorgeous
pictures from it. Yet we
have not explored our
own planet. Two-thirds
of it is covered with
oceans that are still
mysterious places.”
Barb’s research aims to monitor the Indian
Ocean region’s sentinel species using tagging
technology. Using a range of techniques,
including genomics and biologging, she focuses
on how large pelagic fish use the open ocean.
Barb and her team have pioneered the
development and deployment of electronic
tags on tunas, billfishes, and sharks around
the world. Her research has led to an increase
in our understanding of movement patterns,
population structure, physiology and behaviours
of pelagic fish and sharks, enabling us to better
inform conservation. Barb and her team also
study bluefin and yellowfin tunas from a whole
organism to genome perspective with interests
in the physiology of migrations, thermogenesis,
cardiac biology, energetics, and reproduction.
Principal
Investigators
Dr. Matthieu
le Corre
Director of the Laboratory of Ecology and
Marine Research, Université de La Réunion
Co-lead: Seabird Connectivity
“Seabirds can travel for
thousands of kilometres in the
high seas but many species
return to their place of birth
for breeding. This ability
to travel far but with very
strong philopatry are the two
components of the seabird
paradox. In a world that is
changing rapidly, this may also
make these species particularly
vulnerable to human impacts.”
Matthieu’s research is focused on the foraging
and migratory behaviour of seabirds in the
Indian Ocean and the identification of marine
biodiversity hotspots in the region. Seabirds
are powerful indicators of ocean health
because they often feed on prey that tuna and
other species drive to the ocean’s surface, so
revealing the location of highly productive
areas where prey species are concentrated.
Matthieu is collaborating with population
genetics experts to investigate the level of
connectivity between seabird colonies of the
Indian Ocean and beyond to the Pacific Ocean
which will inform conservation plans and island
restoration strategies.