From Lab to Ocean: Harnessing Epigenetic Potential for Sustainable Kelp Management

Sammendrag

Kelp farming is an essential component of the European blue economy, yet rising ocean temperatures threaten its sustainability. Breeding resistant strains takes several years, and reduces genetic diversity. Priming-induced epigenetic could rapidly enhance stress resilience and performance, but must be adapted from terrestrial plants to kelp and its bi-phasic life-cycle. Research investigating the long-term impacts of nursery conditions at the gametophyte stage on the growth and resilience of sporophytes is scarce. Our research shows that temmperature extremes at the gametophyte stage can significantly influence the growth, productivity, and thermal tolerance at the sporophyte stage, demonstrating transgenerational effects. We propose three aspects to advance biotechnological research to generate resilient kelp without breeding: 1) a mariculture test framework that allows to assess the influence of early life cycle stage treatments on sporophyte characteristics, balancing the operational capacity of commercial-scale farms with the replication in smaller production units; 2) the specificities of kelp epigenetics as a potential mechanism to carry a memory of environmental effects from the gametophyte stage to the sporophyte stage, and an angle point for non-genetic adaptation; 3) a modeling approach to simulate the effects of increasing thermal tolerance on the potential recovery of kelp habitat and farming area under projected climate change. Integrating a mariculture trial framework with molecular biology, and ecological modeling offers a pathway to develop resilient and kelp strains that show enhanced growth without compromising biodiversity or regulatory frameworks.