Responses and adaptation to climate change
Project vision
The BORIS project investigates how seasonal below-ground temperature fluctuations affect the physiology, rhizosphere biogeochemistry, and microbial communities of Posidonia oceanica, the Mediterranean’s key seagrass species. By studying these dynamics, BORIS aims to uncover the mechanisms that enhance seagrass resilience to climate change and support healthy coastal ecosystems.
Using a multidisciplinary approach—combining ecophysiology, molecular ecology, microbiology, and biogeochemistry—the project examines how the formation of P. oceanica’s characteristic ‘matte’ structure buffers its rhizomes and roots. This natural defense supports the seagrass’s role as a critical blue carbon sink, even under increasing environmental stressors, highlighting its importance for coastal carbon storage and climate mitigation.
Daily warming trend across the Mediterranean basin from 1982 to 2019. Contours represent a temperature change of 1.5 × 10⁻⁵ °C per day (adapted from Pastor et al., 2020).
Project participants
The project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Research PRIN call PNRR 2022 – grant n.P2022R739J. Three Italian research units collaborate towards testing the role of below-ground processes in seagrass meadows facing climate change.
Meet Our Team
Meet the people who make the BORIS project possible.
Gabriele Procaccini
Coordinator
Fabio
Bulleri
Partner PI
Antonio Pusceddu
Partner PI
Ulisse
Cardini
Participant
Emanuela Dattolo
Participant
Iacopo Bertocci
Participant
Deborah Fontanini
Participant
Serenella Cabiddu
Participant
Alessandro Cau
Participant
Irene
Olivé
Participant
Jessica Pazzaglia
Participant
German Zapata
Participant
Alice Blanckaert
Participant
Latest news
Follow boris project’s progress and dive into the learnings.
Marine Symbiomes at the #TMHM Symposium 2025
The Marine Symbiomes Group joined the TMHM Symposium 2025 at the Botanic Garden of Padova, organized by the University of Padova. The event fostered dialogue on new frameworks and technologies for studying marine host–microbe symbioses, with a focus on how climate change affects these vital ecosystems.
New ENGAGE experiment launches in Bacoli
Check out the latest update on an in situ experiment launched near Napoli as part of the PRIN ENGAGE project. The experiment aims to test Posidonia oceanica resilience to coastal eutrophication when in partnership with a sponge and its microbiome!
Celebrating transitions in marine symbiosis research
Dr. Elena Quintanilla wins a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship to conduct marine symbiosis research in our group, while Dr. Alice Blanckaert moves to the Centre Scientifique de Monaco for her next postdoc. Read about their exciting career milestones in marine research!
Heatwave experiment on marine plants and bivalves successfully concludes
Check out the latest news about an experiment that was conducted at the Aquarium of Livorno, within the frame of the PRIN ENGAGE project, to test the resistance of a tripartite association between marine plants, bivalves and bacteria to global warming!
Open position: postdoctoral fellowship on marine meiofaunal ecology and positive species interactions
We invite applications in the frame of the ENGAGE project, for a postdoctoral researcher to work with Dr Laura Carugati (UNICA) on meiofaunal ecology and positive species interactions.
Open position: PhD scholarship in microbial ecology of seagrasses
We invite applications for a PhD student to work with Dr Ulisse Cardini and Prof Fabio Bulleri on “Nested microbial interactions in seagrass ecosystems”.
Ocean acidification accelerates Nitrogen cycling on seagrass leaves
Our recent study in Communications Biology shows that Posidonia oceanica leaves exhibit complete nitrogen cycling, with key transformations accelerating under ocean acidification. These microbial interactions are crucial for seagrass resilience in a changing ocean.
Open position: postdoctoral fellowship in microbial ecology of seagrasses
We invite applications for a postdoctoral researcher to work with Dr Ulisse Cardini on “Positive species interactions and microbial ecology of seagrasses”.
Kickoff meeting of the ENGAGE project
Hey there, everyone! We're excited to share that the ENGAGE kickoff meeting recently took place at the CIBM in Livorno.
Ready to Talk?
Get in touch, or come say hello!