Title: From the ocean to the bench and back: environmental epigenetic applications in marine sciences

Abstract: 

Epigenetics has been long defined as an emerging discipline whose forefront is still largely driven by a mechanistic approach to the study of epigenetic modifications in the context of health sciences. Yet, during the last decade, the study of epigenetics has transcended to other disciplines, gaining more weight in ecological and evolutionary contexts, and fostering studies in environmentally relevant organisms. Indeed, the development of environmental epigenetics research is experiencing a golden age in the case of marine organisms, providing new exciting tools to understand the mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity and its persistence within and across generations. This is best exemplified by studies conducted in corals, mollusks, and fish, describing the effects of environmental changes on their epigenomes. Overall, the wealth of epigenetic information accumulated across these organisms is helping define how environmental signals reach and contribute to modulate genome function and phenotypic responses. In such a scenario, and again following the lead of human-related studies, environmental epigenetics is starting now to inform applied efforts, including restoration, ecotoxicology, fisheries stock assessment, among many others. In the present talk, I will discuss how epigenetics reached the ocean and how those studies are contributing to the application of epigenetic knowledge to confront global change challenges in the Anthropocene.