Understand HAB holobiont dynamics
Identify the biological and environmental drivers shaping harmful algal bloom development and decline.
Water4All 2023 Joint Transnational Call · Aquatic Ecosystem Services
Understanding harmful algal blooms as holobionts
From environmental monitoring and microbial interactions to molecular effects, prediction and aquatic ecosystem services.
- Project
- Water4All2023-810
- Period
- 2025–2027
- Partners
- Sweden · France · Portugal · Spain
About HALOBISE
Why harmful algal bloom holobionts matter
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a global phenomenon associated with excessive phytoplankton growth in marine, coastal and freshwater environments.
HALOBISE focuses on the HAB holobiont as an integrated biological system, considering harmful algae together with the surrounding microbiome and their interactions.
By understanding interactions between algae, bacteria, viruses and the environment, HALOBISE seeks to improve knowledge of bloom development and decline and support more effective monitoring and prediction.
The project ultimately aims to improve the management of HAB impacts on aquatic ecosystem services, including those relevant to aquaculture, fisheries, environmental health and water security.
Overall objective
From holobiont knowledge to better prediction and management
HALOBISE aims to generate high-quality knowledge on the HAB holobiont to address the biological and societal complexity of harmful algal blooms, improve the predictive capacity of aquatic monitoring programmes, and support governance and management approaches that reduce impacts on aquatic ecosystem services under multiple environmental pressures.
Predict adverse effects of phycotoxins
Improve prediction of phycotoxin effects on species that support aquatic ecosystem services.
Co-create a prototype platform
Support valuation, mapping, assessment and mitigation of HAB impacts in collaboration with stakeholders.
Engage stakeholders
Integrate stakeholder knowledge, interests and needs to improve HAB assessment and management.
Research
From bloom to prediction
HALOBISE connects field monitoring, experimental ecology, virome analysis, proteomics and metaproteomics to understand how HAB holobionts function and how their toxins affect organisms.
01Field monitoring & sampling
02Holobiont ecology & virome
03Proteomics & metaproteomics
04Phycotoxin molecular effects
05Prediction & management
Field monitoring
Real HAB events in coastal and freshwater systems
HALOBISE links routine monitoring and targeted sampling with experimental studies. Coastal work in Galicia is connected to established HAB monitoring through the USC–INTECMAR collaboration, while CIIMAR carries out freshwater monitoring and experimental studies in Portugal.
Microbiome & virome
Algae, bacteria and viruses as an interacting system
USC investigates viral communities associated with HABs using sequencing, metagenomic and culture-based approaches to explore how bacteriophages may influence the HAB holobiome.
Deep metaproteomics
Who is there, and what are they doing?
CEA applies high-resolution mass spectrometry, proteotyping and deep metaproteomics to characterize the taxonomic and functional composition of HAB holobionts and identify molecular factors associated with bloom dynamics.
Molecular effects
Connecting phycotoxin exposure with biological impact
LiU applies proteome-wide approaches, including PISA, to identify phycotoxin–protein interactions and connect early molecular changes with biological processes relevant to environmental and human health.
Interdisciplinary expertise
One project, complementary perspectives
HAB ecology & biodiversity
Phytoplankton ecology, biodiversity monitoring, symbiosis and algae–microbiome interactions.
Omics & molecular science
Proteomics, metaproteomics, metagenomics, molecular biology and bioinformatics.
Environmental health & toxicology
Phycotoxins, molecular mechanisms, environmental health and ecosystem-service impacts.
Aquaculture & blue bioeconomy
Aquaculture, fisheries, bivalves and environment–production interactions.
Modelling & prediction
Biological systems analysis, environmental data integration and predictive approaches.
Governance & stakeholders
Monitoring authorities, stakeholder engagement, knowledge transfer and management applications.
Keywords: harmful algal blooms · algae–bacteria interactions · holobiome · proteomics · marine assessment · ecosystem services
Consortium
A European partnership across the HAB research chain
Sweden · Coordinator
Linköping University (LiU)
Prof. Susana Cristobal
Environmental proteomics and molecular approaches to identify protein–chemical interactions and predict adverse effects of HAB phycotoxins.
Visit LiU
France
CEA · Li2D
Dr. Jean Armengaud
High-resolution mass spectrometry, proteogenomics and deep metaproteomics for taxonomic and functional characterization of HAB holobionts.
Visit CEA
Portugal
CIIMAR
Dr. Aldo Barreiro
Experimental plankton ecology, freshwater HAB monitoring and laboratory studies of holobiont responses under different environmental conditions.
Visit CIIMAR
Spain
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
Prof. Jesús L. Romalde
Environmental microbiology, phageome analysis, sequencing and characterization of coastal HAB samples.
Visit USCActivities & outputs
HALOBISE in action
Monitoring
Freshwater and coastal sampling
Field campaigns connect recurring bloom events with biological, environmental and molecular measurements.
Experiments
Holobiont experiments
Controlled experiments test how environmental pressures influence phytoplankton communities and HAB holobionts.
Consortium
Annual project meeting · Porto 2026
Partners shared progress across monitoring, virome analysis, metaproteomics and phycotoxin research and coordinated the next phase of the project.
Dissemination
Conference communication
HALOBISE results are being communicated through international scientific meetings, posters and presentations, including proteomics-focused dissemination in 2026.
Growing resource areas:PublicationsPosters & presentationsData & protocolsPublic reports
Expected impact
Better evidence for healthier waters
Improve understanding of HAB initiation, progression and decline.
Support the integration of holobiont information into future monitoring approaches.
Improve prediction of adverse effects from phycotoxins.
Strengthen links between scientific evidence, monitoring and management.
Support sustainable aquaculture, fisheries, aquatic ecosystem services and water security.
Funding
Water4All Partnership
HALOBISE is funded through the Water4All Partnership – 2023 Joint Transnational Call “Aquatic Ecosystem Services”.
Proposal: Water4All2023-810
National funding is provided by FORMAS (Sweden), ANR (France), FCT (Portugal) and AEI (Spain).
Contact
Project coordinator
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Cell Biology
Faculty of Medicine, Linköping University
SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden
susana.cristobal@liu.se