INSEAD Annual Report 2023-20143 test - Flipbook - Page 26
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Bertarelli Foundation
Professor
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.
