Dr. Jenna Moore is the "Head of Section Annelida" at the "Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB)" in Hamburg. In this position she currently manages the projects "EuroWorm: Ac...

EuroWorm is building an open genomic inventory of European marine annelids to combat biodiversity loss and accelerate species discovery.

EuroWorm is building an open genomic inventory of European marine annelids to combat biodiversity loss and accelerate species discovery.

To address this gap, researchers from the University of Göttingen, the Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change Analysis (LIB), and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research are launching a major effort to document European "marine annelids" - segmented sea worms - and make the data openly available. By building a comprehensive, accessible dataset, the initiative aims to speed up the discovery of new species and deepen global understanding of biodiversity. The project, "EuroWorm: Accelerating Global Marine Annelid Biodiversity Research with Open Genomic Data for European Species," is led by the LIB and funded by the Leibniz Association. Mapping Hidden Ocean Biodiversity With Genomics Marine annelids are found across nearly all ocean environments, where they help mix sediments, recycle nutrients, signal pollution levels, and support marine food webs. The research team plans to collect samples from European locations where many species were originally described. Once collected, the specimens will be identified morphologically - meaning by their form, structure or shape -, photographed in high resolution, and analyzed using advanced genomic tools and other modern techniques. The goal is to assemble a detailed genomic catalog of European marine annelids, clarify how different groups are related on the evolutionary tree, and explore how their...

El proyecto EuroWorm tiene como objetivo documentar anélidos marinos antes de que desaparezcan. La iniciativa facilitará la identificación de especies menos conocidas y contribuirá a la conservación de la biodiversidad en los océanos.

EuroWorm is building an open genomic inventory of European marine annelids to combat biodiversity loss and accelerate species discovery.

EuroWorm is building an open genomic inventory of European marine annelids to combat biodiversity loss and accelerate species discovery. By linking historical collections with modern genomics, the project strengthens global research and museum infrastructure. Across the globe, species are vanishing at an unprecedented pace—accelerated by climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. Organisms that have [...]

Many marine annelid species may vanish before being identified. The EuroWorm project will build an open-access genomic database of European segmented worms to accelerate discovery, though the pace of ...