On the first days of 2023, at the Faculty of Biology, international cooperation activities were held between the Faculty of Biology, Hanoi National University of Education and the Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), Aix Marseille University. The seminar on NOTES ON ECO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN MANGROVE FOREST taking place on January 12, 2023 was one of the outstanding activities in this cooperation program. The purpose of the seminar was to strengthen the exchange and research capacities in chemical ecology, an interdisciplinary field in sustainability science. Professors Catherine Fernandez, Anne Bousquet- Mélou and Virginie Baldy, leading experts in chemical ecology, shared the team's impressive findings on chemical ecology in recent years, especially the publications as well as study on the chemical ecology of mangrove forests in Vietnam, with the contributions of scientists from both Aix-Marseille University and Hanoi National University of Education. Attending the seminar were Assoc. Tran Duc Hau - Vice Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Dr. Nguyen Van Quyen - Director of the Center  for Environmental Research and Education as well as lecturers, scientists, undergraduate and graduate students from the Faculty of Biology.

First approach to the involvement of mangroves in biosphere-atmosphere exchanges: study of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions by mangroves by Dr. Catherine Fernandez was the first presentation, which attracted the interest of a number of graduate students and researchers in the field of ecology. In the presentation, Dr. Fernandez introduced general points on the roles of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions and shared preliminary results on volatile organic compound emissions by mangrove plants. Some mangrove species from Vietnam and France were chosen for this study. From those results, the research group proposed a hypothesis about volatile organic compound  emissions in different parts of mangroves.

Prof. Anne Bousquet- Mélou reported the role of allelopathy in the succession dynamics of mangrove plant communities in the Red River delta. A hypothesis about allelopathic interaction between pioneer species and target species was proposed and tested. The finding of the study partly answered the hypothesis and the further study was reconmended.  The effect of chemicals released from mangroves was discussed.

The topic on the involvement of water-soluble and volatile compounds from the leaves of two mangrove species in the attraction of crabs was presented by Dr. Virginie Baldy. The presentation provided the answers for some of the questions raised by the participants in the two previous topics.

Discussions about the possibility of establishing researches on the interactions between mangroves and animals are lively. Some ideas for the study of interactions between animals and plants through chemical molecules were also proposed.

Speaking at the end of the seminar, Assoc.Prof. Tran Duc Hau hoped that this initial exchange will contribute to expanding and improving the operational efficiency of both sides and creating a foundation for future development.

Belows are several photos in the seminar:

Fig. 1. Dr. C. Fernandez was sharing study of volatile organic compound emissions by mangroves

Fig. 2. Prof. A. Bousquet- Mélou was sharing new discovery on mangrove allelopathy

Fig. 3. Questions were posed for. Dr. V. Baldy and the research team by participants

Fig. 4. Taking pictures with scientists from Aix-Marseille University

Report by Dr. Dao Van Tan

Photos by Department of Genetics - Biochemistry