Session themes
Six topical sessions chosen for abstract submission this year
Microbiology and Molecular Ecology
Given the rapid and vast degree of environmental change within marine ecosystems, understanding how this may affect; the physiology and metabolism of microbial communities, microbial interactions with marine taxa, microbial diversity and ecosystem structure and the regulation of biochemical cycling are key areas in marine research. Alongside this, key areas within the field of molecular ecology are aiming to; understanding the ability of taxa to evolve and adapt under such environmental change, investigating species movement and genetic connectivity in response to range shifts and using genomic tools, such as epigenetics, to understand the mechanisms underlying possible future adaptations.
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This session has been kindly supported by a One-off Meeting Grant from the Genetics Society. Visit www.genetics.org.uk
Global Change
The marine realm is a complex and dynamic system – understanding and predicting the ecological effects of global change drivers, such as elevations in water temperature, ocean acidification, sea level rise and changing ocean circulation patterns, has perhaps never been so crucial in marine biological research as it is today. This session aims to cover research aiming to understanding such effects on marine species ecology and ecological networks on a global scale.
Conservation and Ecology
Oceans cover 70% of our world and are home to a vast array of incredible marine life, from the microscopic to the largest animal that has ever lived. However, less than 3% of the world's oceans are designated marine protected areas. Developing our understanding of life in the marine environment is essential in order to conserve these species and the habitats on which they depend. We welcome presentations in this session covering: impacts of climate change, species life histories, methods and technologies, interactions and conflict with humans, informing policies, and the power of citizen science.
Invasive Species and Community Change
With globalisation only increasing and a warming climate, the continued invasion of non-native species and changing marine ecological communities are imminent. This session invites research topics from the aquatic invasions and their role in biodiversity and ecosystem stability, community-level ecological impacts and species distribution, range and niche shifts.
Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries
With the world's population set to increase to almost 10 billion by 2050, providing future generations with safe and sustainable farmed seafood is one of the critical challenges marine researchers will address. This session can focus on topics from aquatic diseases and the molecular processes underpinning interactions between hosts and their pathogens for a range of diseases in farmed aquatic species, maintaining environment and animal health within aquaculture and genomic tools for improving farmed stocks.
Anthropogenic Pollution
Marine ecosystems are facing ever increasing levels of anthropogenic pollutants; from microplastics and crude oil spills, to chemical releases and light and noise pollution. Establishing where sources and pathways of pollutants into marine ecosystems occurs is vital to understanding the effects of anthropogenic pollutants in species and the ecosystem. Key themes within this session include; sources and abundance of pollutants found in the marine environment, effects and/or adaptations of species to the presence of pollutants, ecological impacts, and future effects of emerging contaminants, mitigation measures or alternatives to reduce the effects of anthropogenic pollutants.
Workshops and Career Development
The following workshops and events have been specifically chosen and designed by this years conference committee to focus on the key skills, knowledge and methods early career researchers may need to tackle and solve key questions within marine biological research going forward.
Science isn't finished until it's communicated
National Geographic Explorer - Dr Lucy Hawkes
On average, scientific papers are only read by 10 people - so is that really the best way to communicate science?
We are pleased to invite Dr Lucy Hawkes, a physiological ecologist at the University of Exeter and a National Geographic Explorer. Lucy will take us through her extensive experience of communicating marine research, provide advice on the ways we can tackle and use the multitude of platforms available today, and how best to present scientific research.
Career paths outside of academia - discussion panel
With the career path of a marine biologist not being overly straight forward, we have devised a selective panel of non-academic marine scientists to help shed light on a potential career outside of academia. We are pleased to announce marine representatives from Natural England, JNCC, Marine Conservation Society, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Devon and Severn IFCA. - it promises to be a question and answer session not to be missed!
Visual Thinking and Scribing
TBC