Genetic assessments of biodiversity in the Koster National Park
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually
Subject: Marine Biology
Time effort/Project level: 15-60 HP/Master or Bachelor
Contact: Matthias Obst
Project description
In this project you will use different genetic monitoring devices to assess status and changes of biodiversity in the coastal environment of the Koster National Park.
To this end you will be able to deploy
Artificial Reef Monitoring Structures, so-called ARMS (http://www.arms-mbon.eu/), as well as take sediment, plankton, and microbial samples.
The samples will be processed further for genetic analysis. Sampling will take place between May and June and you will be able to analyse genetic sequence data from samples collected in 2018.
Purpose of the project
The initial scientific purpose of the project is to identify newly arrived Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) and track the migration of already known NIS. If appropriate you can also focus on alternative or additional scientific questions, such as e.g. compare communities across different environmental gradients, habitats and locations.
The project is part of an international network (http://www.arms-mbon.eu/), which has similar deployments across Europe and in the Polar Regions.
Contact
For more information on the activity, please contact:
Matthias Obst
Email: matthias.obst@marine.gu.se