Joint event MARBEFES & BIOcean5D - BioBlitz & Ocean of Changes
The first from the four planned MARBEFES BioBlitz actions was organized at the Baltic sea shore in Sopot, Poland. The key idea is to find coastal site that is accessible and known for the wide public – ideally a public park at the seaside. This was the case in Sopot with “Park Północny” that covers coastal boreal deciduous forest, wetland, small river, dune, exposed beach and sandy shallows with diversified bottom – stony outcrops, seagrass and mobile sands.
The action consisted of two parts – first was meant for scientists, to allow them 24hours activity in the area and collecting all possible taxons for further identification. We have got teams from:
- University of Łódź (hydrobiologists)
- University of Adam Mickiewicz (terrestrial minute invertebrates),
- University of Gdańsk (botanists, ichthyologists, teriologists and ornithologists)
- as well as marine biologists from Institue of Oceanology,
- Sea Fisheries Institute focused on plankton, benthos and meiofauna.
Altogether there were 37 scientists involved in search and identification.
To complete the classical search for species, EMBL team from BIOCEAN5D/TREC project conducted in the very same place screening of the DNA on the transect from forest, dunes and coastal sea water, plus airborne aerosole DNA. The final result will be a comparison of species list obtained in a classical way, with the list of genomes – Operational Taxonomic Units provided by molecular biologists.
The second part of the action was public event. We have organized ten stands under large tent with stereomicroscopes, aquaria, trays, where specialists were presenting the collection methods and identification techniques. The public presentation lasted from 10 to 16.00 on Saturday and was visited by nearly 1000 visitors, frequenting the associated scientific picnic in the IOPAN premises.
First results (macroorganisms from land and sea) gives estimation of about 600 species, the microorganisms analyses are on the way and final results are going to be presented on public web page as well as the data base material.
Photos are available on the IOPAN official web page as well at the link bellow!
http://www.iopan.gda.pl/Albumy/Marbefes-Bioblitz/index.html
http://www.iopan.gda.pl/Albumy/Bioblitz_tent/index.html
Joint event MARBEFES & BIOcean5D - BioBlitz & Ocean of Changes
