ponedeljek, 6. maj 2024 Mathieu Denoël: Effects of fish introductions on newts in ponds and lakes, with a focus on diversity loss in the Balkans

V sredo, 8. maja 2024, bo izveden seminar z naslovom Effects of fish introductions on newts in ponds and lakes, with a focus on diversity loss in the Balkans.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 13.30 ure.

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Mathieu Denoël
------------------------------------

Summary: Newts used to be among the natural typical aquatic predators of ponds and lakes across Europe. In Southern Europe and particularly in the Balkans, they express two alternative developmental pathways: metamorphosis and paedomorphosis (retention of gills at the adult stage). However, multiple fish introductions, including species as diverse as goldfish, mosquitofish or trouts were introduced in their habitats. By exerting both direct and indirect effects on newt populations, these fish caused their decline and for paedomorphs and several subspecies their extinction. There is yet some hope as management efforts can allow the resilience of newt diversity.

Mathieu Denoël is a Research Director of Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique at the University of Liege (Belgium). He is passionate about amphibian conservation and Balkans where he focuses now most of his research.

torek, 27. februar 2024 Pietro Giovacchini: From threats to resilience for a multi-scalar approach to the "Natura 2000" Network the article 6.3 of the Directive 92/43/EC

V sredo, 6. marca 2024, bo izveden prvi seminar o kopenskih vsebinah.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure. 

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Pietro Giovacchini
------------------------------------

Pietro Giovacchini attained his Master's degree in Natural Science in 1997) and his Professional Master program in Biomonitoring and Management of the Coastal Zone in 2004, in both cases at the University of Siena. Currently, he is doing his PhD at the Department of Environmental, Geological and Polar Sciences and Technologies at the University of Siena University, his PhD thesis Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the management of Protected Areas through the Use of objective indicators: An Application to a system of zones wetlands of the Tyrrhenian coast. Apart from his PhD, he works as an officer of the public authority “Regione Toscana”, where he mainly deals with natural resources and management of the Natura 2000 network.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: From threats to resilience for a multi-scalar approach to the "Natura 2000" Network the article 6.3 of the Directive 92/43/EC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Satisfactory management of Natura 2000 sites”: is it always necessary a more detailed approach in the analysis of the project? For example, environmental fragmentation can be measured particularly where the impact shows different effects on the biotic group across a more detailed scale. For other reasons, the rock quarries abandoned for over 10 years, where up to seven breeding or wintering bird rock species included in the Red Lists have been found, constitute an example of resilience over a large territory. Article 6.3 of the "Habitats" Directive evaluates the main effects that the project may have on the site concerned. However, the authorization process envisaged by the same article of the Directive is often indicative in the document of an inadequate cultural formation which implies a multi-scalar approach, for example, due to the lack of an evaluation of cumulative effects or planning strategies. If the environmental interference with the Natura 2000 network is out of this area, in a scenario with anthropic threats in which value taxa coexist (e.g. Discoglossus sardus, annexes II and IV of Directive 92/43/EEC), the analysis of the ecological system and the elements of the landscape unit equally aim to verify the impact on the species, especially if compared to an adequate reference scale for the critical issues inherent in a meta-population.

ponedeljek, 12. februar 2024 SILVIA CASTRO:There is nothing permanent except change: assessing reproductive shifts across the entire Mediterranean basin

V torek, 13. februarja 2024, bo izveden seminar o kopenskih vsebinah.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo od 9:15-10:00, Izola, Livade.

------------------------------------
Predavateljica: SILVIA CASTRO 
------------------------------------

Biological invasions pose a major threat to biodiversity, having ecological and evolutionary consequences both for species and communities being invaded and for invasive species themselves. Understanding invasive plants colonization strategies enable to develop habitat restoration actions more efficiently and contribute to the conservation of threatened plant species. The Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae L.) is a tristylous polyploid plant native to South Africa, having become invasive in Mediterranean regions globally. In its native habitat, populations are isoplethic having three flower morphs and sexual reproduction, while in most invaded areas, populations are dominated by the pentaploid short-styled morph that reproduce asexually. Nevertheless, new forms have been discovered in western Mediterranean basin, introducing new reproductive strategies and, consequently, new invasion contexts. We aimed at understand the current distribution of floral morphs and cytotypes within the wider region of the Mediterranean Basin, as well as patterns and changes in sexual fitness and possible breakdowns in the heterostylous syndrome. For that, within the COST Action ConservePlants we have gathered the 'Finding Bermuda buttercup' team that sampled floral morph composition, fresh leaves and fitness variables in invasive populations across the Mediterranean basin. Ploidy was determined using flow cytometry on fresh leaves, and floral morphometric analyses and quantification of pollen loads were analysed in ethanol presenved flowers. This large-scale sampling provides novel insights into the distribution of ploidy and floral morphs and reveals two distinct reproductive strategies, one through uniparental reproduction and the other throught the re-establishment of sexuality. Our finding highlight the dynamic nature of invasion processes, emphasizing that ecological and genetic constraints inherent in the invasion process can lead to unique reproductive strategies, ultimately influencing the probability of invasion success.

------------------------------------
Naslov: There is nothing permanent exce: assessing reproductive shifts across the entire Mediterranean basin
------------------------------------

torek, 6. februar 2024 Andrea Pieroni: Could ethnobotany be a tool for proposing sustainable use of plant resources?

V ponedeljek, 12. februarja 2024, bo izveden seminar o kopenskih vsebinah.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo od 12. 2. 2024, 9:30-10:15, Izola, Livade.

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Andrea Pieroni
------------------------------------

Trained in medical botany at the University of Pisa, Andrea Pieroni earned his doctorate in 1998 from the University of Bonn in Germany. He has worked as a Research Assistant at the School of Pharmacy, University of London (2000-2003) and as a tenured Lecturer and, later, Senior Lecturer at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford, UK (2003-2009). From January 2009 he has been hired as an associate professor at the University of Pollenzo (www.unisg.it) and from 2016 he is Full Professor of Ethnobotany and from October 2017 Rector of the same university. Professor Pieroni has served as the Vice-President and President of the International Society of Ethnobiology (2008-2010), he is the founder and Chief Editor of the J Ethnobiol Ethnomed (www.ethnobiomed.com) and sits on the editorial boards of diverse international ethnoscientific journals. His reserach focuses on cross-cultural ethnobotany and traditional food in the Balkans and the Middle East and especially among mountain pastoralists and ethnic and religious minorities and diasporas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Could ethnobotany be a tool for proposing sustainable use of plant resources?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although ethnobotanical studies have exponentially increased in the past decade, there is still a scarse knowledge of the essence and "philosophy" of local, community-centred plant practices and their sustainability. With the help of some concrete examples/case studies we will show that many cultural keystone species in many communities of the Mediterranean and the Near East are very common plants that are not threatened. The rare cases in which conservation concerns have to loudly raised refer normally to species, which are remarkably traded in recent times only and whose end use is often unknown by the local communities. This reflection proposes therefore to use community-centred ethnobotanical data as preliminary datasets for sustainable use of local plant resources.

sreda, 10. januar 2024 Ilona Rac: Težave z uporabo pojma ekosistemskih storitev za potrebe oblikovanja politik

V sredo, 17. januarja 2024, bo izveden drugi seminar o kopenskih vsebinah.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo prek ZOOM povezave, od 12. do 13. ure. 

------------------------------------
Predavateljica: Ilona Rac
------------------------------------

The primary background of Ilona Rac is  Law and Agronomy; she has recently acquired her PhD in the field of Economics of natural resources. Her work mainly consists of agricultural policy analysis and advice with regard to environmental issues. She has worked in several EU and national projects dealing with agriculture and its related environmental issues, including ecosystem services, as well as projects dealing with the issue of food waste. In this seminar, she will present her experience with research projects aiming to assess ecosystem services in order to provide support for evidence-based policymaking.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Težave z uporabo pojma ekosistemskih storitev za potrebe oblikovanja politik
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The seminar talk will focus on issues around implementing the concept of ecosystem services in policy and practice. While ecosystem services have been hailed as a promising concept to reconcile different interests in the uses of nature, actually implementing them in practice has proven to be trickier. The talk will include a brief overview of the concept of ecosystem services, state of the art on its implementation and personal research experience, especially with regard to the inclusion of stakeholders.

torek, 9. januar 2024 Vladimir Ivović: Toxoplasma gondii - od mačk do norosti

V sredo, 10. januarja 2024, bo izveden prvi seminar o kopenskih vsebinah.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure in prek ZOOM povezave. 

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Vladimir Ivović
------------------------------------

Vladimir Ivović, Associate Professor of Research (field: Medical Entomology and Parasitology) is a member of the Department of Biodiversity at the UP FAMNIT since 2012. Dr. Ivović completed bachelor's and master's degrees at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. Doctoral studies on identification, laboratory rearing, and molecular phylogeny of phlebotomine sandflies were conducted at the WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mediterranean Zoonoses, Heraklion, University of Crete, Greece. He completed part of his postdoctoral studies on South American sandfly species identification, conservation and mounting techniques at Yale University, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases in the Dr. Leonard E. Munstermann Laboratory, New Haven, USA. Vladimir has 25 years of experience in research on sandflies, mosquitoes and ticks, especially in monitoring, control and laboratory rearing of sandflies and molecular detection of the pathogens they transmit (Leishmania and viruses).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Toxoplasma gondii - od mačk do norosti
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan that can infect a variety of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Toxoplasmosis is the disease caused by this parasite, which is usually transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food or water or contact with infected cat feces. While many people infected with Toxoplasma experience mild or no symptoms, the parasite can pose a serious health risk to people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and fetuses, and can occasionally cause flu-like symptoms in healthy people. T. gondii has been linked to possible changes in human behavior. Some studies suggest that chronic infections with this parasite may affect neurological processes and lead to subtle changes in personality and behavior. While the exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood, research suggests that Toxoplasma gondii may be associated with increased risk-taking and cognitive effects, which could have implications for the psychological well-being of infected individuals. However, it is important to note that the extent and significance of these behavioral changes in humans remain the subject of ongoing scientific investigation and debate.

petek, 1. december 2023 Ana Lokovšek: Obnova gozdičkov rjavih alg iz rodu Cystoseira

V sredo, 6. decembra 2023, bo izveden 7. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure. 

------------------------------------
Predavateljica: Ana Lokovšek
------------------------------------

Ana Lokovšek je mlada raziskovalka na Morski biološki postaji v Piranu (Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo) in se ukvarja z makroalgami, ki predstavljajo pomembne biogradnike v Jadranskem morju.  Ana je leta 2018 diplomirala na Biotehniški fakulteti, smer Biologija. Študij je nadaljevala v Kopru na Fakulteti za naravoslovje, matematiko in informacijske tehnologije, kjer se je vpisala na smer Varstvo narave. Leta 2021 je pod mentorstvom prof. dr. Lovrenca Lipeja magistirala z nalogo "Prehranjevalne navade pisanice (Serranus scriba) in volčiča (Serranus hepatus) v slovenskem morju«. Po zaključenem magisteriju se je predavateljica vpisala na doktorski študij Ekotehnologije na Mednarodni podiplomski šoli Jožeta Stefana in začela delati na Morski biološki postaji kot mlada raziskovalka. V okviru svojega doktorata pod mentorstvom dr. Martine Orlando Bonaca  se ukvarja z varstvom in obnovo habitatov rjavih alg iz rodu Cystoseira s.l.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Obnova gozdičkov rjavih alg iz rodu Cystoseira
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rjave alge iz rodu Cystoseira s.l. (vključujoč rodove Cystoseira, Gongolaria in Ericaria) so pomembni gradniki habitata v Jadranskem morju in tudi širše v Sredozemskem morju. Za njih je značilna razvejana tridimenzionalna struktura steljke, ki tvori t.i. krošnje, te pa se združujajo v prave podvodne gozdičke. Ti podvodni gozdički so po pomembnosti in številu vrst lahko primerljivi celo z gozdovi na kopnem in nudijo številne ekosistemske storitve kot so visoka primarna produkcija, dolgotrajni ponor ogljika in zaščita obalnega pasu pred vremenskimi vplivi. Krošnje cistozir nudijo tudi življenjski prostor bogati ribji in nevretenčarski združbo, substrat za številne vrste epifitov, vir hrane za številne organizme in jasli za ribje mladice. Zaradi antropogenih pritiskov kot so prelov velikih predatornih rib, gradnja v obalnem pasu, onesnaževanje in evtrofikacija voda ter segrevanje morja so populacije cistozir v zadnjih desetletjih v upadanju. Zaradi slabe širitvene kapacitete, fragmentiranih populacij in intenzivne paše s strani morskih ježkov in rastlinojedih rib je naravna obnova populacij malo verjetna. Dobro organizirani in usmerjeni obnovitveni ukrepi so tako nujni za ohranitev teh pomembnih habitatov.

četrtek, 23. november 2023 Mateja Grego: Exploring the microplastic pollution of waterways

V sredo, 29. novembra 2023, bo izveden 6. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure.  

------------------------------------
Predavateljica:  Mateja Grego
------------------------------------

Mateja Grego is a marine biologist researching the impact of anthropogenic pollution, particularly from aquaculture and maritime traffic, on meiofaunal diversity and microplastic pollution in coastal sediments and rivers. The lecturer performed part of her PhD at the University of Ghent (experiments in situ and in vitro with 13C isotopes to study the benthic food webs) and postdoc at the University of Vienna (hypoxia/anoxia impact on harpacticoid copepod community). Since 2021, She has been coordinating the Plastic Pirates - Go Europe citizen science project in Slovenia. Additionally, Mateja serve as a National delegate in the Horizon Europe Mission Ocean working group. She also organized a summer school for the Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC+) in Piran in 2012, which led to one of the pioneering articles on microplastic pollution in marine sediments.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Exploring the microplastic pollution of waterways
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

This presentation delves into recent research findings concerning the pervasive issue of microplastic pollution in marine environments. It provides an overview of published results from scientific journals, encompassing the pollution of both seawater and sediment, as well as the intricate pathways of microplastics in the sea. With the escalating volume of research papers in recent years, the focus narrows down to the Mediterranean Sea, shedding light on the specific challenges and dynamics of microplastic pollution in this region. Finally, we will explore the issue of microplastic pollution in Slovenian rivers, where the research involved the wider public in the sampling process.

petek, 17. november 2023 Petra Slavinec: Raznolik svet mikroalg: diverziteta kokolitoforidov in njihova vloga v ekosistemu

V sredo, 22. novembra 2023, bo izveden 5. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure.  

------------------------------------
Predavateljica:  Petra Slavinec
------------------------------------

Petra Slavinec je mlada raziskovalka na Nacionalnem inštitutu za biologijo - Morski biološki postaji, v okviru doktorske naloge pa raziskuje fitoplankton, predvsem kokolitoforide pod mentorstvom izr. prof. dr. Patricije Mozetič. S kombinacijo mikroskopskih in molekularnih metod odkriva diverziteto kokolitoforidov v slovenskem obalnem morju, pa tudi njihov življenjski cikel, ter vlogo pri ekosistemskih storitvah v luči klimatskih sprememb.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Raznolik svet mikroalg: diverziteta kokolitoforidov in njihova vloga v ekosistemu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Mikroalge so zelo raznolika skupina mikroskopskih organizmov, ki jih najdemo tako v morskih, kot sladkovodnih okoljih. Tvorijo osnovo prehranjevalnih mrež številnih ekosistemov. Poleg taksonomije merila za razvrščanje mikroalg v skupine vključujejo tudi njihove morfološke, fiziološke in ekološke značilnosti. Glavne taksonomske skupine morskih mikroalg, tako po številu vrst kot po številčnosti, so diatomeje, dinoflagelati, kokolitoforidi in druge haptofiti, kriptofiti, enocelične zelene alge in cianobakterije. Tretja največja skupina mikroalg - kokolitoforidi - je skupina, za predstavnike katere je značilen zunanji skelet iz kalcitnih ploščic (CaCO3) različnih oblik – kokolitov. So pomemben primarni producent, ponor ogljika, imajo pa tudi pomembno vlogo pri biološki ogljični črpalki (BCP).

četrtek, 9. november 2023 Timotej Turk Dermastia: Diatoms and their complex network of interactions with their pathogens, simbionts, grazers and ecosystem as a whole

V sredo, 15. novembra 2023, bo izveden 4. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure.  

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Timotej Turk Dermastia
------------------------------------

Timotej Turk Dermastia is a marine biologist who transformed into a microbiologist during the course of his PhD. Currently, he is conducting postdoctoral research in the field of diatom interactions with their viruses and methods for the detection and characterization of novel diatom viruses. His PhD at MBP-NIB was focused on diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzchia, which is one of the most common diatoms encountered in the world's oceans but is also one of the few diatom genera that are occasionally harmful to the environment and humans due to the production of a toxin called domoic acid. During the PhD, under the supervision of Associate Professor Patricija Mozetič, he was a FEMS fellow in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France, and has received a Fulbright Postdoctoral fellowship, which will be conducted next year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Diatoms and their complex network of interactions with their pathogens, simbionts, grazers and ecosystem as a whole.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Diatoms are one of the world's most important phytoplankton groups, responisble for roughly 40% of the total phytoplankton primary production. They typically form spring blooms, where they accumulate enormous biomass. They form important ecological interactions with numerous links in the food chain. Harmful diatoms in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia affect the ecosystem up to the top by forming a bioacumulating toxin domoic acid, capable of inducing mass mortality events in marine vertebrates. Most diatoms also produce compounds that impair the reproduction of zooplankton. Lately, viruses and bacteria associated with diatoms have also become the subject of studies worldwide as they show to have yet unaccounted for and very important ecological roles. In this seminar we will these exciting studies and look to the future for things yet to be discovered.

četrtek, 9. november 2023 Oddgeir Andersen: Economic impact of parasites/diseases on a highly popular fish species in Norway

V torek, 14. novembra 2023, bo izveden seminar z naslovom Economic impact of parasites/diseases on a highly popular fish species in Norway

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), ob 12. uri.  

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Oddgeir Andersen
------------------------------------

Oddgeir Andersen is a senior research scientist and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. His research focus is in the intersection between social studies and ecology. For example, human-nature interactions, use of natural resources or resource conflicts, nature-based tourism, outdoor life, environmental preferences and attitudes, socio-eological systems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV:  Economic impact of parasites/diseases on a highly popular fish species in Norway
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The focus of my talk will be on the economic impact of parasites/dieases on a highly popular fish species in Norway, the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and the Gyrodactylus salaris parasite. I will present how to measure the impact by using revealed preferences method (travel cost method) and the cost-benefit ratio of eradicating the parasite. G. salaris was introduced in Norway in 1975 by the fish- farming industry, and infected more than 50 rivers out of the 400 rivers with atlantic salmon.

petek, 27. oktober 2023 Martin Vodopivec: Meduze in numerično modeliranje

V sredo, 8. novembra 2023, bo izveden 3. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS IN PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure.  

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Martin Vodopivec
------------------------------------

Lecturer studied physics at the University of Ljubljana and graduated with a thesis on the influence of giant molecular clouds and dark matter halos on the distribution of stars in our galaxy. After graduation, however, he was allowed to join a group of researchers working on the development of a chain of numerical ocean models. The project was a collaboration between the Agency of Environment and the National Institute of Biology, where he became more and more involved with marine biology. This led to a PhD thesis on the influence of offshore platforms on the Adriatic moon jellyfish population and a shift in his career towards biophysical modelling. He is currently head of the physical oceanography sub-unit at the Marine Biology Station Piran and is in charge of in situ oceanographic measurements and satellite data analysis. He is working on a coupled physical-biogeochemical model of the Adriatic Sea, focusing on the role of jellyfish in the ecosystem, and developing an individual-based model of Pelagia noctiluca (mauve stinger jellyfish).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Meduze in numerično modeliranje
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Jellyfish are widespread throughout the world's oceans and are expected to thrive under projected future ocean changes (i.e., warming, acidification, oxygen depletion) and increased ocean exploitation (i.e., overfishing, maritime transport, marine infrastructure development). Due to their adaptability and simplicity, they are ubiquitous in various marine ecosystems and, under favorable conditions, form massive blooms that significantly disrupt the ecosystem. I will present two coupled physical-biological models of jellyfish population dynamics. Both are based on particle-tracking algorithms which were modified to incorporate individual based models. One was developed to elucidate the impact of offshore gas platforms on the population of the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita s.l.) in the Adriatic Sea, the other to better understand the occurrence of mauve stinger (Pelagia nociluca) in different parts of the Mediterranean Sea. The latter is still under development and I will present some preliminary results.

četrtek, 19. oktober 2023 Tinkara Tinta: Marine Microbes in the sea of change

V četrtek 25. oktobra 2023, bo izveden 2. seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS in PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure. 

Tinkara Tinta is a marine microbiologist studying the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on microbial community dynamics in marine ecosystems. Her research is interdisciplinary and draws on the background in biochemistry (BSc) and her area of expertise – marine microbial ecology (PhD). During PhD, she was a FEMS fellow at Lund University, Sweden. For postdoctoral research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD, USA) she received a Fulbright Fellowship. Her research at the University of Vienna, Austria, was funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. Currently, she is working at MBP-NIB, which is located in a coastal area subject to constant fluctuations in environmental parameters and anthropogenic impacts, with increasing blooms of certain organisms and various types of pollution. Here, they focus their research on the interactions between the coastal microbiome and bloom-forming jellyfish and microbial indicators of faecal pollution, including potential pathogens, and impacts on marine biogeochemical cycles.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Marine Microbes in the sea of change
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POVZETEK: Oceans and seas constitute the largest part of Earth's biosphere, and their smallest inhabitants – microbes - are invisible to the naked eye, but account for most of the ocean’s biomass and are the most productive and diverse members of marine food webs. The key factor contributing to the cosmopolitan distribution of microbes in oceanic habitats is the plasticity of their genomes (and thus their adaptability) and the different types of metabolic processes, some of which unique to microbes. In seawater, the pool of organic matter (OM) is composed of a plethora of chemical compounds of different origins, characterized by different size, complexity, availability, and reactivity. Through a chain of biochemical reactions, all particulate OM is eventually transformed into dissolved OM, which is almost exclusively accessible to microbes that operate various metabolic networks, and in this way, drive biogeochemical cycles at the base of the oceanic food web. The abundance, metabolic activity, and composition of microbial communities are influenced by a range of physical, chemical, and biological parameters, as well as by various interactions among organisms. Marine microbes are subject to constant fluctuations in environmental parameters, especially in coastal areas, and the resulting changes in microbial community dynamics affect the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. Natural and anthropogenic influences are paving the way for projected changes in future oceans and will likely inevitably impact marine life, microbes, and the biogeochemical cycles they drive. However, the complexity, underlying mechanisms, and consequences of these processes remain unclear. Recent methodological advances in analytical chemistry and "omics" technology are providing insights into the relationship between individual compounds within the complexity of the OM pool and the metabolic network operated by the microbial community under specific environmental conditions. Only when we have gained this mechanistic understanding will we be able to predict the response of the marine ecosystem to natural and anthropogenic perturbations.

sreda, 11. oktober 2023 Bojana Stojanova: "Plant mating systems response to rapid environmental change – examples of contemporary evolution and adaptive phenotypic plasticity"

V četrtek 19. oktobra 2023, bo izveden seminar z naslovom "Plant mating systems response to rapid environmental change – examples of contemporary evolution and adaptive phenotypic plasticity".

ČAS in PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje),  od 12.00 do 13.00 ure.

---------------------------------------
Predavateljica: Bojana Stojanova
---------------------------------------

About the guest lecturer: Bojana Stojanova is a plant evolutionary ecologist investigating plant adaptation to environmental change, with a specific focus on reproductive strategies. She is currently working as a non-tenure track assistant professor at the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: "Plant mating systems response to rapid environmental change – examples of contemporary evolution and adaptive phenotypic plasticity".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the seminar: I will summarise two research projects investigating different mechanisms of plant mating system adaptation to rapid environmental variation. The first one explores contemporary evolution in entomophilous, short-lived arable weeds in response to climate change and pollinator decline using the resurrection approach. This approach consists of resurrection ancestral genotypes harvested in natural populations in the past and stored in seed repositories for several generations, then growing them side-by-side with their contemporary descendants harvested in the same population at present. The second one explores the adaptive value of plastic cleistogamy; a mixed-mating system where plants produce variable proportions of closed (cleistogamous) flowers which are obligately self-pollinated, and open, chasmogamous flowers which are potentially outcrossed. I investigate how cleistogamy varies between natural populations coming from contrasting climates and habitats, whether this variation is due to plasticity or genetic differentiation, and whether it confers an adaptive reproductive advantage in response to environmental variation.

torek, 10. oktober 2023 1. SEMINAR IZ MORSKIH VSEBIN:Dsolve Project Research Area 5. Circularity of biobased, biodegradable, and non-degradable plastics

V sredo, 11. oktobra 2023, bo izveden prvi seminar iz morskih vsebin.

ČAS in PROSTOR: Predavanje bo potekalo v Livadah 1.0 (Livade 6, Izola), predavalnica Epsilon (pritličje), od 12. do 13. ure. 

------------------------------------
Predavatelj: Dorian Vodopia
------------------------------------

Dorian Vodopia, born on the 5th of March 1996 in Rijeka, Croatia, attained a bachelor’s degree in Marine Sciences at the University Juraj Dobrila of Pula, Croatia in 2017. Thesis title: “Synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their impact on the sperm of sea urchin A. lixula”. Subsequently, in 2020 he obtained a master’s degree in Nature Conservation at the University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia. Thesis title: „Embryotoxicity and oxidative stress in the sea urchin P. lividus after co-exposure to PMMA microparticles and NSAID indomethacin”. From January 2021 to January 2023, he was employed as a project associate at the Laboratory for Marine Nanotechnology and Biotechnology, Centre for Marine Research in Rovinj, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia. Since April 2023, he has been employed as a PhD fellow at UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, HARVEST research group, DSolve Project Research Area 5. His PhD work is: „Inclusion of ghost fishing and its effects on ecosystems and biodiversity in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)”.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASLOV: Dsolve Project Research Area 5. Circularity of biobased, biodegradable, and non-degradable pl astics
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POVZETEK: An overview of the SFI DSolve project and the latest developments in Research Area 5: Circularity of biobased, biodegradable, and non-degradable plastics, will be presented. Including the ALDFG retrieval operation done in collaboration with the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, a long-term in-situ assessment of “Ghost Fishing” impacts on benthic environments: stock-specific catch rates in relation to gillnets and pots, and modelling the fate of ALDFG within the Norwegian marine environment.