CALMARO · Calcification by Marine Organisms

Calcification by Marine Organisms

CalMarO: Calcification by Marine Organisms (www.calmaro.eu) CalMarO is a Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded for four years. It is based on a network of twelve research institutions and four commercial enterprises from eight countries aiming at the comprehensive training of twelve young researchers in the field of calcification by marine organisms. Calcification is a key physiological process in the development and growth of many marine organisms. Despite the widespread occurrence of biocalcification across multiple taxonomic groups, its importance for the physiological and ecological fitness of calcifying organisms, its crucial role in structuring marine habitats, and its contribution to biogeochemical cycling, the basic mechanisms of calcification and processes involving biogenic carbonates are poorly understood. Changes in environmental conditions directly impacting biocalcification include global warming and related changes in ocean mixing and nutrient cycling as well as ocean acidification. The magnitude of surface-ocean warming and acidification can be predicted with reasonable confidence. However, their impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems were largely uncertain and thus paramount scientific objective of the CalMarO network. CalMarO provided a supportive research environment to allow ESR and ER fellow to investigate calcification processes and the sensitivities to changes in environmental conditions at all scales ranging from cellular, organism, population to ecosystem, and regional to global levels. It was the aim of CalMarO to train the next generation academics for a career in this forward looking field inside and outside academia. The coordination of the entire project was accomplished through the successful cooperation of three scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) and the Integrated School of Ocean Sciences at Kiel University, ensuring operation of the network, communication and decision making at all levels, and coordination and supervision of a network wide training programme. Three pillars supported the training programme: personalised programmes, network activities and dissemination. The principle of co-supervision by at least two senior scientists and placements at other partners on the basis of an individual mentoring plan represents the core piece of the training programme, with links to joint activities across the network. Training within the network differed from that in the individual institutions involved in that a) the network contains unique and comprehensive scientific expertise in the field, b) the training encompasses secondments to other institutions, widening an appreciation of the differing scientific cultures in the respective countries and c) providing access to complementary training activities that is unparalleled by any single institution. The overall progress of CalMarO during the four years has been very good with regard to work progress of the fellows in the different research groups, as well as the successful achievement of planned milestones and deliverables. The scientific results showed that at cellular and species level calcification was affected by ocean acidification and temperature. The organisms proved to be particularly sensitive in their early life stages, which is important for commercially relevant species (e.g. bivalves, fish). Combined effects in this regard are stronger. On ecosystem level, however, communities showed much greater resilience. On the one hand these communities (e.g. macrophyte meadows, coral reefs) create a microhabitat and already endure larger natural fluctuations than expected for the future as a result of global change. On the other hand, the long term effects on the communities and their composition are still poorly understood. Biodiversity itself, however, proves to increase resilience. These finding are relevant for spatial planners in the marine realm, marine conservationists, policy makers, producers of commercially relevant species. The effect of a changing ocean at regional to global is more difficult to track and the picture more ambiguous from the studies within the CalMarO network. Results of the work done by the young researchers are presented below in more detail. CalMarO researchers contributed to and participated in network events, and presented results in national and international forums. Work progress culminated in the presentation of results (7 oral presentations, 4 posters) during the general EGU spring meeting in Vienna where all researchers took part as well as in the EGU splinter meeting (SPM2.10 - CalMarO - Calcification by Marine Organisms - 25th April (12 oral presentations)) and in a total of 17 publications in international journals (plus more than 30 publications (in preparation / accepted / in press)). Twelve young scientists were working in this project (three experienced researchers (ER) and nine early stage researchers (ESR)). Major deliverable for the ESR within CalMarO was to synthesyse their scientific findings as PhD thesis. At the end of the time span of the CalMarO project, five of them completed their thesis and four are planned to be completed by the end of 2013. Ten out of the twelve young scientists are in academia. One ESR changed from basic science to business in a marine consultancy company and one ESR is looking for funding to finish the thesis. All of them rated the network and the options connected to the scientific work within CalMarO as very high, stressing the importance of a highly connected, interdisciplinary community with close feedback especially by the PIs and thesis committees. Four out of the nine ESR are employed as postdoc directly connected to their scientific work done under CalMarO. All three ER are now employed in academic positions with CalMarO as a further stepping stone for the development of their scientific career. Contact: Dr. Nicole Schmidt Head Science Coordination GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel Wischhofstr. 1-3 24148 Kiel, Germany Tel.: +49-431-600-2803 Fax: +49-431-600-132803 nschmidt@geomar.de

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