Short description: The intern will take part in a scientific research aimed at investigating the macroafuna associated to a coralline alga, Ellisolandia elongata, an important habitat provider of Mediterranean intertidal communities. In particular, we will evaluate the response of macrofauna to events of summer heatwaves.
Samples of E. elongata and associated fauna have been collected in the Gulf of La Spezia (Western Mediterranean Sea; Italy), at a site which has been long monitored for environmental changes by ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. This institute is leading a larger-scale project focussed on Mediterranean biogenic reefs, aimed at understanding the effects of climate change on this important marine ecosystem. More details on the project can be found at the blog: https://medclimalizers.wordpress.com/
- Field/Lab work: The intern will work at the dissecting microscope, and will contribute to carry out a sorting of the organisms associated to E. elongata, hence acquiring an improved knowledge on marine benthic invertebrates, such as: Crustaceans, Molluscs, Bryozoans, Echinoderms, Pycnogonids, Polychaetes, Nematodes, and Foraminiferans. The work will be carried out jointly with other students of the host institute, who are working on this project.
All activities will be carried out at the Laboratory of Ecology, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The research team of this institution has a long-term experience of studies on marine benthic invertebrates in the Mediterranean Sea.