This course aims to stimulate discussions around the most important theoretical and experimental challenges in the context of open ocean seascape ecology. That is, to introduce the ocean fluid dynamics into current theoretical frameworks (community structure, biogeographies, niche concept, effectiveness of the active tracer response, persistence and fitness, possible functional redundancy, stability of the metabolic machinery with respect to species turnover, etc.) and in the design of new multidisciplinary studies.

Key points: community structures and functioning, reactive dynamics, emerging patterns and predictability for pelagic oceanic ecosystems, i.e., ecosystems whose substrate is a fluid.

Scientific directors: Daniele Iudicone, Patrizio Mariani, Bruno Buongiorno Nardelli, Meike Vogt, Alejandro Maass

Main Instructors:

Enrico-Ser Giacomi (CSIC-UIB, Spain)
Lucie Bittner(Sorbonne Université, France)
Damien Eveillard (Université de Nantes, France)
Meike Vogt (ETHZ, Switzerland)
Samir Suweis (University of Padua, Italy)

Course Content/topics

Complex System Theories and theoretical ecology
Biophysical coupling / Ocean Physics / Climate dynamics
Advanced Data analysis (combining heterogeneous data)/ Niche modelling / Bioinformatic / etc

Target Audience

Advanced PhD students working in marine sciences related fields

Course Format

Onsite, including morning lectures, afternoon debates and evening 'talks'

Learner Assessment and Course Certificate: TBD

This course is a joint organization of the following EU-funded projects:

Prerequisites

Quantitative skills are preferred.

Application procedure

Attendance is limited to 50 participants maximum. Open to participation from outside EU with focus on participation from countries in the projects.

The following criteria will be used in the selection process:

motivation statement (how can this training course improve current research)
academic background/ quality (no CVs uploading, CV-like information should be provided online (eg ORCID, ResearchGate, LinkedIN, institutional page, others))
how the training can contribute to better address a current/future research question, etc);
current role/job position and content or study/research topic
endorsement/support letter from direct supervisor

Late stage PhD applicant will be prioritized. The organizers will pursue a balanced gender and geographical distribution of the participants.

Period for applications: until 15^th March 2025

Grant opportunities

A travel scholarship will cover travel expenses for 3 students from European countries and 1 student from outside Europe. Specific Application form for the travel scholarship available here: https://forms.gle/W6PnDfQeuvrTa6d5A

Learning outcomes

After attending the summer school students should be able to:

Explain the fundamental processes regulating life in the ocean, biochemical dynamics, and ecological connectivity in marine environments.
Identify and present the key principles that influence the ecological niches of marine species.
Compare the performance of various community modeling approaches to understand plankton interactions and their influence on marine biogeochemistry.
Formulate hypotheses on the functional emergent patterns in marine ecosystems by combining knowledge of neutral population dynamics, environmental drivers, and functional biogeography.
Use methods to perform conceptual modeling, data processing and analyses of the ecology of marine food webs.
Critically assess the impact of methodological choices on the quality and reliability of species distribution modelling.
Design research frameworks for advancing our understanding of marine life and their interactions under global change scenarios.
Specific learning objectives associated to the lectures