Professor Chet Rakocinski of The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Lab invites academic researchers, private consultants, agency personnel and anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of relationships among the presence of different invertebrates and environmental quality to the workshop he will teach on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The workshop, Macrobenthic Organisms as Indicators of Estuarine Health, is free and is taking place in conjunction with the Gulf Estuarine Research Society and Society of Wetland Scientists Fall Meeting.
Details:
Saturday, November 5, 2016
8:00-11:45 a.m.
Hilton Pensacola Beach
12 Via De Luna Drive
Pensacola Beach, Florida
This interactive workshop will consider the use of benthic indicators based on macrobenthic organisms in determining estuarine health. Starting with traditional approaches based on biodiversity, it will progress to recent novel approaches that consider responses based on ecological function, and physiological mechanisms connecting responses by individual organisms to the population level as a means of tailoring indicators to specific environmental stressors, like hypoxia.
Powerpoint presentations of background and new information will alternate with interactive exercises designed to enhance learning from both the presenter and workshop participants. Refreshments and coffee will be provided.
View a workshop flier here.
Agenda
| 8:00 | Welcome
Introductions (presenter and participants)
Activity: Examine and discuss benthic organisms and samples |
| 8:45 | Break |
| 9:00 | Review of existing macrobenthic indicators based on biodiversity
Activity: Example calculations of traditional indices |
| 9:45 | Advantages of macrobenthic indicators based on ecological function
Activity: Example calculations of functional metrics |
| 10:30 | Break |
| 10:45 | Linking individuals to populations as indicators of specific stressors
Activity: Demonstration of a nascent customized indicator Conclusions |
| 11:45 | Adjourn |