Alga in artificial environments
Marine biology is a relatively new scientific field demonstrating high popularity and attracting experts' interest mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, it plays a key role in issues dealing with sea and water pollution as well as with species living in aquatic environments. Secondly, the scientific results can lead to the development of innovative products that address market needs and can be applicable to a wide range of manufacturing and service providing sectors. Experiments for marine biology studies use a lot of resources, in terms of technological means, personnel, financial and time requirements, which may continue over a period of years. Thus the experiments should be designed carefully, precisely and in detail by an expert designing team. The Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA) within the framework of the EULIT project developed a pioneer study for rocky shore ecosystems. The aim of the study was the examination of the response of ecosystems to an increased nutrient availability. The conditions applied were similar to a natural marine environment such as waves and tides. The ecosystems were populated by macroalgae, periphyton, and herbivore and carnivore invertebrates. The know-how, the expertise and the infrastructure that resulted from this project consist of a secure base for new well-designed tests for the investigation of the effects of several components over long-term periods in a coastal ecosystem.
