• Energy pathways in the dark (chemosynthesis, carbon cycling) and ecosystem functioning
• Colonisation strategies and interactions in extreme environments (habitat, symbioses)
• Processes governing environmental and community dynamics in deep-sea ecosystems
• Initiatives and key issues for the conservation of deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystems
• Methods and tools for exploration and investigation of deep-sea ecosystems
Basics in biology and chemistry are required. A background in marine chemistry, marine ecology, oceanography or biogeochemistry is appreciated but not a prerequisite.
The aim of this course is to provide a common multidisciplinary background on the following points.
• Characteristics and distribution of deep-sea extreme environments (hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon seeps and methane hydrates, anoxic basins or lakes, canyons)
• Fundamental processes controlling biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem functioning in seafloor biodiversity hotspots, and their impact at larger scale
• Importance of deep-sea extreme environments in the evolution and adaptation of marine life (model organisms and model ecosystems)
• Recent advances in underwater technology and in situ analytical techniques to investigate extreme deep-sea environments
Initiatives and challenges for the conservation of biodiversity hotspots in the deep-sea