From 26 to 28 October, our researcher Nadine Schubert co-organized and hosted a virtual workshop “From the lab to the reefs: Assessing Heterotrophy in Marine Animal Forests and its importance in guiding conservation strategy”, in the framework of the Marine Animal Forests (MAF)-World COST Action 20102.

During the workshop, a group of 13 invited international experts shared their perspectives on the importance of heterotrophy for marine animal forests such as corals, sponges, bivalves and others. The 75 participants from 26 countries had the opportunity to hear and share current knowledge on this topic and highlight existing gaps and future research directions. 

The workshop is the first activity organized by the Working Group 5 of the COST Action, which is led by our researcher. This group aims to understand the obstacles that exist in biological strategies in front of fast ocean changes. For this, researchers intend to develop a more uniform approach to the processes that affect these animals that feed on suspended particles and that will help to seek solutions to the effects of environmental and biological changes in the water column.