Functional and structural dynamics in marine benthos

We study benthic ecology, including trophic interactions and community control, biodiversity and ecosystem function, impacts of physical, chemical and biological anthropogenic changes and marine habitat restoration.

The benthos is studied in both sub-littoral and shallow water habitats, and in both soft and rocky-bottom communities.

Marine benthic research has a long tradition at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and started out in the 1970's with influential work on succession of sublittoral benthic communities. Today the research in benthic ecology at the department has grown and diversified, involving over 20 scientists and PhD-students working in many constellations within 8 different research topics, forming the research assemblage "Functional and structural dynamics in marine benthos".

Research topics

• Benthic microbial ecology
• Causes and consequences of changes in biodiversity
• Ecological processes in benthic infauna
• Ecophysiology of benthic fauna
• Eelgrass ecology
• Spatial predictions of benthic habitats
• Structure and function of shallow marine coastal communities
• Recruitment ecology of benthic crabs