The research activities conducted at the SZN require the use of sophisticated technologies and advanced equipment. The SZN has the resources to obtain and process data, to develop specific marine infrastructures and for the maintenance of the organisms used for experimental and scientific research.
Continuous technological and methodological innovation is needed to ensure adequate competitiveness on an international level. For this reason, all laboratories and their equipment are upgraded and developed within the SZN infrastructures.
Given the significance of the investment required beyond the capability of the individual areas and the synergy seen between the research activities conducted by the different laboratories of SZN, the main research instruments are now centralized in order to optimize the use of financial and human resources available.
The instrumentation of SZN have often unique features in the scientific context and are accessible not only to the researchers of the SZN, but to the entire international scientific community, through collaborations and scientific exchanges or through the infrastructure model and access now consolidated, for example, for the ASSEMBLE project that played a preparatory role to the EMBRC project.
EMSO is another distributed European infrastructure with the aim of monitoring environmental phenomena relevant to the understanding of the complex interactions between the geosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, with particular reference to the deep environments.
The SZN is partner of the Joint Research Unit (JRU EMSO), sharing expertise, databases and resources with other partners to promote the training and joint research and technology transfer in this area of marine science.
The years 2015-2025 will be crucial to develop the next generation of marine observers and in particular to work with the new technologies of the Tyrrhenian Sea (the only sea entirely Italian) and the Gulf of Naples.
LifeWatch is a pan-European e-infrastructure deployed for the study of biodiversity and ecosystems. Its goal is to provide researchers with tools and databases useful for the understanding and management of ecosystems. The SZN is the Italian partner, operating in the Services Centre of RI, which links state-of-the-art ICT with the needs of biodiversity and ecosystem research and contributes to the Italian JRU of LifeWatch.
SZN is the co-coordinator of the Biomolecular Topic Centre (BTC) within the service centre providing access to the tools for genomic, metagenomics, phylogenetic and DNA-barcoding analyses, as well as to existing databases. The research communities associated to SZN will benefit from the infrastructure through the use of tools and services on-line service centre and through the participation of the topic centres and user groups.
The huge amount of information available makes it increasingly necessary to recruit researchers that can transform this information into knowledge. A recent international trend also sees the creation of centres of ecological data analysis and synthesis. In this perspective, the SZN will strengthen the Centre Marine Ecological Data Analysis and Synthesis (MEDAS) in collaboration with the University of Stanford.
The goal of this centre is to analyse existing information, by giving answers to the big questions and even economic needs within the Blue Growth. The SZN intends, with this centre, to promote the formation of working groups, summer schools, research activities, visiting scientists and PhDs. MEDAS will focus on marine systems, the ecosystem-based management, and the definition of new research policies and management of marine resources.
SZN intends to improve its expertise in the field of meta-analysis of ecological data and knowledge and technology transfer, thus providing new opportunities of development regionally and nationally.
| Description |
The IRM unit deals with the collection of material to be used for both research and outreach activities. The material collection is carried out in different coastal environments, including port areas and lagoons, using adequate gathering instruments or by scuba diving. The described activities are carried out on the basis of extensive experience and knowledge of plant or animal species required, of their habitats and distribution (on a local scale) and of their reproductive cycle, which is updated through information gathering and exploratory surveys. Sampling sites and collection methods are selected so as to ensure high quality standard of products. Scuba diving activities (related to the installation and maintenance of submerged structures and equipment) are carried out. In addition, the IRM Unit provides support to activities aimed at the recovery, transportation and release of marine animals. |
| Services provided |
Collection of planktonic organisms (from net or Niskin bottles);
In order to access the service, internal users have to fill and submit the form via e-mail at the following addresses: fabio.conversano(at)szn.it e francesco.terlizzi(at)szn.it. The request has to be sent within the Thursday preceding the week in which you want to receive the material. Users are invited to read the guidelines. External users should contact Dott. Fabio Conversano |
| Contacts |
Fabio Conversano Tel. + 39 081 5833357 e-mail: fabio.conversano(at)szn.it |
Copyright © 2015 by Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli - Italy
Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli - Tel.+39 081 5833111 - C.F./P.IVA : IT 04894530635 - PEC: ufficio.protocollo(at)cert.szn.it