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Description
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Taxonomy has always been part of the scientific activities at Stazione Zoologica. Since its founding, numerous worldwide-recognised specialists have conducted seminal studies on the morphology and biology of the flora and fauna of the Gulf of Naples. Over the years, taxonomy has evolved along with technological development and has been fully integrated within forefront ecological and evolutionary research.
The Marine Organism Taxonomy (MOTax) Unit is a specialized counseling center which exploits advanced resources, skills and expertise that are available today at the SZN for the taxonomy and identification of various groups of marine organisms. Merging traditional morphological approaches and modern technologies such as electron microscopy and barcoding, MOTax provides a wide range of services that include the identification of individual specimens, isolation and cultivation of certified target microalgal organisms, sorting, species identification and counting in benthic and plankton samples in ecological and monitoring projects. As part of SZN's higher education activities, MOTax offers individual training and organizes advanced courses on the taxonomy of marine organisms.
The team is composed by expert taxonomists who are connected to a network of marine taxonomists from Italy and all over Europe. MOTax taxonomists undergo quality assurance auditing that certifies the compliance of the analytical methods used with international standards.
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Services provided
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PHYTOPLANKTON
• Isolation, cultivation and identification of algal strains
• Identification and counting of natural marine samples to Class, Genus or Species level
• Search and identification of toxic microalgae (including Ostreopsis and other potentially toxic benthic microalgae)
• Estimation of cellular carbon content
• Provision of images in light and electron microscopy
• Barcoding
ZOOPLANKTON
• Sample identification and counting to Class, Genus or Species level
• Sorting
• Biomass of whole sample or selected species (wet or dry weight)
• Provision of drawings and images in light and electron microscopy
• Barcoding
MACROZOOBENTHOS
• Species identification
• Sorting
• Provision of images in light microscopy
• Barcoding
• Data analyses
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