Topic:

Improving algal aquaculture via co-culture with seagrass meadows

Location: Zanzibar

Start date: June 2024

Duration: 3 months

Application deadline: 20th April or until positions are filled

Required qualifications:

·       Bachelor or Master Student

·       Scientific diver or passed the scientific snorkeling class

·       UWI, MUWI, Biologie

·       If possible experience in field work on tropical coral reefs

Contact:

Dr. Lukas Meysick: lukas.meysick@hifmb.de

Dr. Sven Rohde: sven.rohde@uol.de

Prof. Peter Schupp: peter.schupp@uol.de

Description:

Coastal habitats (e.g. mangroves, seagrasses, corals, sponges) provide numerous livelihood benefits (e.g. seafood, coastal protection, recreation) for local populations, but due to local and global anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. climate change, eutrophication, destructive fishing techniques), degradation rates have increased in the last century at accelerating rates. Seagrasses are well known for their ability to decrease anthropogenic pollution such as increased nutrients and pathogens from the water column, thereby indirectly facilitating resilience in connected coastal habitats such as sponge gardens or coral and bivalve reefs. They might also act as “filters” for new emerging pollutants such as UV-filters from sunscreens. However, the capacity of seagrass meadows to reduce effects of emerging pollutants has received little attention so far. Understanding the potential of seagrasses to counteract these impacts will have great benefits for the management of adjacent ecosystems. This in turn will also benefit local populations that rely on their ecosystem goods and services.

The overall goal of this collaborative project is to assess the status of tropical (Tanzania) seagrass meadows for reducing watershed pollution through nutrient, pollutant and pathogen removal for natural coastal habitats (corals, bivalves, sponges) and aquacultures (sponge, algae and coral farms), thereby improving livelihoods of local communities.

Both field surveys and experiments will help to unravel underlying mechanisms through which seagrasses can enhance water quality and thereby benefit local communities that rely on healthy marine ecosystems for food production and tourism.

The surveys and experiments will be conducted in tight collaboration with local stakeholders and NGOs. One aspect in Tanzania will be already established aquaculture farms (coral-, algae-, and sponge-farms), which have suffered in recent years under degrading environmental conditions.

Experimental farms will be established on the reef flat together with the local NGO Marinecultures to assess various farm types. Survival, growth and health status will be monitored in farm plots with and without seagrass meadows to assess their effects on algal aquaculture. Watershed pollution through nutrient, pollutants and pathogens will be monitored at the respective field sites as well in close collaboration with local partners (NGO Marinecultures and Institute of Marine Science in Zanzibar).

Two students will work as a team for 3 months in Zanzibar to monitor the farms during the algal aquaculture farming cycle and monitor environmental parameters.

Flight and accommodation will be provided by the project.

Description:

Coastal habitats (e.g. mangroves, seagrasses, corals, sponges) provide numerous livelihood benefits (e.g. seafood, coastal protection, recreation) for local populations, but due to local and global anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. climate change, eutrophication, destructive fishing techniques), degradation rates have increased in the last century at accelerating rates. Seagrasses are well known for their ability to decrease anthropogenic pollution such as increased nutrients and pathogens from the water column, thereby indirectly facilitating resilience in connected coastal habitats such as sponge gardens or coral and bivalve reefs. They might also act as “filters” for new emerging pollutants such as UV-filters from sunscreens. However, the capacity of seagrass meadows to reduce effects of emerging pollutants has received little attention so far. Understanding the potential of seagrasses to counteract these impacts will have great benefits for the management of adjacent ecosystems. This in turn will also benefit local populations that rely on their ecosystem goods and services.

The overall goal of this collaborative project is to assess the status of tropical (Tanzania) seagrass meadows for reducing watershed pollution through nutrient, pollutant and pathogen removal for natural coastal habitats (corals, bivalves, sponges) and aquacultures (sponge, algae and coral farms), thereby improving livelihoods of local communities.

Both field surveys and experiments will help to unravel underlying mechanisms through which seagrasses can enhance water quality and thereby benefit local communities that rely on healthy marine ecosystems for food production and tourism.

The surveys and experiments will be conducted in tight collaboration with local stakeholders and NGOs. One aspect in Tanzania will be already established aquaculture farms (coral-, algae-, and sponge-farms), which have suffered in recent years under degrading environmental conditions.

Experimental farms will be established on the reef flat together with the local NGO Marinecultures to assess various farm types. Survival, growth and health status will be monitored in farm plots with and without seagrass meadows to assess their effects on algal aquaculture. Watershed pollution through nutrient, pollutants and pathogens will be monitored at the respective field sites as well in close collaboration with local partners (NGO Marinecultures and Institute of Marine Science in Zanzibar).

Two students will work as a team for 3 months in Zanzibar to monitor the farms during the algal aquaculture farming cycle and monitor environmental parameters.

Flight and accommodation will be provided by the project.

·       Bachelor or Master Student

·       Scientific diver or passed the scientific snorkeling class

·       UWI, MUWI, Biology