MAF WORLD

2022

2022
It has been a great beginning for our MAF-WORLD COST Action. After a successful year, we are ready for the second, with some exciting COST Action activity set. 
Branching MAFs are the key building units in marine ecosystems, including the coral reefs. Branching corals exhibit taxon-specific canopy structures and are crowned by morphometric modifications within their canopies, habitats that are under the control of biological and environmental drivers
Marine Animal Forests (MAFs) are built by many organisms that depend either partially or entirely on the heterotrophic uptake of particulate and dissolved nutrients for survival.
Taxonomical knowledge is the basis for many biological and ecological studies. However, even if this is a fact, the reality shows that the number of taxonomists working with megabenthic fauna is decreasingand few young researchers are involved in this fundamental research field.
Between August 3rd and 23rd, the second campaign started, leaded by Lorenzo Bramanti (LECOB-CNRS, ObservatoireOceanologiqueBanyuls sur Mer).
The Mediterranean pillow coral - Cladocora caespitosa (Linnaeus, 1767), is the only native colonial and obligate zooxanthellate coral in the Mediterranean Sea, listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
For MAF-WORLD COST Action 20102, it is a pleasure to announce the partnership in the Cold-Water Coral Taxonomy training school/workshop organised by iAtlantic that will be held in Brazil at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Florianópolis, on 15-17 October 2022.
For MAF-WORLD COST Action 20102, it is a pleasure to announce the partnership in the Cold-Water Coral Taxonomy training school/workshop organised by iAtlanticthat will be held in Brazil from 15th to 17th of October, which is now open for registration.
Coinciding with the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium in Bremen, the ZMT - Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research welcomes our first Management Committee to set the future activities for the following years and strengthen our networking COST Action.
We invite you to assist in the upcoming ONLINE WORKSHOP on Marine Animal Forests (MAFs), that will be held on the 26 & 27 of October.
UNDER THE POLE is an underwater exploration program which combines scientific research, innovation and public awareness, to promote better knowledge and conservation of the oceans.