Program

The summer school will tackle very different aspects of aquatic biology and ecology, and will be divided in three modules:

Module 1 — Coral Symbiosis in a Changing Ocean

Instructor: Claudia Pogoreutz

Topics & activities include:

• Cnidarian ecophysiology & symbiosis (corals and their relatives)
• Anthropocene impacts on reef resilience
• Mediterranean field explorations
• Coral microbiology workshops
• Heat-stress experiments on symbiotic sea anemone models
• Biomolecular approaches: DNA extraction, PCR, stress biomarkers
• Data analysis & poster sessions

Module 2 — Marine Soundscapes & Coastal Ecosystems

Instructor: Lucia Di Iorio

Topics & activities include:

• Introduction to ecoacoustics
• Biotic–abiotic interactions in coastal habitats
• Underwater acoustics & signal processing
• Acoustic data collection during field trips
• Analysis of fish choruses, noise impacts & acoustic biodiversity
• Group projects based on real acoustic datasets

Module 3 — Ecology & Emergence of Disease in Freshwater Systems

Instructor: Ronaldo De Carvalho Augusto

Topics & activities include:

• The land–ocean continuum as an ecological gradient
• Climate change impacts on freshwater habitats
• Parasites as indicators of environmental change
• Life-cycle ecology & virulence
• Field sampling in southeastern France
• Host identification, parasite detection & molecular tools

Integrated conceptual models & student presentations