Laboratory of Marine Ecology

TalTech Laboratory of Marine Ecology

Research at the Marine Ecology Lab involves studies on seawater chemistry, bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic organisms. Study methods are mainly based on field measurements and sampling together with laboratory analysis of collected samples and laboratory experiments. The goal is to understand the interactions between physico-chemical and biological processes and to estimate the influence of biogeochemical processes and human activities to the dynamics and distribution of marine organisms. We are involved in basic and applied research.

Main research themes:  – seasonal dynamis of inorganic nutrients, hydrophysical, meteorological and biogeochemical processes influencing it; – studies of horizontal and vertical dynamics of abundance, biomass and community composition (based on metagenomic analysis) of marine bacterioplankton; – influence of hydrophysical factors and nutrient conditions to the seasonal dynamics, horizontal and vertical patchiness of marine phytoplankton, changes in phytoplankton nutrition strategies and photosynthetic activity; – dynamics in marine microzooplankton, mixotrophy and feeding activity; – dynamics of marine phyto- and zoobenthos communities: human impact (e.g. port constructions), biodiversity, biotic and abiotic factors influencing the ditribution and community structure, bioindicators, influence and transfer of toxic substances to the different trophic levels; – studies on origin, size range, abundance and spatial variability of microplastics in marine waters.