16th Deep-sea biology symposium

The deep-sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth, it harbours high biodiversity and provides a wealth of resources yet, it is also the least explored and understood. There is an urgent need of rapid technological developments to access, investigate, understand and protect this unique and remote environment. Furthermore, in the last few years anthropogenic pressures in the deep sea raised exponentially and we are all aware that the deep sea is a treasure of biodiversity, resources and the last frontier on Earth for biomimicry.

In situ hydrates © Ifremer

Polychaete nereis sandersii © Ifremer

The 16^th DSBS scientific sessions will cover:

• Conservation topics and stewardship (natural/anthropogenic impacts, conservation, governance);
• Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (biodiversity patterns, species distribution, function);
• Life-history traits and population connectivity (reproductive ecology, larval development and dispersal, and population connectivity);
• Access to deep sea (technological and methodological advances to access and investigate deep-sea life, including observatories and cutting edge technologies –e.g. A.I. and omics);
• Deep-sea biomimicry (discovery of new technologies inspired by deep-sea biological solutions).

The 16^th DSBS will be wellsprings of cooperation and formation of new research groups and projects, providing the opportunity for members of the international deep-sea science community to discuss and present their latest research results.