The Marine Biological Association (MBA) recently hosted a collaborative meeting with researchers from the University of Exeter (UoE) to foster a deeper partnership between the two institutes. This gathering provided a great opportunity for scientists from both organisations to share their current research projects and explore potential areas for future collaboration in the field of … Read more
Scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) were delighted to welcome a United Nations Senior Advisor to its headquarters in Plymouth. Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Advisor on Oceans to the UN Global Compact visited marine biologists from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey to learn more about the pioneering plankton research being conducted at the MBA. … Read more
Dr Cordelia Roberts is a Post-doctoral Research Assistant in Marine Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry, and previously completed an MRes and PhD at the Marine Biological Association (MBA). As a researcher Cordelia is interested in looking at dead, dying and faecal material in the ocean (similar to leaf litter on land) which form sinking and suspended … Read more
In the early stages of their life cycle, many marine invertebrates (animals without backbones) are often free-swimming larvae covered with tiny hair-like structures (cilia). These larvae possess a grouping of sensory cells, known as an apical organ, and some also have a long tuft of cilia, called an apical tuft. Like an antenna, the apical … Read more
The ocean contains a widespread group of single-celled algae called diatoms which play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. As microscopic photosynthesising organisms (phytoplankton), diatoms transform light energy from the sun into chemical energy, fixing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen (primary production). Diatoms are responsible for up to 40% of marine primary productivity … Read more
Diatoms are single celled algae and are one of the largest groups of organisms on earth. They can form vast blooms in the ocean and support life of other marine organisms at the base of aquatic food chains. Diatoms do not live in isolation, but with a plethora of other marine microbes such as bacteria. … Read more
Plants, which rely on photosynthesis to survive have evolved to move towards a light source; but for the first time, similar behaviour has been recorded in marine animals. Researchers from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) have discovered that snakelocks anemones (Anemonia viridis) are heliotropic – they track the sun by pointing their tentacles towards it while remaining … Read more
Loay Jabre, a postdoctoral investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, USA visited the Marine Biological Association (MBA) to learn more about signalling mechanisms in marine phytoplankton. Loay, who recently finished his PhD at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, studies phytoplankton physiology and ecology, and how phytoplankton growth interacts with biogeochemical processes. … Read more
Marine fungi researchers at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) have used molecular techniques to reveal exciting discoveries about marine symbiosis in the lichen Lichina pygmaea. Lichens are a complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga. Historically considered a two-way relationship, some lichen symbioses have been … Read more
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Cefas Chief Executive Neil Hornby and Cefas Chief Scientist, Professor Grant Stentiford to the Marine Biological Association. They were welcomed to our laboratory in Plymouth by Chief Executive, Professor Willie Wilson. They were given a tour around our facilities to see our cutting-edge science laboratories and meet our … Read more
The Marine Biological Association
The Laboratory,
Citadel Hill Plymouth,
Devon
PL1 2PB, UK
The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. We're working with our ever-growing membership to provide a clear and independent voice on behalf of the marine biological community