Dear Colleagues, From February 23rd to March 2nd, ASLO's Aquatic Sciences meeting will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico (https://aslo.org/sanjuan2019/main).
My co-conveners and I we have proposed a session on Bioindicators (SS47). The main goal is to discuss and share different approaches to coastal/marine bioindicator ecology. Since size does not matter, contributions using microbes, coral, protists, nematodes, fish, etc. are welcome. Abstract submission begins in early September (based on website) until October 15th. The link to the sessions is: https://aslo.org/sanjuan2019/sessions SS47 BIOINDICATORS TO ENFORCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Angelique Rosa-Marin, Florida A&M University ([email protected]) Michael Martínez-Colón, Florida A&M University ([email protected]) Mario Marquez, Florida A&M University ([email protected]) Currently, in the news, we see the horrific problems that our planet is confronting; however, what about the possible solutions to these issues? Remarkably, the scientists have been communicating the difficulties that the planet is facing, e.g., how anthropogenic activities are impacting the health of the aquatic environments. The increased rates of marine pollution, e.g., by the exponential growth of urban structures, which is associated with coastal flooding, and hypoxia is directly correlated with the degraded state of aquatic ecosystems. Different approaches have been applied to manage these complications, e.g., the use of bioindicators. Research has shown that using bioindicators may be more consistent and sensitive when it comes to assessing the status of the whole system and are relatively effective in tracing the sources of the disturbances. These indicators have become commonplace focusing on examining patterns and assemblages with a holistic approach that can, at times, be more useful in examining potential remedies for disturbances. Therefore, the purpose of this session is to present new approaches, that involve bioindicators, that can serve as solutions of the current aquatic issues; furthermore, can be used by scientists and resources managers to improve the aquatic ecosystems' quality. Please share as well with your colleagues and collaborators. Hope to see you in Puerto Rico. Mike
