Posted by Henry2 on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7:38pm.
1) Characterisation of the biodiversity of European waters and the normal operating range (NOR) according to water types, threats, climatic zones, and water uses.
(water types = fresh water or salt water -- to differentiate between lakes/rivers/ponds/canals and the ocean)
2) Determination of relationships between aquatic biodiversity, functioning, and ecosystem services.
3) Quantification of the economic values of aquatic ecosystem services.
4) Evaluation of the effects of human activities on aquatic biodiversity, functioning, and services.
5) Design of policy-relevant and cost-effective indicators for monitoring aquatic biodiversity, functioning, and ecosystem services.
Scientific objectives
Describe the diversity of aquatic organisms (microorganisms and fauna).
Decipher their interactions through trophic nets (subsequently called food webs). (unsure of this one)
Determine the role played by aquatic organisms in water functioning and the delivery of major ecosystem services: nutrient cycling, carbon storage, water retention, soil structure regulation, resistance to pests and diseases, and regulation of above-ground diversity. <~~You'll have to adjust all these to make sure they can be applied to aquatic ecosystems.
Assess the stability and resilience of ecosystem biodiversity against threats: erosion of soil, fertilizers, ____ in rain run-off; decline in organic content; and contamination.
Technological objectives
Develop and standardise tools and procedures to measure microbial and faunal diversity.
Establish high-throughput molecular assays for assessing microbial and faunal diversity. <~~I'm unclear about this.
Customise functional tools and methods to determine the functional diversity of fauna.
Design, develop and establish a database aimed at mapping the aquatic biodiversity and threats in a wide range of locales.
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