Researchers from the Department of Biology of the University of Malta have participated in the held from 14 to 18 October 2024, in Palermo, Italy. The researchers included three resident academics from the Department, Prof. Joseph A. Borg, Prof. Julian Evans, and Prof. Patrick J. Schembri, as well as past and present members of their research groups.
Altogether, the Department of Biology’s contingent presented six contributions on a variety of marine biology topics, including: aspects of the ecology of a non-native foraminiferan, abundance of the Purple Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus, fauna associated with Posidonia wrack on beaches, and fishes and large invertebrates scavenging on the seabed below tuna-farm cages. These contributions presented the latest results of marine research being carried out at the Department of Biology by members of staff, postgraduate students and graduands.
Prof. Schembri moderated a session on marine biodiversity, and all three academic staff members from the Department of Biology took the opportunity of the congress to meet with overseas colleagues who are partners in international collaborative research in which the Department of Biology is involved. These contributions will be published as short papers in the Rapport du Congrès de la Commission Internationale pour l'Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée, which are the official proceedings of CIESM congresses.
is the Mediterranean Science Commission, with headquarters in Monaco. It has 23 Member States and is the largest association of marine scientists in the Mediterranean. CIESM congresses are held every three years and include plenary sessions, workshops, invited papers and submitted contributions. CIESM congresses are the largest gatherings of marine scientists who work in the Mediterranean region and more than 450 researchers attended the congress in Palermo. The strong representation of the Department of Biology at this congress confirms the Department as a local centre of excellence in marine biological research. Further information on the CIESM Palermo congress may be obtained at the .
