Research at the Marine biodiversity group

Marine sponges

The sponges (Porifera) is a highly diverse group of invertebrates including ecologically and economically important species. Our work is focusing on systematics of a wide range of sponge groups, ranging from the shallow intertidal zone to the deep oceans and from Arctic to Antarctic waters. Special focus is currently being put on Northeast Atlantic and Arctic sponge grounds, the abyssal sponge fauna in the Nordic Seas, and the highly specialized sponge faunas of deep water coral reefs, cold seeps and hydrothermal vents.

Hans Tore Rapp (Researcher), PhD students: Alexander Plotkin, Jon Thomassen Hestetun, Master students: Marte Thorkildsen, Sigfrid Tangen

Crustaceans

Crustaceans are the most dominant group of marine arthropods with a high diversity in both, species number and morphology. Crustaceans have size ranges from tiny planctonic organisms like copepods up to the largest living arthropods like lobsters or king crabs.
Current research concentrate on 3 groups of crustaceans: cladocerans (water fleas), mysids (opossum shrimps) and cumaceans (hooded shrimps), and rhizocephalans (parasitic barnacles).
1) Cladocerans belong to the larger crustacean class branchiopoda. Most of the species are found in freshwater, but the order also contain marine species (e.g. Podon and Evadne).
2) The cumaceans and mysids both belongs to the paracarids and we are
focusing on, taxonomy, phylogeny and the use of cumaceans as bioindicators for soft bottom sediments.
3) The Rhizocephala are highly specialized parasites on other crustaceans.
Our main interest is in their phylogenetic relationships and co-evolution
with their hosts, lifecyle studies and their potential to control biological
invasions in marine systems.
We are, in addition, involved in projects dealing with anomouran and
brachiuran crabs.

Henrik Glenner (Professor), Christoph Noever (PhD student), Anders Hobæk (Adjunct Professor)

Mollusca - systematics, evolution & development

Mollusks are an extremely diverse invertebrate animal group, including the ecologically and economically important bivalves, snails, and cephalopods. Our research is focusing on the systematics of selected gastropod and bivalve taxa, but also on the less known polyplacophorans (chitons) and especially the aplacophoran taxa (Solenogastres, Caudofoveata).  The latter are of crucial interest when studying mollusk evolution; the high abundance and diversity of aplacophorans in the Bergen area and our lab cultures of reproducing solenogasters are one of the outstanding features of our group.

Christiane Todt (Postdoc), Nina Therese Mikkelsen (PhD student), Tore Høisæter (Emeritus)

Biogeography & Faunistics

Hans Tore Rapp (Researcher), Bernt Rydland Olsen (PhD student), Torleiv Brattegard (Emeritus), Master students: Karin Sofie Söderström, Carina Gunderstad

Macroalgae

The macroalgae (Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta and Phaeophyceae) constitute the dominating marine vegetation in temperate waters. The large brown algae of the orders Laminariales and Fucales are especially important, by having a high primary production and housing a diverse invertebrate fauna along the coast. The research on macroalgae in our group is at present concentrated on effects of introduced macroalgae, taxonomy of selected macroalgae, climatic effects on species composition and abundance of macroalgae, and interactions between macroalgae and other organisms, for example bacteria inhabiting kelp lamina.

Inga Kjersti Sjøtun (Associate Professor)

Marine parasitology

Glenn Bristow (Professor), Henrik Glenner (Professor), Bjørn Berland (Emeritus), Christoph Noever (PhD student)