Research
The research activities concern following directions:
Spatial and temporal distribution of marine and freshwater plankton
Seasonal cycles in plankton and benthos communities
Eutrophication processes and the role of environmental factors
Mixotrophy and the role of
disolved organic matter (DOM)
Biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems
Interactions between algal and bacterial communities
Harmful algal blooms (HAB) in marine and fresh water
ecosystems
Eco-toxicological
studies (the influence of heavy metals, oil pollution, detergents, waste waters,
algal
toxins and other harmful substances)
Ecological risk
assesment using bioassays (ISO, EU, EPA standarts)
Research Facilities:
Research vessel “ANTONIJA”
GIS-based site characterization tools
Inflatable boats
SCUBA equipment
Walk-in climate chambers for experimental work
Culture collection of non-toxic and toxic algal strains
Culture collection of
bioassays testobjects
Sample collection
Analyses of phytoplankton community structure
Monitoring of the harmful algal blooms in Latvian territorial waters
Isolation of algal strains and maintenance of cultures
Ecological studies
Bioassay experiments
Toxicological experiments with Baltic herrings
Toxicological experiments with salmon larvae
Experiments with salmon larvae in laboratory
Bioaccumulation of algal toxins in molluscs and fish liver
