For the duration of the actual research programme, two core questions were formulated:

1. Which interaction does exist between the composition of marine communities and quantitative changes in the transport of matter?
2. By which mechanisms and on which scales do adaptation processes on the level of organisms and communities have a regulating function to marine matter cycles?

Projects which should answer these questions on a medium- to long-term run can be categorized into two large areas:

• Diversity and matter transport (Quantitative relationship between physical-chemical forcing and biological activities in shallow water areas; biogeochemical consequences of input to the central Baltic Sea basins; reduction of species and matter balances in the Northern Baltic Sea; biogenic indicators and proxies for changes in the physical-chemical boundary conditions)
• Adaptation and System Stability (threshold ranges of adaptation; the influence of biogeochemical gradients on the organisms´ adaptation potential ; physiological indicators to environmental changes)

More information on the projects of this focus »