Workshop on Bryozoans and Hydroids: 29 April- 4 May, 2013

Learn more about Singapore's fascinating bryozoans and hydroids at this Workshop! Ordinary people can join as day participants. Registration closes 19 April.

The workshop is organized by the Tropical Marine Science Institute and will be held at St John’s Island Marine Laboratory, Tropical Marine Science Institute.

Often mistaken for plants, these fascinating animals come in a bewildering variety of colours and shapes. They provide habitats and food for a wide variety of other animals.

Tiny skeleton shrimps are commonly seen on some hydroids!

We are fortunate to have these world authorities as Lead Instructors for this Workshop.

Dr Dennis Gordon FLS is a Principal Scientist (Marine Biodiversity and Biodiversity) at the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Wellington, New Zealand. Dennis Gordon is a global authority on the systematics, phylogeny, and biology of living and fossil bryozoans. He serves on the international project teams of the Catalogue of Life and World Register of Marine Species. He is editor of the “New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity”, a comprehensive three-volume inventory that offers the first full review of New Zealand's entire known species of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms.

Emeritus Professor John S. Ryland is Professor of Marine Biology at Swansea University, Wales, UK. His research interests lie in the comparative biology of colonial invertebrates. Current work includes tropical and deep-sea zoanthids and the Bryozoa. He has also published extensively on marine fish populations, larval biology, taxonomy and reproduction of ascidians, entoprocts and hydroids. He was co-editor for the landmark volumes “Marine Fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe” (1990), and the “ Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe” (1995) which are now widely used as field guide and textbook for marine invertebrate zoology. Hydroid works include 2 extensive papers on the intertidal and shallow water hydroids from Fiji.

Lecture Programme for Day Participants at St John's Island

DAY 1: 29 Apr

10:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:10-10:40 An Introduction to the Bryozoans (DG)
13:00-14:00 Bryozoan anatomy (DG)
14:30-15:30 Taxonomy of bryozoans (DG)

DAY 2: 30 Apr
14:00-15:00 Taxonomy of bryozoans (contd) (DG)
15:30-17:00 Bryozoan structure and function, general ecology (DG)

DAY 3: 1 May
13:00 – 14:00 Introduction to the Hydroids (JSR)
14:30-15:30 Short lecture on Collection, preservation, curation, method for observation (JSR)

DAY 4: 2 May
9:00-10:00 Classification and taxonomy of Hydroids I (JSR)
10:30-11:30 Classification and taxonomy of Hydroids II (JSR)

DAY 5: 3 May
10:00-11:00 Hydroids – General Biology (JSR)
11:00-12:30 Joint Lecture or Discussion Session—Economic, conservation issues for hydroids and bryozoans (JSR, DG)

Ordinary people can join the workshop!

Day participants can join the workshop at $25 per half day session (this includes boat transport to and from St. John's Island where the lectures are being conducted). As a day participant you can only attend the lectures and observe some of the lab sessions. Although day participants may not attend field trips or take part in lab sessions, ample time will be given for Q&A after each lecture. You do not need to attend all of the lectures. You can choose which days to attend, but you need to confirm with the organisers again closer to the date of the workshop.

Places for day participants are limited, so register fast!

Please register by 19 Apr with Mr Heng Jiarui tmshj@nus.edu.sg Tel: +65-98223849

More details on the workshop on the TMSI website which includes registration forms. Pre-registration is required.