We aim to provide participants with a unique opportunity to get state of the art knowledge in various aspects of annelid biology as well as hands-on experience in the field and laboratory study of annelid worms. The course will cover a wide range of annelid taxa including major macrobenthic forms, interstitial and pelagic annelids. The lectures will address various theoretical questions in annelid biology, morphology, development, systematics, phylogeny and evolution. We will also cover several methods used in annelid studies including morphological methods (histology, cLSM, SEM, TEM) and molecular techniques (barcoding, species delimitation, phylogenetic approaches, genomic studies). During the lab work we will study external and internal morphology of selected annelid taxa, perform dissections and preparations of slides. We will also attempt to perform artificial fertilization in selected species and trace early development in annelids. Species used in the course will be collected by the students during the field trips in the vicinity of the Station. We plan intertidal and small boat trips, as well as five collecting trips on board of a research vessel ‘Hans Brattström’.

Please visit the web-page to find details on the Course http://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2017/international-course-on-annelid-systematics-morpho.html