Lara Beckmann goes deep among corals and sponges
Lara Beckmann has recently started as a PhD student at the department. She will work on deep-sea corals and sponges, and try to investigate how they reproduce and stay connected on the seafloor. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, hiking and birdwatching. Creating illustrations is another interest, where she likes to combine watercolour and digital techniques.
What are you going to work with here?
"My PhD research will focus on the ecology and reproduction of cold-water corals and sponges, with a particular focus on deep-sea ecosystems in Alaska. When thinking of coral, the first image that probably comes to mind is a tropical coral reef. However, reefs are also found in cold and deep oceanic waters, where they create unique habitats and are a diversity hotspot for marine life."
"Due to the vital role of corals and sponges in the deep sea, studying these reef-building organisms and better understanding their biology is essential, especially in light of environmental changes. Human activities such as bottom trawling, but also the effects of climate change with as yet unpredictable consequences, are currently the greatest threats to these ecosystems. Understanding the reproduction and life histories of these fascinating animals is the first step in drawing conclusions about their potential resilience to a changing ocean and increasing human impact."
"My goal is to integrate different methods to get a comprehensive overview of selected taxa. I will observe the development and behavior of coral larvae, analyse reproductive structures from coral and sponge collections, and apply various molecular tools. In addition, I will study local coral and sponge recruitment and dispersal using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) deployed on the seafloor outside of Juneau, Alaska."
What did you do before?
"I did my master's in Biodiversity and Systematics at the University of Stockholm, but spent the last years at the University of Bergen in Norway. There I worked specifically on the diversity and taxonomy of hydrozoan polyps and jellyfish. During my bachelor's at the University of Bielefeld in Germany., I had the opportunity to gain experience in various disciplines, from molecular ecology in Antarctic fur seals to fieldwork on board a research vessel."
What do you do when you are not working?
"Hiking or cycling combined with bird watching is my favourite activity. Now that I live by the sea, I never miss an opportunity to snorkel or look for life on the shore. I also enjoy diving into science-fiction books, or getting creative with illustrations. I do natural and scientific illustrations, for example for outreach purposes (or just for fun), and I often use a combination of traditional, e.g., watercolor, and digital techniques."
Something else you would like to share?
"I can't think of a better place to study and work as a marine biologist than the marine station at Tjärnö: right by the sea and surrounded by students and scientists studying the life in our ocean. I look forward to becoming a part of the station, but also the scientific community locally and internationally during my PhD journey."
Interview: Susanne Liljenström
