Overarching questions, new approaches and technologies in mixoplankton research. 2021 Mixoplankton International Workshop Report

Report from a workshop on mixoplankton research

Session 1: Overarching Questions; The mixoplankton paradigm – is it significant? How do we make that judgement?; How can we use our current and emerging tools to understand/quantify the balance of photo- and phagotrophy in mixoplankton? ;Are we measuring the right things?; What are the major challenges to modelling?

Session 2: New Approaches & Technologies; This session was centred on questions of ‘why?’, ‘how?’, ‘what?’, and critically, ‘who for?’; Why do we want to measure mixoplanktonic activity and how do we do this?; Remote sensing; Platforms: buoys, gliders; Optical and allied approaches; Molecular techniques

Conclusion

There is an increasing (and arguably belated) recognition that routine monitoring of zooplankton as well as phototrophic plankton is important in determining the health of coastal waters. Mixoplankton contribute to both primary and secondary productions (in crude terms, as ‘phytoplankton’ and ‘protozooplankton’ in one cell). The role of mixoplankton to food webs is important in a positive way as food organisms as well as for their negative impact as harmful and disruptive blooms (HABs and EDABs). Mixoplankton should be viewed as indicators of ecosystem health, not just of harmful conditions. The underlying basis for inclusion of mixoplankton is there; progress appears more limited by the need for a well-argued case in a language appropriate for stakeholders likely built in collaboration with those stakeholders. And, of course in the new deployment &/or re-purposing of traditional methods to monitoring.