MBA Oceans 2025 - Theme 4: Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Since the opening of its Laboratory in Plymouth in 1888, the Marine Biological Association has earned an international reputation for the broad scope and quality of its research. The research programme is managed by the MBA Council through its Director and its prime aim is to promote individually motivated research into problems of fundamental importance in marine biology. This is achieved by interweaving the work of resident Fellows with that of visiting workers. The programme is constantly evolving and is described annually in the ‘Report of Council’. The wide scope of the Association’s research programme is reflected in the breadth of its funding base. The programme is funded by a grant-in-aid from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), by grants from other Research Councils, awards from Private Trusts (Leverhulme Trust, Wellcome Trust) and from the Royal Society, by grants from industry and through research contracts with the Commission of the European Communities. The well-found laboratory for the research programme is provided by the NERC through an agreement which also resulted in the formation of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in 1988. Our Research programme addresses both fundamental and strategic issues in marine science and is structured around the following themes: a) ecosystems and environmental Change; b) mechanisms underlying biogeochemical and ecological processes.