Engaging tomorrow's scientists
Bryophytes dominate in wide regions of the Arctic, also presenting the dominant vegetation cover on Svalbard. The layer of bryophytes in moss tundra, with its insulating abilities, is a significant factor in preserving permafrost. Herbivore activity such as goose grubbing may damage and remove parts of the moss layer, and is expected to be a Read More …
In high-arctic tundra, vegetation is facing severe challenges due to climate-change-induced warming, shifts in seasonality and potentially increased herbivore pressure. We expect shifts in vegetation from moss-dominated to vascular plant-dominated communities, as well as species shifts within these groups. While mosses are a major component of high Arctic vegetation that is subject to climate-induced change, Read More …
Mosses play an important role in insulating the soil from increasing air temperatures, reducing the impact on the permafrost. As a result of increasing temperatures and precipitation, the vegetation composition in the Arctic is changing. This shift will likely impact the active layer and permafrost underneath, which could lead to a change in the release Read More …
What are the seasonal changes in the energetic value of macrozooplankton and fish in the Barents Sea? How might these changes affect an organism’s susceptibility to stress? Project description: The Arctic, and in particular the Barents Sea, is experiencing the effects of climate change more intensely than anywhere else on the planet, as well as Read More …
Testing & improving the first (bèta) versions of the ArtsApp key for Vascular plants in Svalbard Project description: BioCEED is developing ArtsApp, a digital taxonomic key which is mostly used through a phone application. At the moment, a key for all of Svalbard’s vascular plants is in the making. This key is different from most Read More …
How are plants and pollinators responding to climate change? Project description: Arctic flowering seasons are becoming shorter and shifted earlier in response to climate change, while pollinator species are responding differently to climate across the tundra biome. Mismatches between the flowering season and pollinating insects could be driving the rapid decline of pollinator abundance and Read More …
Has autopolyploidisation(s) (diploid to tetraploid in particular) created a shift in reproductive parameters? Project description: In this project I aim to investigate consequences of autopolyploidy on phenotypic variation, with focus on reproductive strategy and reproductive output. I will use the circumpolar, arctic-alpine plant species Saxifraga oppositifolia (Saxifragaceae), where two main ploidy levels are known (diploids Read More …
The aim of this project is to investigate potential changes in biodiversity, community composition and function of microbial eukaryotes with respect to the changing climate in the Arctic Project description: Microbial eukaryotes or single-celled protists are organisms that play a fundamental role in energy flow and the cycling of elements in the marine ecosystem. They Read More …
The aim of this project is to investigate to which extent bryophyte-dominated communities insulate the ground better than communities dominated by vascular plants. Project description: Bryophytes, i.e. mosses and liverworts, dominate the vegetation in wide areas of the Arctic. Especially on Svalbard where dwarf shrubs are scarce, they form a dominant component of the vegetation. Read More …
The aim of this project is to process and identify bryophytes and lichens which were sampled along the West coast of Spitsbergen. Project description: Bryophytes and lichens dominate the vegetation in wide areas of the Arctic. Especially on Svalbard where dwarf shrubs are scarce, bryophytes form a dominant component of the vegetation. However, as yet Read More …