Trial lecture
The candidate will first give a trial lecture on the following topic: 'The ecological versatility of fungi in boreal forests'
Time and place: Dec. 17, 2025 10:15 AM, Nucleus, Bikuben, Kristine Bonnevies hus
Main research findings
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Fungal communities in Norwegian forests are highly diverse and species-rich. Fulfilling roles as mutualists, pathogens, parasites and decomposers, it is hard to imagine how a forest ecosystem would function without fungi. In this thesis I describe how fungal communities are impacted following clear-cut forestry.
I found that both managed and natural forests host a high diversity and number of species of fungi, but that the composition of the communty is impacted by forestry. The changes can be described through the way fungal species interact with the forest environment and surrounding vegetation.
While both managed and natural forests contain equally high species richness I found that the relative dominance of different species within important species groups, such a plant symbionts or decomposers, change following clear-cut forestry. Changes could be described through differences in forest structure, such as age and density of trees, input of deadwood and changes in the understory vegetation. The fungal groups that are affected are involved in important ecosystem services such as carbon storage and nutrient cycling. These finding can have implications for management strategies, as we find a high correlation between fungal diversity and specific forest structural properties.
Adjudication committee
Prof. Björn Lindahl, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research Prof. Taina Pennanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland
Assoc. Prof. Adriana Lopes dos Santos, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Chair of defense
Prof. John Michael Koomey, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Prof. Håvard Kauserud, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Assoc. Prof. Sundy Maurice, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris
Prof. Inger Skrede, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo