Digital event
Open the live stream via webex.
Trial lecture
The candidate will first give a trial lecture on the following topic: 'The Role of Nutrients in Arctic Marine Ecosystems'.
Main research findings
All living things require energy. Thus, energy connects all living things. As such, the connective nature of energy can be harnessed as a powerful tool in ecology, as a connection from organism to ecosystem. Using this tool, I explored drivers and patterns of energy dynamics of zooplankton and fish in the Barents Sea, an Arctic region strongly affected by climate change.
Seasonality in the Arctic is extreme, and so there was a particular focus on the seasonal changes in the energy contained in zooplankton and fish, and how this was further affected by factors like body size, temperature and what prey is available to eat. I found that energy is anything but constant, and instead the energy content changed over the year, as well as throughout life. These organisms had “critical windows”, when their energy stores were very low and they may be more vulnerable to stress. Energy patterns were also species specific, which means that climate-induced shifts in species dominance can benefit some predators whilst being detrimental for others.
Overall, this work reveals hidden complexity of energy landscapes and improves our ability to predict how climate-driven change will affect marine ecosystems in a future Arctic.
Adjudication committe
- Prof. Eva Friis Møller, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Researcher Georg Skaret, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
- Prof. Asbjørn Vøllestad, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
Chair of defense
- Josefin Titelman, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
- Prof. Øystein Varpe, Department of Biosciences, University of Bergen, Norway
- Prof. Katrine Borgå, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
- Prof. Geir Wing Gabrielsen, Framsenteret, Tromsø, Norway
- Prof. Janne Elin Søreide, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Norway