Master’s degree project in Aquatic Ecology

The degree project may comprise 30-60 credits and can be carried out in a research group at the department of Biology, or at an external institution e.g. at another faculty or elsewhere.

Prerequisites for the Master’s degree project in Aquatic Ecology

• 45 cr Advanced courses in Ecology including Limnology (BIOR17) or Marine Ecology (BIOR65) and Aquatic Ecology (BIOR68) or correspoding courses
• A Bachelor’s degree including 90 cr in Cell Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Ecology, botany and Zoology and 7.5 cr in Statistics

Proposals for master degree projects in

Aquatic Ecology

Biogas from macroalgae: Will coastal birds be affected?

The municipality of Trelleborg is engaged in a EU-financed project concerning utilizing beach cast macroalgae for bio-fuel production. The Swedish National Environmental Protection Board is financing a project intended to investigate the possible effects on the environment that might be caused by harvesting the beach cast macroalgae. One possible effect is that the macroalgae remnants on the beach may be an important feeding ground for beach associated birds. Bird feeding might also be impaired by the large masses of macroalgae present in the shallow waters, before these are washed ashore. This project concerns the occurrence and abundance of possible bird prey in shallow waters and on land along beaches both with high and low occurrence of loosely drifting and deposited macroalgae.

External supervisor: Sven-Bertil Jonsson, BIOMARIN

Please contact Per Carlsson if you are interested in this proposal.

Sinking rates and phenotypic plasticity among marine phytoplankton in a warmer world

This project will study the effects of increasing sea surface temperatures, due to global warming, on sinking rates of marine phytoplankton, and if phenotypic plasticity among the plankton can counteract increased sedimentation rates. Physics tells us that particles sink faster in seawater at higher temperature, meaning that sinking rates of non-motile plankton such as diatoms, will be higher as the temperature of the sea is rising. However, it is not known if the cells can change their size or density and to some degree decrease their sinking rate at a higher temperature. Recent research suggests that cells decrease in volume at higher temperature but this has not been linked to sinking rates. The project will address: 1) How do sinking rates for different diatom species vary with temperature? 2) How is the sinking rate dependent on the physiological state of the cells, and can changes in size or density counteract a higher sinking rate? 3) Can phytoplankton adapt to long-term to changes in seawater temperature, by decreasing their sinking rate? The project will use laboratory experiments with recently isolated diatom cultures as well as diatom cultures from hatched resting stages more than 100 years old to answer these questions. The results will give insights into the effects on plankton sinking when surface water temperature is rising: will there be an increased carbon export to the deep sea, and lower carbon dioxide uptake from the atmosphere, or can the phytoplankton change in size or density and decrease their sinking rates? A masters thesis work can be composed of one of the three questions stated above.

Please contact Per Carlsson if you are interested in this proposal.

The Ecology and Evolution of Partial Migration

Animal migration is an exceptionally widespread phenomenon, which occurs in birds, mammals and fish. Perhaps the most common type of animal migration is known as partial migration, where only some individuals within a population migrate and others remain resident the whole year around. Why only some individuals migrate is a puzzle, and this research project will ask questions about individual differences in migratory behaviour in a freshwater fish, the roach. This species is ideal to study in the context of partial migration as we can catch fish from Lake Kranksesjon and individually tag them with coded PIT tags prior to migration. We can then follow fish as they migrate (or not). There are a number of potentially interesting projects available here, for example looking at differences in behaviour, sex and habitat use between migrants and residents, or quantifying the costs and benefits of migration vs. residency. Alternatively students can come with their own ideas and these can be developed into research projects where suitable.

Applicants should most importantly be enthusiastic and passionate about biology, and be willing to work potentially long hours in the labs or field, potentially in bad weather. A driving license is also a benefit. Experience working with fish, field ecology or behavioural ecology is also a plus, but above all we are looking for keen and committed biologists with an aptitude for learning new skills and producing exciting science.

Please contact Ben Chapman if you are interested in this proposal.

Personality traits and boldness in freshwater fish

Exciting recent research has shown that personality (consistent individual differences in behaviour) is not unique to humans, but has been documented in many species in the animal kingdom, from birds and fish to ants and spiders. Many interesting questions arise from these observations: what maintains personality variation? What are the costs and benefits of different personality traits? How do we accurately measure and define personality traits to make comparisons across species? We are looking for enthusiastic students with a strong interest in animal behaviour to work on an experimental project to ask questions about animal personality in freshwater fish. The project will focus on a common personality trait in animals – boldness – and experimentally test for individual consistency in this behaviour across different contexts and at different times.

This will be primarily a lab-based project which will involve carrying out experiments to assay behaviour in fish, and then analysing behaviour using video analysis. Applicants should most importantly be enthusiastic and passionate about biology, and be willing to work potentially long hours in the lab. Experience working with fish or behavioural ecology is also a plus, but above all we are looking for keen and committed biologists with an aptitude for learning new skills and producing exciting science.

Involved researchers
Ben Chapman, Martin Stalhammer, Johan Hollander

Please contact Ben Chapman if you are interested in this proposal.

Partial migration and animal personality in a freshwater fish, roach Rutilus rutilus

Partial migration is very widespread in nature, and occurs when less than 100% of a population participates in migration. We study this phenomenon in a common freshwater fish, the roach. Roach migrate out of lakes and into streams over winter, which is potentially driven by seasonal changes to predation risk and growth potential in the lakes and the streams. Some evidence suggests that behavioural differences in personality traits between migrants and residents are important in explaining patterns of partial migration. We have also found differences in body shape. There are many avenues that a Masters project could explore, for example assessing the costs and benefits of animal personality or body morphology, or the role of social context upon animal personality. There is also an opportunity for fieldwork projects looking at habitat use and morphology, or tracking fish using PIT-tag technology. We encourage students that enjoy fieldwork and behavioural experiments and are interested in behavioural ecology/migration biology to contact us to register interest and discuss project ideas.

Please contact Ben Chapman if you are interested in this proposal.

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