Masters Studies with EECRG
We have a number of interesting projects for Masters student to get involved with and provide good support and academic and social meetings to participate in.
Masters students in the EECRG work with a wide range of ecological problems/questions (mostly related to biodiversity, conservation, environmental change, invasive species, etc.) in a wide range of species groups (plants, insects, micro-organisms) at very different timescales (0-10000 years) using a range of methodologies (from lab and field experiments via field observational data to palaeoecology and data extracted from databases). This work is done in different biomes (arctic, alpine, temperate, desert, tropical), in both terrestrial and aquatic systems, and at different geographical locations (all of Norway including Svalbard, Europe, Nepal, Tibet, Africa). What pulls us together as a group is a focus on (the effect of) environmental and ecological change on species or ecosystems and the collaborative effort to develop good field and statistical methods to enable us to answer sometimes complicated questions using "real" field data. Most of us collect our own data in the field, but some use data collected as part of larger projects or from databases.
The EECRG believes that the best Masters projects are developed in collaboration between the student and the supervisors. The challenge is to find a specific topic and research system that interests the student and where the EECRG has research interests and expertise, and design a good Masters thesis project that will give the student interesting and challenging research experience in all phases of the work, from data collection via analyses to write-up.
EECRG MSc activities / support: biweekly research group meetings, where ongoing and future research in the group is presented and discussed; biweekly journal clubs (ecology, palaeoecology) where recent developments in the literature are discussed; film nights; research group parties; social activities.
We have a policy of supporting student participation in at least one international scientific conference (financial support can be applied for) and we encourage and support (but do not demand or guarantee) the development of Masters projects that will be publishable in the scientific literature. We think of the publication process as an important (and fun!) part of the scientific experience that a Master's education should be.
Follow the links to the right to read about potential Masters projects you could be involved with.
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Climate change, reproductive systems, and arctic plant communities
Klimaforandring, formeringsbiologi, og den arktiske floraen (Lawrence R. Kirkendall and John-Arvid Grytnes)
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How far will a pollinator go to get pollen?
Assessing the ecosystem services provided by various pollinators (Amy Eycott)
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Bark beetle biodiversity: contributing to understanding patterns of tropical arthropod biodiversity through taxonomy
Barkbille biodiversitet: hvordan taksonomi kan belyse mønstre i tropisk artropod biodiversitet (Lawrence R. Kirkendall)
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The effect of temperature and rainfall on the decomposition of plant litter
Determining the rate and quality of decomposition of alpine-plant community litter and assessing likely impacts of future climate change on the process (Vigdis Vandvik, Kari Klanderud (UMB, Ås), Pascale Michel)
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Influence of the matrix on biodiversity in Ugandan forests
Innvirkning av matrisen på biologiske mangfold i Ugandiske skog (Richard Telford/Vigdis Vandvik)
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How does vegetation change in the cultural landscape when climate and land-use is changing?
Hvordan endrer vegetasjonen seg i kulturlandskapet som følge av klima- og bruks-endringer? (John-Arvid Grytnes)
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Management-driven evolution in cultural landscapes
Using heathlands as a case study for investigating management-driven trait evolution in species in cultural landscapes (Vigdis Vandvik)
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How are plants responding to a changing climate?
A case study of growth and allocation in herbaceous plants along climatic gradients in the Gongga Mountains, China
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Annual changes in pollen production and dispersal near the present day tree line
Årlige endringer i pollenproduksjon og spredning hos trær i nærheten av dagens tregrense (pollenfeller på Upsete og Finse) (Anne E. Bjune)
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Insect vectors of important plant diseases (phytoplasmas) in fruit plantations
Insekter som spredningsvektorer for alvorlige plantesykdommer i frukt
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How do humans affect evolution of species and species traits in cultural landscapes?
Hvordan påvirker mennesket evolusjon av artene i kulturlandskapet? (John-Arvid Grytnes)
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Effects of climate, and climate change, on plants - from germination to biodiversity and ecosystem function
Effekter av klima og klimaendringer på planter - fra frøspiring til biodiversitet og økosystemfunksjoner (Vigdis Vandvik)
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Competition between inbreeding and outbreeding bark beetle species which breed in palm seeds
Konkuranse mellom innavl og utavl hos barkbiller i palmefrø (Lawrence R. Kirkendall)
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Tree lines and climate history in Jotunheimen since the last ice age
Tregrenser og klima i Jotunheimen siden siste istid (Anne E. Bjune)
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Have species moved upwards on mountains and northwards in Norway as a result of climate warming?
Har arter gått opp i fjellet og nordover i Norge som følge av klimaendringer? (John-Arvid Grytnes)
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Pollen inferred climate change during the last 1500 years with focus on the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age
Bruk av pollen til rekonstruksjon av klima under middelalderen og lille istid (Anne E. Bjune)
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What is the relationship between vegetation and pollen, and how can it be used to infer past plant richness, evenness, composition, and turnover?
Sammenhengen mellom dagens vegetasjon og det pollenet den produserer (Anne E. Bjune/John-Arvid Grytnes)
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Amounts and patterns of genetic variability in an extreme inbreeder
Mengder av og mønstre i genetisk variasjon hos en art med ekstrem innavl (Lawrence R. Kirkendall)
