All organisms are adapted to a certain climate. A present concern is how resistant organisms and ecosystems are under the rapid rate of current climate change. Changes of the ecosystems will also affect humans in many ways. However, it is not simple and straightforward to understand the effects of climate change. Since all organisms are affected by many factors, including interaction of organisms and other environmental changes, the effects of a change in climate might sometimes be counterintuitive. Human utilization of nature and this response to climate change also needs to be taken into account.

The research at our department includes among other things studies on population ecological and evolutionary responses to climate change, the understanding of species distribution in relation to climate, and the effects on species interactions and whole ecosystems. We address questions related to temperature changes, CO2 increase and sea-level rise. We work in both terrestrial and marine environments.

Many researchers at our department are members of ”The Bolin Centre for Climate research” at Stockholm University. Specifically we are heavily engaged in the two research areas: ”RA7: Landscape processes and climate” and ”RA8: Biodiversity and climate”. Members of the different research areas could be reached through the Bolin Centre webpage.

Don’t hesitate to contact Kristoffer Hylander, who is one of the research area leaders in RA7 and Johan Ehrlén, who is one of the research area leaders of RA8.

Research areas with contact people

The role of seagrass beds as a carbon sink (Mats Björk)

Modelling the effects of environmental and climate variation on plant population dynamics (Johan Ehrlén)

Effects of climate change on trophic interactions – host plant utilization in butterflies (Johan Ehrlén)

Effects of climate-induced sea-level changes on coastal ecosystems: plants and arthropods (Peter Hambäck)

The role of micro-climatic refugia for expanding and retreating populations (Kristoffer Hylander)

Effects of climate on plankton dynamics in the Baltic Sea (Monika Winder)

Phytoplankton food quality responses to ocean acidification (Monika Winder)

Ecosystem-based management of the Baltic Sea - Baltic cyanobacterial blooms and Baltic benthos (Ragnar Elmgren)

Remote sensing provides us with information on physical drivers and productivity in the sea (e.g. attenuation of light, wind, sea surface temperature, chl-a concentration) and can help to monitor changes in physical conditions due to climate change. Ocean colour remote sensing provides important information to evaluate the on-set of phytoplankton blooms in spring and the development of cyanobacteria blooms in summer, and to assess changes in phenology. (Susanne Kratzer)