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COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

HELSINKI, FINLAND

KALMAR, SWEDEN

LIVERPOOL, U.K.

OSLO, NORWAY

LUND, SWEDEN

OULU, FINLAND



OUR BRANCHES

ABOUT US

PROGRAM

PRODIVERSA is a Nordic Researcher network funded by NordForsk to foster collaboration within research on patterns, mechanisms and the ecological consequences of intra-specific diversity of aquatic protists in the Nordic countries.

 

BACKGROUND

Protists are a diverse group of aquatic, mostly unicellular, eukaryotic organisms of different phyla and life forms. Many protists are photosynthetic (phytoplankton) and as primary producers form the base of the aquatic food web. Consequently they have a major impact on the food web, energy flow and biogeochemical cycles of aquatic systems.Some protists, particularly microalgae, can also form harmful blooms which can cause toxicity of mussels, fish kills, odors, and unattractive water color and lead to substantial economic losses and health issues.

     Due to their large population sizes, a predominantly asexual reproduction mode and their unlimited dispersal in a seemingly homogenous environment, aquatic protists populations have traditionally been considered to be more or less clonal. However, recent research shows that, for example, many phytoplankton species are genetically highly structured and may show remarkable differentiation among and within local populations. Patterns of genetic diversity may indicate colonization and invasion pathways, reveal mechanisms of adaptation and speciation and provide insights into the evolutionary history of phytoplankton species in relation to environmental change. Also, intraspecific genetic diversity is often coupled to variation in physiological and ecological traits which can affect ecosystem function and structure.

     The members of the network perform research on these different aspects of population genetics and intraspecific variability in protist species from different eukaryotic clades including diatoms, dinoflagellates and haptophytes living in freshwater lakes, brackish estuaries and marine environments.

 

AIMS

The network aims to foster the exchange of ideas and expertise between the member groups, to conduct common research, efficiently share and utilize the resources and to facilitate the networking and training of the PhD students and post docs. This will support the development of research on the subject of protist diversity in the Nordic countries considerably and facilitate sustained cooperation.

     We will compare population genetic patterns and mechanisms of protist species from different taxonomic groups and habitats spanning from freshwater lakes to the brackish Baltic Sea and marine North Atlantic waters. This will advance the general understanding of population genetic, ecological and evolutionary principles in aquatic protists. Moreover, we will share materials, methods and instrument facilities; conduct a joint field study, and offer training possibilities for PhD students and post-docs (lab visits, thematic workshops and a PhD course).

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