Freshwater and marine biology deals with how the oceans, coastal areas, lakes and streams function and affect the life on Earth. Living conditions in water is very different from those in air because of the physical and chemical properties of water. Plants and animals living in water, has consequently developed a number of adaptations to life in water, such as special morphological adaptations to water movement and special adaptations to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the surrounding water. The research of the Department of Biology seeks to clarify how marine and freshwater ecosystems function and to find general patterns in biological structure and function. The biological structure includes species distribution and abundance in relation to the environment and in relation to interactions with other species and the function describes the organism’s role in the ecosystem and their importance for the conversion of nutrients, energy and other substances. Our research first and foremost seeks to clarify how ecosystems function under natural conditions, however research also forms the basis for understanding how living conditions and the biology of rivers, lakes, coastal waters and oceans are affected by disturbances, for example by pollution, fishing, or by climate changes. The current research includes dispersal and recruitment biology, ecology of invasive species, the interaction between parasites and their hosts, the link between biology and the physical properties of the water, food chains and production in freshwater and the marine environment, taxonomy and biodiversity, as well as the effects of eutrophication, fisheries and climate change.

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