Research groups

Research themes

Biological and physical oceanography

The overall research focus is on the coupling between physics of the oceans, ocean productivity, and distributions of marine organisms. The research is performed from the global to the millimetre scale; from the effects of climate on the productivity of the North Atlantic fish stocks to the effect of micro-scale turbulence on feeding of plankton organisms. The aim is to understand how marine organisms are affected by and interact with their environment, and how this controls the function of the ecosystems and the flow of energy and nutrients through the food-webs. This knowledge is used to predict the impact of natural and anthropogenic stress, e.g. climate change, pollution and overfishing, on the marine ecosystems.

• influence of large- and small- scale ocean physics on food webs and single species life history
• climate effects on the productivity and distribution of fish populations
• estuarine processes: hydrographic factors  and biology in arctic, temperate, and tropical estuaries
• nitrogen removal in oxygen minimum zones - processes, regulation and interaction
• sea ice ecology with focus on sea ice algae, production and adaptation
• modelling of processes at various time- and spatial scales

Coastal ecology

Basic and applied research of biota and biological processes in coastal ecosystems.

• influence of ecological dynamics and climate change on the marine environment in Danish waters
• key parameters and processes affecting the reestablishment of eelgrass in estuaries and coastal waters
• integrative systems to assess ecological status and recovery
• marine ecosystem evolution in a changing environment biological effects of anthropogenic chemical stress and effects of contaminants on the marine  environment
• energy production from marine biomass
• production of mussels – mitigation of eutrophication and feed for husbandry
• fish ecology: recruitment, growth, trophic structure and prey selection
• effects of environmental stressors on growth and population dynamics in seagrasses and macroalgae
• intertidal community ecology:  structure, function and dynamics
• role of parasites-host-systems in shallow-water communities (latitudinal patterns & climate change)
• tropical estuarine ecosystems: structure and function
• invasive species (populations dynamics and role in recipient systems)
• dynamics of gelatinous plankton

Arctic marine environmental studies

Effects of pollution, disturbance and hunting in a changing climate in the Arctic Marine Ecosystem.

• impact of mineral resource extraction (oil and mining)
• long-transported pollutants
• integrated analysis of anthropogenic stressors on animal populations
• monitoring and effects of long-transported contaminants on the Arctic marine biota, especially top-predators

Integrative ecology and evolution

The group focuses broadly on the evolutionary and ecological sciences, including population genetics and genomics and bioinformatics.

• Macroecology and ecoinformatics is a major research theme, which integrates informatics and remote sensing data with ecological data in order to analyze current and historical distributions of biodiversity and forecast the consequences of future environmental change, such as climate change.
• Evolutionary and population genetics is another major theme, particularly focusing on the ability of species and populations to adapt to local environments and to environmental change, e.g.  temperature stress.
• The group is represented in the interdisciplinary Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC) and conducts research at genomic scales with particular focus on understanding the evolutionary history of primates.
• Evolutionary ecology is another stronghold of the group. An important part of the research concerns the evolution of mating systems and sociality, integrating behavioral ecology and the genetic and genomics sciences.
• Another important theme concerns the contents and complexity of ecological networks with particular focus on ecosystems on islands.
• The group has strong expertise in phylogenetics, systematics and phylogeography, both with reference to plants and invertebrates.
• Finally, all of these research themes also feed into the science of conservation biology. Hence, the group targets research questions in conservation biology at all biodiversity levels, ranging from ecosystems to populations and genes

Microbiology

This research encompasses the study of microorganisms from genes to microbial physiology and ecosystem processes.

• microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of marine sediments , including the study of bio-electric networks in the seafloor; the Center for Geomicrobiology focuses particularly on the deep biosphere below the seafloor
• microbial nitrogen cycling in aquatic ecosystems
• microbes in extreme environments (e.g. in the deep biosphere below the seafloor,  in the Arctic, in clouds, under simulated Martian conditions)
• microbial symbiosis, animal-microbe and plant-microbe interactions
• bacterial biofilms, including technical and medical aspects
• applied microbiology, e.g. biofilters, bioremediation, and biogas production

Freshwater and  catchment science

The science is based on multidisciplinary and holistic approach in which major catchment processes are described, quantified and modeled. Large scale drives of change such as climate and land use patterns are integrated in understanding impacts at the ecosystem level. Wetlands, lakes and streams are all nested within the catchment and they are impacted of both local and catchment scale processes. A large part of the research is focused on the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the biodiversity, biological structure and ecosystem processes along gradients from land to water and in the freshwater ecosystems per se. An important avenue of research is how mitigation measures can reduce and even reverse the degradation of freshwater ecosystems in both a local (Danish) and global context.

• lake and stream ecology
• riparian and wetland ecology and biogeochemical processes
• nutrient and sediment cycling including greenhouse gas emissions
• diffuse nutrient pollution monitoring, modelling and management
• restoration technologies in freshwater and wetlands
• development of innovative mitigation technologies
• development of novel monitoring and tracing technologies
• ecohydrology and habitats
• biodiversity in freshwater systems
• climate and freshwater systems
• pesticides in freshwater: fate and ecological  effects
• ecophysiology of plants in wetlands, streams, lakes and coastal areas
• invasive plants
• use of wetlands in water pollution control

Terrestrial ecology

The research group conducts research on the impact of human activity on ecological processes and the state of terrestrial ecosystems. The research includes studies on a number of influencing factors, such as climate change, use of nutrients and xenobiotic substances. Moreover, studies on land use impact on habitat types and specific species are essential to the group.

Wildlife ecology

• ecology of hunted and protected birds and mammals
• effects of human disturbance, larger technical installations, agriculture and forest activities, recreational activities on birds and mammals
• demography, population dynamics, analysis and modeling
• danish Game bag and wing analysis

Biodiversity and conservation

• cost-effective monitoring of state and trends in terrestrial vegetation
• responses of threatened species and communities to environmental change (nutrients, drainage, disturbances etc.)
  • restoration of semi-natural and natural habitats
  • succession in plant communities in response to disturbances
  • developing indicators for structure, function and diversity of habitats
  • cost-effectiveness of measures to conserve and develop biodiversity
  • methods for mapping of biodiversity (e.g. remote sensing, field protocols)
  • development of www-databases for popular scientific communication on biodiversity
  • development of www-interfaces for citizen science biodiversity data

Ecosystem ecology

• greenhouse gas exchange with the atmosphere and nutrients balance in the arctic
• ecosystem function and resilience in the arctic
• snow and ice, incl. effects on phenology, energy and carbon balance in the arctic
• up-scaling, modelling and prediction in the arctic

Zoophysiology

Zoophysiology studies how animals function. The mechanisms, studied at various levels of biological organization are interpreted within an evolutionary context to understand how animals have adapted to thrive in very different environments. With outset in basic research, the zoophysiological studies are used to predict how climate change or other anthropomorphic influences affect animal function and distribution. Furthermore, many of the mechanistic studies aim at using non-traditional animal models to understand human disease. The research is very interdisciplinary with extensive international and national collaborations

• Metabolic regulation
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory physiology
  • Adaptations to extreme temperatures and desiccation
  • Diving behavior and sonar function in diving mammals

Ecotoxicology and risk assessment

Research on the effects and risk of hazardous chemicals in the terrestrial, freshwater and marine environment. Special attention is devoted to the interaction of chemical stress with natural stressors like cold, draught, oxygen, salinity, nutrients and inter-species competition. Ecotoxicological effects are assessed through targeted practical laboratory studies and ecological impact monitoring coupled with exposure assessments and modelling. A number of relevant research topics are listed below.

• Combination effects (mixtures) and multiple stress (chemicals and climate)
• Improved methods to estimate the ecotoxicological relevant (bioavailable) fraction of contaminants
• Risk assessment of contaminated sites and anthropogenic activities, e.g. mining and oil drilling in Greenland
• Effect assessment of oil slip and other hazardous substances in the marine environment
• Mapping of transport, load and effects of hazardous substances in the Arctic and temporal environments
• Ecotoxicological assessment of risk associated to the use of chemicals in modern agriculture e.g. pesticides, veterinary drugs and sewage sludge
• Ecotoxicological effects of nanomaterials
• Direct and indirect effects of pesticides on pollinators and other beneficial species
• Use of molecular biomarkers in ecotoxicology
• Introducing more ecology in the test methods used in ecotoxicology