Contact: Johan Kotze, Basile Finand, or Heikki Setälä
Habitat fragmentation is a major threat to biodiversity. Many studies show the link between current habitat configuration and contemporary communities. However, some studies suggest that past habitat configuration could also affects current communities. We offer a MSc thesis topic to investigate the impact of past habitat fragmentation on current communities of ants. We have sampled ants in 2023 in 25 urban forests in Helsinki with different history of habitat fragmentation. This MSc thesis would be involving the identification of the ant samples and the analysis to link the history of habitat fragmentation to the characteristics of current ant communities (species richness, traits diversity, etc). The MSc student will join a postdoc and senior members of the group in Helsinki.
Contact: Alexander Stelzer, Johan Kotze, or Heikki Setälä
Carbon serves as the currency of the soil, as nearly all soil functions are intricately linked to carbon. Similar to monetary systems, carbon storage involves both readily exchangeable carbon (labile carbon) and carbon allocated for long-term storage (recalcitrant carbon). In this master's thesis opportunity, you will closely monitor the labile carbon budget within one of our urban greenspace studies in Lahti. Specifically, you will investigate how the introduction of grass clippings, rich in labile carbon, impacts the overall carbon budget in urban park soils. As part of this research, you will have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork for soil and gas analyses, laboratory experiments, and, if interested, engage in modeling activities.
Contact: Alexander Stelzer, Johan Kotze, or Heikki Setälä
This thesis delves into soil-plant interactions within Lahti city parks. Our study examines the impact of meadows and lawns on soil carbon levels, where we will put a focus on root structures with this thesis. Roots play a crucial role, contributing approximately 70% of soil carbon input. The objective of this master’s thesis is to collect bulk samples of the lawn and meadow soils, preserve root structures using resin, and analyze them through photographic imaging and some advanced modeling techniques. You should possess a keen interest in modeling and some experience with Python and/or R.
Contact: John Allen, Heikki Setälä or Johan Kotze
Research from our group and others has shown that domestic dogs are a significant source of nitrogen in urban greenspaces. Not only does this input degrade the aesthetics of city parks, it also results in increased fluxes of nitrogenous gases from the impacted soils and may contribute to pollution of ground and surface waters. Biochar has been shown to significantly reduce the leaching of nutrients from soils and could help to mitigate these impacts.
As an MSc student you will work in collaboration with the research team to design and implement a study to examine the effectiveness of biochar amendments to soils in urban greenspaces and to determine if they can be used to sequester and treat excess nitrogen deposition by dogs.
Contact: John Allen, Petteri Uotila or Johan Kotze
Global salt production is approximately 300 million tons annually, consisting primarily of NaCl, but also other salts such as KCl, MgCl2 and other compounds. Similar to the use of fossil hydrocarbons, much of the salt we consume is taken from deposits which are hundreds of millions of years old. This “fossil salt”, long ago removed from the water cycle, is then reintroduced to the hydrosphere. Traditional treatment methods, such as those used at municipal wastewater treatment plants, do no remove salt from water and so most is discharged to surface waters and eventually to the world’s oceans.
In this MSc project, you will determine the annual global production of all forms of salt and will work with researchers to model how the input of fossil salt could impact the salinity of the world’s seas and oceans.
Contact: Kirsi Kuoppamäki or Leena Nurminen
The moss animal Pectinatella magnifica (Leidy 1851), originating from North America, has spread by humans all over the northern hemisphere, including (so far) two watercourses in Finland. The most noticeable harm of this invasive species is biofouling of, for instance fishing equipment, aquatic structures like water pipes and jetties. Furthermore, being a large (it can grow up to more than 1 m in diameter) gelatinous animal colony, many perceive it as rather non-aesthetic, hampering recreation. More knowledge is needed on the occurrence of Pectinatella in Finland, the potential and mechanisms of invasions to new watercourses and methods on how to manage the species and how to prevent it from spreading further.
Yuan Wang (2023): Cultural Ecosystem Services of urban forests: a delivery from biodiversity, through the landscape, to beneficiaries
Viljami Viippola (2022): Effects of tree cover on local air pollutant levels in near-road environments
Changyi Lu (2021): Plant-soil feedbacks as affecting ecosystem services in urban greenspaces
Kukka Kyrö (2021): Vegetated roofs as habitats for arthropods in urban areas
Norbertas Noreika (2016): On the deterioration and restoration of mire invertebrate communities
Jarmo Saarikivi (2016): Biodiversity in golf courses and its contribution to the diversity of open green spaces in an urban setting
Kaisa Hauru (2015): Eco-experiential quality of urban forests: combining ecological, restorative and aesthetic perspectives
Leena Hamberg (2009): The effects of habitat edges and trampling intensity on vegetation in urban forests
Sem de Waard (2023): Detecting recent and historically fragmented forest patches in the Helsinki City Region, Finland
Riku Kangasniemi (2023): Specialists in the city – Indicator species as a tool for assessing the ecological quality of urban grasslands
Nuria Keeve (2023): Towards multispecies spaces. Rethinking architectural practice in the context of urban biodiversity loss
Petra Liljebäck (2023): Carbon sequestration and storage capacity of urban park soils in the city of Helsinki as influenced by vegetation type and park size
Annina Malmsten (2023): Comparing soil carbon content in urban meadows and managed lawns in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area
Cameron Bechthold (2022): Using the tea bag index to compare litter decomposition in the sub-littoral zone of urban and vegetated coastlines around Helsinki, Finland
Johanna Huttunen (2022): Bumblebee diversity in urban brownfields as affected by local and landscape characteristics
Riikka Järvinen (2022): Examining the impacts of dog urine in urban environments
Ilmo Kapanen (2022): Nordic living wall: Integration of plants on brick façade
Yanxia Qiu (2022): Flight of the Bumblebee - Improving urban green for ecosystem services in Helsinki
Meeri Tahvanainen (2022): Urban forest habitat heterogeneity and its effects on carabid beetles
Ida Torvinen (2022): The contribution of root biomass to soil C and N accumulation under evergreen and deciduous trees in urban parks.
Maria Hämäläinen (2020): Eri-ikäisten komealupiinikasvustojen vaikutus alkuperäiseen kasviyhteisöön
Allan Delesantro (2020): Animals as Stakeholders in Urban Spatial Planning: A Case Study of the Jokeri Light Rail, Helsinki, Finland
Anna Ojala (2020): Maapuun ja latvuskerrokseen muodostuneen aukon vaikutus maakiitäjäisiin: kokeellinen tutkimus Helsingin kaupunkimetsissä
Gausul Azam (2020): Accumulation of nitrogen in the snowpack of urban parks and its connection to dog activities
Peter Immonen (2020): Pinnoituksen vaikutus kaupunkimaaperän hiilen ja typen varastoitumiseen kylmässä ilmastossa
Janne Auranen (2020): Kasvityypin vaikutus kaupunkimaaperän orgaanisen aineksen, hiilen ja typen dynamiikkaan eri biomeissa
Sampsa Malmberg (2019): Pääkaupunkiseudun täyttömäkien etelä- ja pohjoisrinteiden maakiitäjäisyhteisöt
Suvi Kolu (2019): Lahopuun määrä ja laatu Lahden kaupunkimetsissä – indikaatoit monimuotoisuudelle
Liisa Ikonen (2019): Kasvien ja kasvualustan merkitys huleveden hallinnassa
Henri Järvisalo (2016): Niveljalkaisten viherkatoilla esiintymiseen vaikuttavat viherkaton ja läheisen maiseman ominaisuudet
Steven Collins (2016): Thermal behaviour of green roofs in winter conditions
Xuefei Li (2015): Impacts of biochar on the retention of water and nutrients from newly established green roofs
Marju Prass (2015): Effects of the matrix on carabid beetle assemblages in urban ruderal habitats: a railway verge case
Emmi Silvennoinen (2015): Water retention performance of newly constructed green roofs in cold climates
Jessica Latus (2014): Bees in urban community gardens – local versus landscape determinants
Sveta Silvennoinen (2014): Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces in terms of stormwater quality management
Tiina Helkavaara (2014): Kaupungistumisen vaikutus maaperään, hajottajaeliöstöön ja lehtikarikkeen hajoamiseen
Chhabi Neupane (2013): The effects of biochar on noxious gas and toxic metals from landfill waste
Matti Mäkilä (2012): Kaupungistumisen vaikutukset maakiitäjäislajistoon (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Helsingissä ja Lahdessa
Norbertas Noreika (2011): Forest edge contrasts have a predictable effect on the spatial distribution of carabid beetles in urban forests
Soetken Maene (2005): Dead Wood in Urban Forests in Helsinki, Finland