Description of the specialisation fields
Ecotoxicology
The field focuses on mechanisms of toxicity. One of the major foci of research is investigating how environmental adaptations at the genetic and physiological (individual) level are disturbed by environmental contamination. Specifically, effects of oxidative stresses on gene expression are investigated using the Baltic Sea and the Fennoscandian shield as major research areas. Since oxidative stress is studied the research comprises, e.g., metal toxicity, toxicity of organic compounds (e.g. PAH), oil pollution and uv-radiation. The main taxonomical groups investigated are fish, amphibians and birds but suitable work on plants and prokaryotes is included. The students are expected to integrate into the existing research groups within aquatic toxicology, conservation genetics or environmental biology of birds to carry out their thesis work.
The teaching given represents principles required for understanding how environmental contamination may affect environmental responses of individuals, how individual responses can be transmitted to the population and ecosystem level via genetic mechanisms and what are the chemical methods used for determining and pathways involved in exerting the effects of environmental contamination.
An indication of the role of University of Turku in ecotoxicology is that the chief editor of Aquatic Toxicology works in the Department of Biology. In addition the recent active research has been concentrated in finding out the effects of environmental contamination on birds and their invertebrate prey. Future foci include conservation genetics and the influence of environmental contaminants on the genetic mechanisms of local adaptations.
Coordinating unit: Department of Biology
Quaternary Paleoecology and Environmental Change
Within this interdisciplinary field, paleogeological research is combined with the Biological Museum’s extensive knowledge in the taxonomy of animal and plant groups. Education represents the core area in paleoecological research and focuses on environmental history and quaternary geology, including analytical physical and chemical methods as well as practicals in the taxonomy of different subfossil groups.
Being rich in lakes and marshes and extensive glacial record, Finland is traditionally known as an area with exceptionally favourable chances to do paleoecological research. At the University of Turku, paleoecological education and research is partly directed to the unique Finnish Archipelago and to the Kevo Subarctic Research Center in the Finnish Lapland.
Paleoecological research has a central role in several international research programmes, including the past Global Change (PAGES) of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP), European Science Foundation in Holocene Climatic Variability (Holivar) and International Quaternary Association in Commission of Human Evolution Paleoecology. All these projects aim in increasing quantitative knowledge in the global change of the earth’s recent history, to make it possible to estimate changes in the atmosphere caused by human action.
Coordinating unit: Department of Geology
Spatial and Ecological Interactions
Students who take spatial and ecological interactions as their specialisation field are expected to have a keen interest on spatial distribution, dynamics and interactions of natural and human-made entities, like species, vegetation types, habitats, land uses and land cover patterns. Students are trained in applied skills of spatial analysis techniques in various geographical and ecological research applications. In addition, the curriculum addresses important GI-science processes in the society, such as development of spatial data infrastructures, policies and services with regard to environmental information. In this interdisciplinary specialisation, research on taxonomy, ecology, biogeography and landscapes are combined with the use of remote sensing, image processing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and digital cartography. Students are encouraged to define their Master's thesis topics as part of the existing multidisciplinary research teams at the University of Turku, utilising the facilities of the Laboratory of Computer Cartography. These research teams work on various topics of ecological, coastal, landscape, fluvial and development studies.
Coordinating units: Departments of Geography and Biology