Author: isabel

Posted on

Job opportunity with the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø and Svalbard

Deadline: January 5, 2026

The Norwegian Polar Institute has a permanent position available as a researcher in terrestrial ecology/limnology. The position offers the opportunity to work on central Arctic research questions in an interdisciplinary research environment and to generate new knowledge on ecosystem and societal dynamics in a changing climate.

The position plays a key role in the Norwegian Polar Institute’s contribution to the Ny-Ålesund terrestrial flagship programme (NYSMAC) and involves developing and leading research projects in close collaboration with national and international partners. The research is based on data from and fieldwork in Ny-Ålesund and Kongsfjorden. 

The position is in NPI’s Research Department, Section for Terrestrial Ecology and Seabirds.

The workplace is Tromsø, but the position requires regular stays in Ny-Ålesund to follow up field activities and research collaborations.

You can find more information about the position and how to apply here. You can also contact Virve Ravolainen if you have any questions.

Posted on

Neither long-term warming nor grazing influence the quality of reindeer summer pastures in Finnmark

Herbivores like reindeer need to navigate important fluctuations in the chemical composition of tundra plants over the summer season, as the quality of the vegetation changes.  In their study, Berthelot and collaborators investigate whether long-term differences in temperature and reindeer management influence the quality of reindeer’s summer forage.

Fanny Berthelot, lead author of the study says: “To our knowledge, this is the first study that uses a large spatial sampling design to assess long-term impacts of herbivory and climate on plant nutritional quality (i.e., both defense and nutrient concentrations). We found substantial variations in plant chemical composition between species, and part of this between-species variation was associated with plant functional groups. We also documented strong seasonal decreases in the concentrations of nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) and weaker seasonal increases in the concentrations of defense compounds (Silicon and Phenolics) over the summer. 

We also found a steeper seasonal decline in nutrient concentrations in warmer sites than in cooler sites, while defense compounds seemed not to be affected by the temperature. Interestingly, we found no evidence for long-term effects of reindeer grazing intensity on the average chemical composition of the plants. 

Our results indicate that what is likely to matter to reindeer in term of plant quality seems to be seasonal variations in plant chemical composition as well as species composition of the pastures.”

Reference: Berthelot, F., Stien, A., Soininen, E.M., Tveraa, T., Böhner, H. and Bråthen, K.A., 2025. Are Large‐Scale Differences in Temperature and Reindeer Management Regime Affecting the Quality of Reindeer’s Summer Forage? Ecology and Evolution, 15(11): e72500. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72500

Photo credit Fanny Berthelot

Posted on

PhD position in High Arctic plant ecology at the University of Victoria, Canada

Deadline: early January 2026 but as early as possible

The proposed project will investigate recent changes in High Artic vegetation on Ellesmere Island under the supervision of Dr. Boulanger-Lapointe in the Socio-Ecological Landscapes Lab, Dept. of Geography, at the University of Victoria. The research will involve extensive field work in remote environments to conduct vegetation surveys as well as dendrochronological and remote sensing analyses back in the lab. This position is part of a large interdisciplinary research initiative aimed at better understanding polar deserts.

Sverdrup Pass, Ellesmere Island

You can find more information about this position in English and French here. The position would ideally start in September 2026. Review of applications is ongoing, and UVic graduate program application deadline is in early January.

If you have any question, please contact Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe.

Posted on

PhD position at North Carolina State University

Deadline: December 19, 2025

Matteo Petit-Bon is recruiting a PhD student to join a project examining functional trait diversity and biogeochemical dynamics in rapidly changing tundra ecosystems.

The research leverages long-term experimental platforms and comparative field studies across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska, high-Arctic Svalbard, and the high-alpine Gavia Valley in Italy. The student will combine intensive field campaigns with laboratory analyses and quantitative ecological approaches at North Carolina State University.

You can find more details on the project scope, expected fieldwork, training environment, and application procedures here.

Interested candidates should email Matteo Petit Bon by Friday, 19 December 2025.

Posted on

Long-term grazing exclusion and nutrient addition influence floral communities

Floral communities in tundra and montane grasslands are shaped by both grazing and soil nutrients. Our study, conducted at two northern sites as part of the Nutrient Network, shows how bottom-up and top-down forces interact to influence flower abundance and diversity.

Nitrogen addition generally reduced flower abundance, while phosphorus and potassium increased it. Excluding grazers boosted flower abundance, especially when combined with nutrients. Yet grazing also maintained species richness and diversity by keeping tall competitive plants in check.

These results highlight that management of grazing and nutrient inputs can strongly influence floral resources, with likely consequences for pollinators and the stability of high-latitude ecosystems. We are currently investigating the consequences of nutrient- and grazing-driven changes in floral resources on flower visitor assemblages.

The paper was recently published in Oikos Volume 2025, Issue 7.

Reference: Johanson, N., Olde Venterink, H., Carvalheiro, L. G., Eskelinen, A., & Virtanen, R. (2025). Long‐term nutrient addition and grazing exclusion determine flower abundance, diversity and community composition in high‐latitude grasslands. Oikos, e11562. https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11562

Text and photograph: Nicolina Johanson, 2024

Posted on

Postdoc position with the Nordic Borealization Network

Deadline: August 31, 2025

The NTNU University Museum is looking for an energetic and ambitious ecologist with excellent organizational and communication skills. The postdoctoral position is part of the Nordic Borealization Network, a NordForsk funded University Cooperation Network.

The Nordic Borealization Network strives to understand the implications of ongoing shifts in the forest-tundra biome boundary, that is, the borealization of Nordic terrestrial ecosystems. These shifts include the encroachment of woody species (treeline advance and shrub expansion), spread of non-native species, and changes in the biotic community composition and ecosystem structure and processes.

The postdoc will have a leading role in coordinating the network and will lead research and synthesis efforts in quantifying past and ongoing rates of borealization and possibly predicting future rates of borealization.

The successful candidate will build leadership expertise by being part of the management board of a large Nordic cooperation project. The position will provide a unique opportunity to be part of a large, active and multidisciplinary international team, participation in project meetings in different countries over the course of the project and opportunities for research visits with other partners and for student supervision.

This three-year position is based at the NTNU University Museum in Trondheim with Prof. James D. M. Speed and will interact with partners across the network.

You can read more about the position and how to apply here. If you have questions, please contact James Speed.

Posted on

Emerging priorities in terrestrial herbivory research in the Arctic

Research on Arctic herbivory has a long tradition, but recent literature syntheses have highlighted important knowledge gaps. Given the rapid pace of climate change in the Arctic and the limited resources available, prioritizing research and management efforts is an urgent task. To identify emerging scientific and management priorities in Arctic herbivory research for the next decade, and as a contribution to the fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) we conducted a horizon scan within the Arctic herbivory research community.

We collected nearly 300 suggestions from 85 experts through online surveys and an in-person workshop. After analyzing their responses, we identified eight key scientific priorities and eight key management priorities centred on (a) understanding and integrating fundamental ecological processes across multiple scales from individual herbivore–plant interactions up to regional and decadal scale vegetation and animal population effects; (b) evaluating climate change feedbacks; and (c) developing new research methods. Our analysis provides a strategic framework for broad, inclusive, interdisciplinary collaborations to optimise terrestrial herbivory research and sustainable management practices in a rapidly changing Arctic.

The resulting paper is available as an open access publication in Arctic Science: BARRIO, I.C., VUORINEN, K.E.M.V., BARBERO-PALACIOS, L., DEFOURNEAUX, M., PETIT BON, M., GREER, E.A., ANDERSON, H., HORSTKOTTE, T., LECOMTE, N., WINDIRSCH, T., FERRARO, K., FORBES, B.C., FORBEY, J.S., GARCÍA CRIADO, M., HAGENBERG, L., HIK, D., KATER, I., MACEK, P., MOEN, J., SUNDQVIST, M.K., SZEJGIS, J., VILLOSLADA, M., ZAJA, E., BERTHELOT, F., BJÖRNSDÓTTIR, K., CUNOW, J., DEN HERDER, M., ESKELINEN, A., HAYES, K., HOLLISTER, R.D., Í HARALDSSTOVU, K., JÓNSDÓTTIR, I.S., KRISTENSEN , J.A., LAMERIS, T., OKSANEN, L., OKSANEN, T., OLOFSSON, J., PARK, T., PEDERSEN, Å.Ø., RAMIREZ, J.I., RAVOLAINEN, V.T., ROY, A., RYDE, I., SCHMIDT, N.M., SCHROFNER-BRUNNER, B., SKARIN, A., SPEED, J., TE BEEST, M., TILLMAN, M., TINOCO TORRES, R., TRAYLOR, W., VIRTANEN, R., WHEELER, H.C., ALATALO, J.M., AXMACHER, J.C., BARTOLOMÉ FILELLA, J., COOPER, E., GEANGE, S., GILG, O., GROGAN, P., HERNÁNDEZ-CASTELLANO, C., HØYE, T., KERBY, J.T., KLANDERUD, K., KOLTZ, A.M., LANG, J., LE MOULLEC, M., LOONEN, M.J.J.E., MACIAS-FAURIA, M., POST, E., SERRANO, E., SIEWERT, M., SOKOLOV, A., SOKOLOVA, N., SUOMINEN, O., TAMAYO, M., TEREKHINA, A., VOLKOVITSKIY, A., KAMENOVA, S. (2025) Emerging priorities in terrestrial herbivory research in the Arctic. Arctic Science 11: 1-26 link to publisher

The horizon scan exercise was a long process that included brainstorming at the HN meeting organized in Cambridge Bay in June 2023, two online surveys and one in-person workshop organized in parallel to the Nordic Society Oikos conference in Lund, in March 2024.

Funding to support the participation of early career scientists to the HN meeting in Cambridge Bay and the workshop in Lund was made available through the Terrestrial Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee.

Posted on

TExNet workshop in Nuuk

The Tundra Exclosure Network (TExNet) is a coordinated research initiative that aims at understanding the role of herbivore diversity on the functioning of tundra ecosystems. To do this, TExNet has established a network of experimental sites across the tundra, where herbivore diversity is manipulated using size selective exclosures that allow isolating the effects of different herbivores. Setting up an experimental site requires an initial investment and a commitment of at least five years, which can limit the number of participating sites. To expand the geographical spread of the study, an observational protocol was proposed, that required a single visit to the sites, while still collecting data comparable to data collected in the first year of the experiment.

During 2022-2024 data has been collected at six TExNET experimental sites and at 21 additional sites using the observational protocol. Last May 14-19, 2025, part of the TExNet team got together in Nuuk to compile and start analysing the first dataset collected across TExNet sites. The workshop was hosted by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The workshop took place in Nuuk for the first two days at the facilities of GINR, while the last three days part of the team went on a writing retreat to Kapisillit.

TExNet team looking for herbivores near Kapisillit

During the workshop, the team compiled and curated the database, which is now almost ready for analyses. The different possibilities for analyses were discussed, as well as the opportunities for future data collection and collaboration across the network.  

Funding to organize this workshop was provided by the 2024 UArctic Project Call for Networking Activities on UArctic Research and Education, for the project: “Implications of changes in tundra herbivore diversity -West Greenland in a multiscale circumpolar experiment” led by Mathilde Le Moullec. This project will also help set up two TExNet experimental sites in West Greenland. Support for early career researchers to travel to the workshop was provided by the Nordic Borealization Network (NordBorN) funded by NordForsk (project nr. 164079).

You can read more about the workshop in the TExNet workshop report.

Posted on

Job opportunities with GINR

Deadline: June 9, 2025.

The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources is looking for a Researcher in GIS and Remote Sensing  and an Advisor in terrestrial biology. Deadline for applications for both positions is June 9!

Both positions are hosted at the Department of Environment and Mineral Resources of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources advises the Government of Greenland on issues related to living resources and natural conditions. The tasks in the department consist of advice and monitoring on the protection of the environment and nature through mineral resource activities, monitoring of the terrestrial environment under climate change, and work with data on the seabed, nature and environment in Greenland. 

If you have further questions, you can ask Mathilde Le Moullec.

Posted on

Request for input: Net-Works! in Ecology

Research networks, including coordinated distributed experiments, have become a key way to conduct ecological research, yet we have limited understanding of their drivers of success. Such networks are founded on the participation of persons like you who implement research methods in a coordinated way.

Some colleagues are asking researchers involved in collaborative research networks to answer a survey to understand the motivations, perceptions and satisfaction of participants in such initiatives. They are gathering information across 53 ecological networks, and have asked HN members to participate. Deadline for completing their survey is June 8!

As a HN member, you should have received an email with the link to the survey and a bit more information about the project. If you have not, please let us know and we can resend it!

Proudly powered by WordPress