Skriv ditt examensarbete hos oss

Naturvårdsbränning är en vanligt förekommande metod för att öka naturvärden i skog som sköts för naturvårdsändamål. Målet med naturvårdsbränning är att skapa livsmiljöer för brandgynnade och brandberoende arter, samt att skapa strukturer som brandljud och tjärindränka träd som kan leva länge. Brända områden kan dock vara bra livsmilijöer för barkborrar och dessa barkborrar kan riskera att påverka de naturvärden som skapas vid en naturvårdsbränning. I detta projekt undersöker vi hur förekomst av märgborrar på tall (Tomicus piniperda och T. minor) påverkar hur stor andel av träden som dör efter brand och hur många träd med brandljud som skapas. Vi undersöker också hur förekomst av märgborrar påverkar mångfalden av skalbaggar i den döda ved som bildas efter brand samt om effekterna skiljer sig mellan områden där man upprepat bränt stora områden i samma landskap och områden med mer små och isolerade naturvårdsbränningar. Resultaten kommer direkt att kunna användas för att bättre kunna designa naturvårdsbränningar för att erhålla så stor naturvårdsnytta som möjligt.

Vi söker dig som vill arbeta med märgborrar och naturvårdsbränning i Ejhedens Ekopark i Dalarna. Körkort samt intresse att lära sig känna igen gnagspår av olika insekter är ett krav. Fältarbetet genomförs maj-augusti 2025 och det finns möjlighet att delta i hela eller delar av fältarbetet beroende på omfattningen på examensarbetet.

Kontakt: Therese Löfroth (therese.lofroth@slu.se)

Omfattning: 30 eller 60 hp.

Background

Retention forestry, where patches of forest are left unlogged during clearcutting activities, is a potential way of supporting biodiversity while maintaining timber harvesting. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how well retention patches are achieving this goal, especially in relation to landscape features. This knowledge gap leaves forest managers without enough information on when designing and assessing the effectiveness of retention patches. There is a need for more research on what aspects of retention patches influence their effects on different aspects of biodiversity.

Available Data

Within the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) project, we have stablished research plots with data on forest structures, diversity of lichens, bryophytes, fungi, carabid beetles and spiders. We will also have microclimate data for some sites, as well as canopy photos. The sites distributed in retention patches, young forests and mature sat-aside forests in Hälsingland and Värmland. We have data collected 2022-2024, and there is the opportunity for a student to gather more data by some or all the field sites (around 3 weeks). 

Project Ideas

What forest characteristics explain protected orchid Goodyera repens present and abundance in retention patches compared to mature forests?
How effective are retention patches in providing suitable habitat for ground occurring reindeer lichen?
Fieldwork opportunities
The student can visit the study sites in Hälsingland during late summer or autumn to download microclimate data logger data and collect any other relevant data, for example soil properties, orchid flowering rates, or moss growth rates.

Supervisors
Faith Jones, Jörgen Sjögren

Contact
Faith Jones, researcher at the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, SLU

Faith.jones@slu.se +46 761361997

Sveaskog is the biggest forest owner in Sweden with a vision to be the leading organization in increasing the value of forests. Sveaskog has high ambitions in production, environment and nature values – to manage both economic and ecological values of forests for future generations. We offer a master thesis possibilities in a large project (Effekt 20) driven by Sveaskog and SLU.

The Effekt 20 project aims to answer questions related to the goal of setting aside 20 % of the productive forest land for nature conservation and improved nature consideration. Many of these set-asides are located within so called Ecoparks. Ecoparks are large continuous landscapes, where nature values are given the highest priority and production goals are adjusted according to natural, social and cultural values. In Ecoparks, at least 50 % of the productive forest land is set-aside for conservation and nature consideration. These landscapes are coupled with production landscapes with 95% production and 5 % nature conservation goals.

The Master student would work with the biodiversity data collected from Ecoparks and the production landscapes. The specific study questions will be adjusted according the student’s own interests, and if wished, may include additional field measurements of e.g. vegetation or tree stand structure from Ecoparks and their reference stands. The topics can be directed towards insect diversity (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera), landscape analyses using GIS, Passive Acoustic Recordings of birds and bats, or eDNA.

We search for students capable of handling rather large datasets and analyzing the given data with R. Background knowledge of R is highly appreciated, and willingness to learn is required. If the student wishes to do fieldwork, driver’s license is needed. We seek for ambitious students with great interest in solving real-time problems in sustainable forestry and biodiversity. We offer support from a research group (postdocs, PhD-students and researchers), weekly or biweekly meetings with supervisor, good contacts with stakeholders, and enthusiastic working atmosphere. Limited amount of working places are available for MSc student. Both 30cr and 60 cr topics are available.

If you got interested, please contact
Assoc. professor Anne-Maarit Hekkala,

Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies

Anne.maarit.hekkala@slu.se

072-2429713

Project overview

Tropical mountains are biodiversity hotspots, yet land-use changes and elevational gradients significantly impact species distribution, population density, and community composition. Small mammals, as seed dispersers, prey, and disease reservoirs, serve as key bioindicators of environmental change.

This project examines how environmental gradients and human activities shape small mammal communities in Mount Damota, South Ethiopia. Using data collected from natural forests, agricultural fields, and human settlements across multiple elevational zones (1,200–2,800m), we aim to analyse patterns in population density, species diversity, and habitat use.

Key research questions

How does small mammal population density vary across elevations and habitat types?
What are the spatial patterns of small mammal species richness and distribution?
How does land-use change influence small mammal biodiversity and community structure?

Available data & research tasks

The project utilizes a 3-year (2021-2024) dataset of small mammals from four elevational zones, with species already genotyped and morphologically identified. The selected Master’s student will:

Estimate small mammal population density in different habitat types and elevations.
Use diversity indices to analyse species composition and richness.
Develop spatial maps of small mammal distribution across Mount Damota.
Investigate historical land-use changes using remote sensing data.
Explore additional research questions arising from data analysis.
Participate in fieldwork during the next sampling campaign (optional).

Student profile

We are looking for a highly motivated Master’s student with

Experience in data analysis

Experience in GIS and mapping tools to develop distributional maps
A background in ecology, zoology, or a related field

This project can be tailored to a 30- or 60-credit thesis, depending on the depth of analysis and student involvement.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a CV highlighting relevant experience and skills.

Please send your application to 

yonas.meheretu@slu.se / hussein.khalil@slu.se/ frauke.ecke@helsinki.fi by 31 March 2025.

For further inquiries, feel free to reach out to Yonas Meheretu at yonas.meheretu@slu.se.

Master project in Biology (30-60 credits)

Fish farming in Sweden is still not extensive, yet the need for sustainable food production is increasing and with that also the interest for fish farming. However, fish farming with open cages risk negative ecosystem effects due to leakage of nutrients from the fish feed and fish excrements entering the lake. We are interested in determining how this affects water chemistry, plankton production and nutrient limitation status of the lake.

This thesis project will make a significant contribution to ongoing research within a larger KAMPRAD project at VFM.

Experimental setup

The student will together with the supervisor and other members of the research team do bottle incubations of primary production in two farm lakes and two control lakes in Västerbotten and Jämtland. The lakes are Malgomaj, Vojmsjön, Strömsvattudal and Tåsjön. In each lake, sample fishing using gil nets and sampling of invertebrates and sediment are also taking place, so there is opportunity for the student to also learn these sampling techniques.

We will use experimental additions of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to test for nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth and we will use a radioactive carbon tracer to estimate primary production. The experiment will run for approximately one week per lake, so counting on at least three weeks of field work during early autumn (August and September). Lab work is not extensive for this project but includes running the samples in Norrbyn for 1-3 days. The student will, with support from supervisors: set up experiments, take biological samples, analyze the results and relate them to potential effects of fish farming on lake ecosystems.

Timing and supervision

The fieldwork will be performed during early autumn 2025.

The supervisor is Maria Myrstener (VFM, SLU Umeå), and the student needs to be associated with SLU in Umeå and will become an integrated member of the research group (join group meetings and seminars e.g.) If the data turns out useful, there is opportunity to contribute to a scientific publication.

Contact: maria.myrstener@slu.se

Summer-Fall 2025
Umeå, Sweden

Are you interested in restoration ecology and in gaining research experience on a topic with a high societal impact? Would you like to do a master’s project with field work this summer? Come and join our research team at the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences in Umeå (Sweden) to help improve the understanding of mire and swamp restoration.

About 1.5-2.0 million hectares of natural peatlands have been drained during the past century in Sweden. To counteract this, rewetting drained mires and swamps in boreal forest is a promising measure to reduce carbon emissions in the face of climate warming, to increase water quality and to improve human health and well-being. However, and despite a growing interest among policy makers, stakeholders and the forestry industry in and beyond Sweden, little is known about the consequences of peatland restoration on biodiversity.

Your project will consist in helping to design, carry out and analyze the inventory of key taxa on newly restored peatlands in northern Sweden. This will enable to quantify the recovery of biodiversity after peatland restoration.

With this project, you will acquire or reinforce some of the following skills:

• Designing the sampling of ecologically relevant data
• Carrying out an ecological survey in the field
• Collaborating in a small team
• Identifying taxa such as dragonflies, butterflies, spiders, mosses and other plants, in the field and in the lab
• Analyzing ecological datasets
• Communicating scientific findings
• Evolving in a stimulating research environment at SLU

Keen to join? Please send us a brief description of your background and motivation:
pierre.tichit@slu.se
therese.lofroth@slu.se

Summer-Winter 2025
Umeå, Sweden

Are you interested in conservation biology, field ecology or sensory biology and in gaining research experience on a topic with a high societal impact? Would you like to do a master’s project with field work in August-October? Come and join our research team at the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences in Umeå (Sweden) to study practical solutions to mitigate the negative consequences of light pollution on biodiversity.

Light pollution due to the expansion of artificial lighting is a growing threat to biodiversity. Light pollution can increase the exposure to predators or stress, alter biological timing, impair movements and migrations, and increase mortality. To counteract this, alternative street lighting strategies are increasingly used (“red” light, reduced lighting periods, motion-triggered lamps, etc), but their efficiency to mitigate the negative effects of light pollution on biodiversity is poorly understood.

Your project will consist in designing, carrying out and analyzing an ecological experiment comparing the effects of traditional and “wildlife-friendly” street lights at an urban park in Umeå. This project will allow to assess whether sensitive taxa such as bats, mayflies and moths benefit from the alternative lighting system.

With this project, you will acquire or reinforce some of the following skills:

working independently and in a small team to design a research project
carrying out an ecological experiment in the field that combines different monitoring techniques (acoustic detection, traps, hand searches…)
identifying taxa in the field and in the lab (e.g. moths, mayflies, spiders, bats)
analyzing ecological datasets
communicating scientific findings
evolving in a stimulating research environment at SLU

Keen to join? Please send us a brief description of your background and motivation:
pierre.tichit@slu.se
therese.lofroth@slu.se

Master project in Biology (30-60 credits)

Many freshwaters in Sweden have become greener and browner over the last century due to human activities. This is linked to changes in land use which have led to increased concentrations of nutrients and dissolved organic matter (DOM) of terrestrial origin. During the same period, we have experienced a major shift in forestry practices, such that today the vast majority of forest areas in Sweden are managed by clearcutting and there has also been a concurrent shift towards dominance of coniferous forests. This has affected the amount and quality of elements transported from forests to water bodies.

This thesis project will make a significant contribution to ongoing research aiming to resolve how land use change and forestry practices affect lake ecosystem diversity and function via loading of DOM and nutrients. Futhermore, the thesis will also investigate if and how the impact depends on lake type, as lakes vary in light climate, carbon and nutrient availability.  

The student(s) will specifically try to answer the questions (1) How do different combinations of forest fertilizers and DOM affect plankton production, community biomass and composition? (2) If and how does the response vary with lake chemistry?

Experimental setup
The student(s) will together with supervisors set up enclosure experiments in 6 or more lakes. We will select lake pairs consisting of one brown and one clear lake in each of three distinct geographical areas close to Uppsala, Umeå and in mid Sweden. In each lake, a set-up with small enclosures will be inoculated with lake water and local phytoplankton and zooplankton communities.

The treatments will be additions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrients. The experiment will run for approximately two weeks per lake-pair, whereafter phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and composition will be measured. The student(s) will, with support from supervisors, set up experiments, take biological samples, analyze the results and relate them to potential effects of forestry practices on lake ecosystems.

Timing and supervision
The fieldwork will be performed during summer 2025. 2 student projects are available, preferably to be carried out parallel to each other (30 or 60 ects).

The supervisors are Magnus Huss (SLU Aqua, Uppsala) and Karin Nilsson (VFM, SLU Umeå), and the student can be associated with either SLU Aqua or SLU in Umeå and will become integrated members of their respective research groups, join group meetings and seminars. There may also be opportunities to contribute to a scientific publication.

Contact
Karin, Nilsson, Researcher at the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies
Telephone: +46702055017
E-mail: karin.a.nilsson@slu.se

Background
Beavers as ecosystem engineers are known for their disproportional ability to alter their habitat. By their damming behavior, they create wetlands that serve as habitat for numerous animals and plants.
As a rodent, beavers belong to an order known for spreading multiple diseases including plague, nephropathia epidemica (sv: sorkfeber), and tularemia. Infected animals can shed pathogens (virus, bacteria, and parasites) into their surrounding environment, and beavers are likely no exception. The role of beavers in pathogen transmission is however still largely unknown.
We have collected tissue samples from 27 beavers, shot during the hunting season of 2024. Sampledbeavers originate from Norrbotten in the North to Örebro in the South. We now aim to collect matching water samples from the wetlands where the beavers have been shot. This offers the opportunity to analyze the link between beaver activity and the role of beavers as reservoirs or
facilitators of pathogen load in wetlands.

Primary questions
1. Do pathogens found in beaver wetland water samples correspond to those found in related beaver tissue and vice versa?
2. 3. Does the presence of non-shot remaining beavers affect the relationship between pathogens in water and beaver tissue?
What is the spatial distribution of potential pathogens in the waterbodies of beaver systems?

Work plan and methods
1. Thorough literature study on beavers and beaver wetlands as pathogen reservoirs
2. Sampling of water and installation/removal of camera traps
3. Lab analyses of water samples screening for targeted pathogens
4. Investigation of beaver presence in camera material
5. Data analyses
6. Thesis compilation

Extent
Preferably 60 credits (1 year). Two students can work together with field and lab work but with separate study questions and separate theses.

Contact
Frauke Ecke, e-mail: Frauke.Ecke@slu.se
Lovisa Hökby, e-mail: Lovisa.Hokby@slu.se