The trial lecture is: "Effects of climate change on stream ecosystems".
Time and place: April 28, 2022 10:15 AM, Nucleus, Bikuben, The Kristine Bonnevie building.
Main research findings
Flow alterations due to damming and hydropower developments are likely to have significant effects on the prokaryotic community structure and functioning. At a global scale we are witnessing an increasing trend in hydropower development, often regarded as the most important among the “green” energy sources. However, hydroelectric energy comes at a cost. In Norway, 2/3rds of the rivers impounded for hydropower purposes are affected by hydro-morphological alterations, with quantity, timing, and variability of water flow far from natural flow regimes.
There is still a research gap concerning the effects of alterations to the natural flow regime at the base of the riverine food webs, especially regarding microbial communities, which are a black box in terms of consequences on the ecology of river systems.
In this thesis Pin and colleagues analyzed the effects of flow alterations on the prokaryotic community structure by using quantitative and qualitative molecular techniques coupled with assessments of functional processes such as organic matter decomposition. River ecosystems and mesocosms were used to inspect different flow regimes scenarios and determine the main drivers shaping microbial communities. In addition, new methodologies to identify bioindicators among prokaryotes are proposed as complementary tools for environmental impact assessment in the existing biomonitoring networks.
Adjudication committee
Associate Professor Anna Maria Romani Cornet, University of Girona
Researcher Hannes Markus Peter, EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne)
Associate Professor Bastiaan Star, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
Researcher Joël Durant, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Dr. Nikolai Friberg, NIVA
Professor Alexander Eiler, University of Oslo
Professor Leif Asbjørn Vøllestad, University of Oslo
Dr. Therese Fosholt Moe, Handelens Miljøfond