förslag på master-, kandidat- och verksamhetsförlagda

Förslagpå

Master-,Kandidat-ochVerksamhetsförlagdaprojekt

inomBiologi

Suggestionsfor

Master,BachelorandAppliedprojectsinBiology

Pleasesee:

1. https://bioenv.gu.se/Utbildning/examens--och-tillampningskurserforgeneralinformation(inSwedish)

2. https://bioenv.gu.se/Utbildning/examens--och-tillampningskurser/projektforslag-och-kontaktpersoner-foranoverviewofallresearchers(=yourpotentialsupervisors)atBioenvandtheirfavouritetopics.

3. Belowarealotof(moreorlessspecific)suggestionslisted!

N.B. For all external projects (outside GU), an internal supervisor has to be identified. In many cases, such supervisors are indicated in the adverts below, but if not, you are expected to be active in finding an internal supervisor that is willing to take on the chore!

ThislistiscompiledbyLottaKvarnemo(lotta.kvarnemo@bioenv.gu.se).Lastupdate:5October2018.

• Westudythebehaviourandecologyofsalmonidsinthefieldandthelab

• Ourresearchaddressesbothbasicandappliedproblems

• WeuseanetworkofnationalandinternationalcollaboratorsInterestedindoingBachelorprojects,AppliedprojectsorMScprojects?ContactJohanHöjesjö:johan.hojesjo@bioenv.gu.se

BehaviouralstudiesFieldstudiesTigertrouthybrid

Tillståndetinaturskyddadeområden,Halland

Sverigepågårsedannågraårettarbetemedattföljaupptillståndetinaturskyddadeområden(naturreservatochNatura2000områden).Måletäriförstaattsamlaindataomdeorganismermanvillskyddaellerfaktorersompåverkardessa.Påsåsättfåmanunderlagförmerrelevantskötselnavnaturområdena.IHallandharLänsstyrelsenbörjatdettaarbetegenomattinventeragräsmarker.InventeringsarbetetskernaturtypsvisenligtdenuppdelningsomförordasiNatura2000ochmannoterardåtypiskaarter,vegetationshöjdocheventuelltbuskskikt.Planenärattdettaarbeteskallupprepasvarsjätteår(vegetationshöjd)respektivetolfteår(typiskaarter)ochledatillenbättreskötselavområdena.DethittillsinsamladematerialetfinnsförnärvarandeiLänsstyrelsensserverochharintesammanställtselleranalyserats.Ensammanställningavdettaskullekunnautförassomettexamensarbete.Deninformationlänsstyrelsenärintresseradeavfåfram,ärmåttpåmängdentypiskaarterochnegativaindikatorerideolikaområdenasolikanaturtyper,måttpåvegetationshöjdochinformationomigenväxning.Andrafrågeställningar,somt.ex.enanalysavsambandetmellanartinnehållochvegetationshöjd,kanocksåvaraintressanta.Förattkunnagenomföradettaarbeteärdetintenödvändigtmednågraspeciellabotaniskakunskaper,utandetsomefterfrågasärmerkunskapombiologiskaanalysmetoderochdatorvana.Tid:Närsomhelstunderåret.Externhandledare:LänsstyrelsenHallandslänInternhandledare:DonaldBlomqvist(donald.blomqvist@bioenv.gu.se)

Exjobb på Lilla Edets kommun

2018-2019begränsadmöjlighetatttaemotexjobbaremenfrågagärna!

Förslagpåprojekt

• Kiselalgersomindikationpåmiljökvalitetivattendragmedavseendepånäringochmiljögifter

• Enskildaavloppochlokalpåverkanpåsmåvattendrag• RestaureringavbetesmarkerkringGårdaån• AnläggavåtmarkerförattuppnåMKNiGårdaån–möjligheterochbegränsningar?• Ellerandraförslag!

OmnågonärsärskiltintresseradavflodpärlmusslafinnsettbeståndiSollumsån.Ånärklassadsommåttligekologiskstatus,harfrämstproblemmedmiljögifter,försurningochfysiskpåverkan.TillrinningfrånVäktor-sjöarnasomkalkas.Viharingetplaneratfrånkommunenssidamenmedverkargärnaochkommermedidéer.ProjektenkanutformassomMaster-,kandidat-ellerverksamhetsförlagdaprojekt.DegörsmedAnnaTausonsomexternhandledare(senedan)ochJohanHöjesjösominternhandledare(johan.hojesjo@bioenv.gu.se).

AnnaTauson,Kommunekolog/Miljö-ochhälsoskyddsinspektör,SamhällsbyggnadsförvaltningenBesöksadress:Järnvägsgatan12.Postadress:LillaEdetskommun,46380LillaEdetTelefon:0520-659578,anna.tauson@lillaedet.se,www.lillaedet.se

Master Projects in Plant Molecular Biology

supervised by Cornelia Spetea Wiklund research group at BioEnv

Chloroplast ion channels/transporters in Arabidopsis The aim of the project is to understand how ions move across chloroplast membranes and their role in regulation of photosynthesis in a fluctuating light environment. The project involves use of molecular biology, protein analyses and chlorophyll fluorescence in Arabidopsis wild type and knockout mutants. Types of proteins in focus: Mg2+ and Ca2+ channels/transporters.

Improving photosynthetic energy conversion for biomass production in microalgae

The aim of this project is to find suitable algae strains for whole year production of renewable biomass on the Swedish west Coast. The project is in collaboration with Anna Godhe and involves screening a collection at UGOT using chromatographic and photo-synthetic methods for strains with high lipid production and good acclimation to a dynamic light environment.

If interested, contact Cornelia for details at cornelia.spetea.wiklund@bioenv.gu.se.

Plant Molecular Systematics projects

Thestudysystem:Silene,aplantgenusofc.700species.

Somespeciescontainbothhermaphroditicandmale-sterileindividualsandhavebeenusedasevolutionarybiologymodelsforsexevolution.Polyploidy(wholegenomeduplication)hasoccurredseveraltimesinthegenus,withbothhybridandnon-hybridoriginsofspecificpolyploidspecies.

MyresearchgroupusesNGSdatatounderstandthephylogeneticrelationshipsamongspeciesandtomakespeciesdelimitations.Whatspeciesare,andhowtheyshouldbedelimitedfromoneanother,hasbeenoneofthemajorpracticalchallengesintheentirehistoryofbiology.Althoughmorphological,anatomical,chemicalandotherfeatureshavebeenheavilyusedinthepast,thishasnotalwaysprovensatisfactoryinsomegroupsofplants.Newstatisticaltoolshaveenabledthedevelopmentofamethodofspeciesdelimitationthatusesmanygenephylogeniestodothisinamoreobjectivewaythathasbenedonepreviously.

Studentprojectsprimarilybasedondataanalysis,usingourexistingdatasets,canbedevelopedtosuitastudent’sinterests.

Interested?Contact:bengt.oxelman@bioenv.gu.se

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Sannse

Seeddispersalintoalpinesnowbedecosystems(15-30hp)

WithintheITEX(InternationalTundraExperiment)network,severalsideprojectshavebeeninitiatedatmanyofthefieldstationsacrossthepan-arctictundra.AttheLatnjajauresiteinnorthernmostSwedishLapland,wearefocusingonvariousaspectsofthecryrosphereinrelationtoclimatechangeimpacts.Therefore,wearenotonlydealingwiththehighlyspecializedplantcommunitiesintopographicdepressions(snowbeds),butalso,moreinterestingly,howtheseplantsareconnectedwithinalandscapematrix.Wehavedeployedseedtrapsinopentundra(withlesssnowcover)aswellasinsnowbeds,andallthesesamplesarenowavailableforanalysis.Foridentifyingspeciesfromseedmorphology,wehaveanextensivereferencecollectionatBioEnv.Theoverarchingsciencequestionsare:

(1)Dosnowbedplantsdifferfromthemajorityofthealpinelandscapeintermsofdispersalability?

(2)Withtoday’sseedshadowreachingsnowbeds,cantheirspecialistsbeoutcompetedinthelightofglobalwarming?

Interested?Contact:ulf.molau@bioenv.gu.se

Pleasenote,thisprojectcanbedoneanytimeoftheyear!

Projects in Fish Ecophysiology

Overview and background

Global climate change results in warming, hypoxia and altered salinity of marine and freshwater habitats. Understanding the physiological responses and ability of fishes to tolerate and acclimate to such environmental perturbations is, therefore, central to predict the long-term ecological effects of climate change in aquatic ecosystems. A range of research projects in fish ecophysiology are currently undertaken in our group and below are short descriptions of specific questions and areas where student projects can be made available.

Student research tasks

1. Thermal tolerance and acclimation capacity in rainbow trout

Fish are ectothermic, which means that their body temperature and metabolic oxygen demand increases with environmental warming. However, the physiological mechanisms determining thermal tolerance and the ability to acclimate and compensate physiologically to temperature change are still not well understood. The following questions can be addressed in student projects using rainbow trout as model species:

a) Does cardiac function set upper thermal tolerance limits and how does sex and body size affect this?

b) Can reduced growth rate at high temperatures be explained by limitations in blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract?

c) How does heart muscle composition (i.e. spongy/compact myocardium) change with temperature acclimation and does this affect cardiac filling and performance in vivo?

2. Cardiovascular responses to salinity change in freshwater and marine fish

We have recently discovered that osmoregulation in seawater in the euryhaline rainbow trout involves profound cardiovascular changes including elevated cardiac output, increased blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract and cardiac remodeling. However, the implications of these findings for the tolerance to other environmental stressors are unknown, and the cardiovascular responses in coastal marine fish species that experience natural variations in salinity (e.g. precipitation and land run-off) have not been studied. Thus, these research questions are suitable to test experimentally in student projects:

a) Does the elevated cardiorespiratory demand in seawater affect thermal tolerance and cardiovascular responses in trout?

b) What are the cardiovascular responses of marine sculpins exposed to variations in water salinity?

Project organization and aim

All projects involve experimentation on live animals and you will be trained in various surgical and in vivo experimental techniques. Experiments will be performed at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (Zoology building, Medicinareberget), and are typically co-supervised and performed in collaboration with one or several of our PhD-students. The suggested projects are primarily suited for Master level students (45-60 hec). All projects ask relevant questions at the forefront of fish ecophysiological research, and aim at providing novel data suitable for presentation at scientific conferences and as publications in scientific journals.

Shorthorn sculpin Rainbow trout

Contact and information: Senior lecturer Erik Sandblom (Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences, GU). Email: erik.sandblom@bioenv.gu.se, +(46) 31 786 4548

Masterproject/Exjobb(45-60hp)inEnvironmentalNanotoxicology

General background

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are among the manufactured nanomaterials with the highest product volume and use in commercial and industrial products (e.g. paints, inks, cleaning agents, cosmetics, sunscreens). TiO2 NPs can be accidentally released into the environment and are suspected to be the most abundant manufactured nanomaterial in European surface waters. Aquatic organisms are already and will get increasingly exposed to this novel environmental contaminant. During the last years an enormous effort has been undertaken to assess the ecotoxicity of TiO2 NPs yielding a vast body of literature on their innate (eco-)toxic potential showing that they can be taken up by fish and accumulate in different organs.

General objective: The degree project will be part of a larger project, which aims to go beyond classical nano-ecotoxicological studies taking into consideration nanoparticle interactions with traditional, i.e. chemical pollutants that may co-exist in the environment and/or in the body. Since this issue remains hitherto almost completely unaddressed, the degree project bears a great potential to generate new scientific knowledge and contribute to advancing the development of this novel and exciting research area.

Project overview

The objective of this project will be to find out if, how and to which extent mixtures of TiO2 NPs and organic chemical pollutants may cause toxicity in fish. The project will focus on determining toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic interactions at the molecular and cellular level by means of the use of conventional and advanced in vitro models based on fish cell cultures (e.g. co-culture systems). The experimental work will include the characterisation/further development of the test systems, exposure of the cell cultures to TiO2 NPs and TiO2 NP-chemical mixtures under different experimental conditions, and measurement of various biomarker responses (cytochrome P450 1A, antioxidant enzymes) using enzyme activity assays and gene expression analysis (RT-qPCR), amongst others.

Supervision

The applicant will be supervised by Dr. Tobias Lammel and Assoc. Prof. Joachim Sturve at the Zoological Institute, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg.

Requirements

Ideal applicants are MSc level students with a strong background and/or interest in Environmental-, Nano- an In vitro Toxicology and a high motivation to conduct scientific research. Previous experience in research, in particular in cell culture, biochemistry and molecular biology techniques is highly appreciated, but not a prerequisite. In addition, she/he should have good organizational and analytical skills, a positive and proactive attitude, and be

able to work both independently and in a team. Furthermore, since we are an international research group, the applicant needs to have a high level of English in speaking, reading and writing.

Interested?

If you are interested and would like to have further information on the project and/or would like to directly apply for the position please send an email to: tobias.lammel@gu.se

Masterproject/Exjobb(45-60hp)inEnvironmentalToxicology/InvitroToxicology

General background

In vitro experimental systems based on continuous fish cell lines have been proven to be a powerful tool to unravel molecular mechanisms and predict the toxicity of single chemical compounds with unspecific mode of action in fish. However, most continuous cell lines have the shortcoming that they have partially or completely lost tissue-specific functionalities resulting in uncertainties regarding their suitability to predict in vivo toxicity.

It has been demonstrated that cell lines can regain certain tissue-specific functionalities when they are grown as three-dimensional (3D) spheroidal aggregates cultures. When grown in a 3D environment cells are surrounded and interact with other cells. This intercellular connectivity assists in maintaining tissue-specific cell shape and polarity, which are required for tissue-specific functions (in liver cells these include for instance expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzmes, xenobitic efflux pumps etc.).

The rainbow trout liver cell line RTL-W1 belongs to the fish cell lines, which is most widely used in environmental toxicology research. It has been demonstrated to exhibit several important liver-typic functions including cytochrome P450-dependent mono-oxygenase and ABC transporters activities. Furthermore they share morphological and functional characteristics with bile preductular epithelial cells, which are considered to function as stem cells in teleost liver. It has been demonstrated that RTL-W1 aggregate cultures grown in agar show hepatocytic differentiation regaining structural and functional features of hepatocytes in their physiological environment.

The project

The objective of this degree project is to further develop a fish-cell based in vitro model, which better reproduce hepatotypic functions and responses that would naturally occur in vivo, in order to improve their predictivity and application for environmental toxicity testing. The experimental work will include the optimization of a protocol to grow 3D spheroidal aggregate cultures based on RTL-W1 cells (see Figure), the structural and functional characterization of the cultures (e.g.

Figure. 3D spheroids

regarding the viability of the cells in the interior and expression of hepatocyte-specific genes/enzymes), as well as their application for toxicity testing of chemical compounds and/or engineered nanomaterials. The methods employed will include routine cell culture techniques, enzyme activity assays, gene expression analysis and microscopy analysis.

Supervision

The applicant will be supervised by Dr. Tobias Lammel and Assoc. Prof. Joachim Sturve at the Zoological Institute, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg.

Requirements

Ideal applicants are MSc level students with a strong background and/or interest in Biology, In vitro Toxicology or Ecotoxicolgy and a high motivation to conduct scientific research. Previous experience in research, in particular in cell culture and molecular biology techniques is highly appreciated, but not a prerequisite. In addition, she/he should have good analytical skills, a positive and proactive attitude, and be able to work both independently and in a team. Furthermore, since we are an international research group, the applicant needs to have a high level of English in speaking, reading and writing.

Interested?

If you are interested and would like to have further information on the project and/or would like to directly apply for the position please send an email to: tobias.lammel@gu.se.

BiogeographyandBiodiversity

FiveprojectsintheAntonellilab

Wewanttounderstandhowbiologicaldiversityhasevolvedandhowitwillbeaffectedbyon-going climate change and habitat destruction. The scope of our studies range from specificorganismgroupsinisolatedregionsintheNeotropicstoglobalcross-taxonomicpatterns.

Weattempttointegratedataandmethodologiesfrommolecularphylogenetics,palaeobiology,biogeography,climaticmodelling,bioinformaticsandecology.Ourworkhasshedfurtherlighton the evolution of several taxa and biomes but a lot more remains to be done. Formoreinformationonourgrouporourwork,havealookatwww.antonelli-lab.net.

1.Evolutionoftropicalantsinchanginggeographyandclimate

Evolution,biogeography,Indo-Pacific

Everwonderedwhy the tropicsaresoblooming inlife? This is your opportunity to contribute inresearch trying to figureoutwhatmayexplain thediversityofspeciesweobservetoday!

The project focuses on two ant groups havingremarkable differences in life histories: the genusAnonychomyrma is enrolled in mutualisms withplantsandprefersmoistenvironments;ants in thegenus Iridomyrmex are aggressive scavengers andprefersdrierenvironments.Theaimofthestudyistoestimatetheants’responses(timinganddirectionofdispersal)togeographical,climate,andsea-level change over the past 20 million years, and to find out whether those responseshappenedasaresultofdifferentadaptations(evolvedmutualisms,nestingindryhabitats).

ThesuccessfulapplicantwillgetaccesstoauniqueDNA-sequencedatasetofantscollectedinremoteplaces(Melanesia)overmorethan10years(2002-2015).

For thismasterproject in evolution/biogeography, familiaritywithphylogenetic analyses andwiththeprogramRisdesiredbutnotrequired.

Contact:PavelMatos,pavel.matos@bioenv.gu.se

2.PatternsintheaccumulationofgeneticdataDiversity,evolution,spatialpatterns

Very few organism groups have genetic data for all oreven for a large fraction of the species and analyses ofdiversity patterns therefore have to make assumptionsabout the placement of the missing species. Forcomputationalconvenienceandduetolackofknowledgeit isgenerallyassumedthat theyareplacedrandomly inthe phylogeny even though there are good reasons toexpectthistobewrong.Inthisprojectwewishtoanalyzethe pattern of accumulation of genetic data among species to better understand whatdetermineswhatspecieshaveanddoesnothavegeneticdatainordertoenableresearcherstobetterincludethemissingspeciesintoevolutionaryorecologicalanalyses

For this master project familiarity with spatial analyses, with the program R and with basicbioinformaticsorphylogeneticsisdesiredbutnotrequired.

Contact:SørenFaurby,soren.faurby@bioenv.gu.se

3.Whyaresomeplantswoodybutnotothers?

Evolution,biogeography,macroecology

Woodyplants(treesandshrubs)cover30percentofthe planet's land area and offer crucial ecosystemservices.Itisunclear,however,whysomeplantsarewoodyandothersherbaceous.Asafirststeptosolvethis evolutionary puzzle, our close collaborator, Dr.Frederic Lens (Naturalis Biodiversity Center, TheNetherlands) has created a database of nearly 7000derived woody species that have evolved fromherbaceousrelatives.

Thisnoveldatabaseshowsthatmanyofthesewoodyspeciesoccurincontinentalregionswitha marked drought period, suggesting that drought may have triggered wood formation inhundreds of independent lineages. In addition to the drought link, a number of broad-scalequestionscanbetackled,suchas (1)Whendidderivedwoodinessevolveand is it linkedwithshifts in net diversification rates (radiations or evolutionary dead-ends)?, and (2) Is derivedwoodinessadaptivetoislands,potentiallyrelatedtoislandgigantism?

For this Masters project, we seek a motivated, independent student with a bio-informaticsbackgroundandfamiliarwithspatialanalysesandtheprogramR.TheworkmayinvolvetravelstoTheNetherlands(Leiden)andGermanycoveredbythedepartment.

Contact:AlexandreAntonelli,alexandre.antonelli@bioenv.gu.seoralex@harvard@gmail.com;FredericLens,frederic.lens@naturalis.nl

4.Globaldistributionofpalmspinescenceandmega-herbivores

Palms,animal-plantinteractions,macroecologyToquantifytheglobaldistributionofspinescenceinpalms(e.g.broad-scalepatternsofspeciesrichnessofpalmsthathavespines)andhowthisisrelatedtothecurrentandhistoricaldistributionofmega-herbivores.Manypalmsarearmed,oftenfiercely,withspines(asinAiphanesminima,picturedhere).Theselikelyevolvedasaresponsetomega-herbivoresasdefensestructures.Here,wewillask,whereareglobalhotpotsofspinescenceinpalms?Isthedistributionofspinescencerelatedtothedistributionofextantandextinctmammalianmega-herbivores?Forthismasterprojectinplantevolution,familiaritywithspatialanalysesandwiththeprogramRisdesiredbutnotrequired.Contact:ChristineBacon,christine.bacon@bioenv.gu.se

5.Developingmodelsforrainforestevolution

Evolution,tropicalforest,diversitypatternsPalmshavebeenrecordedinthefossilhistoryoftropicalrainforestssincetheyfirstemerged(seeWingetal.2009,depictedbelow).Alongwithothermega-thermalangiosperms,thosethatarefrost-intolerantandhavephysiologicalrequirementsthatlargelyconstrainthemtotropicalenvironments,theyhavebeenproposedasmodelsforrainforestevolution.Inthisprojectweexplicitlytesttheideaofpalmsbeingmodelsfortropicalrainforestpresenceorabsenceataglobal-scale.Usingdatafromtransects,wetestwhethertheirdistributionmatchescurrenttropicalbiomesatvariousgeographicalscales.

Forthismasterprojectinevolution/conservation,familiaritywithspatialanalysesandwiththeprogramRisdesiredbutnotrequired.

Contact:ChristineBacon,christine.bacon@bioenv.gu.se

MarinepelagicfoodwebstructureThelowertrophiclevelsofthemarinepelagicenvironmentareahighlydynamicpartofthecoastalecosystem.Myresearchfocusesonclarifyingtheecologicalfunctionofthesmallestplantsandanimalsinthissystem.Alotisknownaboutthezooplanktonlargerthan1mmandalsoofthephytoplanktonsmallerthanthissize.Butthereisagenerallackofunderstandingofwhatcontrolsthetrophiclevelsofthesesmallorganisms.Icansuperviseprojectsinvolvingexperiments,observationsandfieldstudiesoftheplanktonintheGullmarfjordandworkbasedatKristineberg.

Recently,wehavediscoveredpotentialtrophicstructureamongthemicrozooplanktonandwewouldliketostudythisinmoredetail.Correlationstudiesindicateanintermediategrazinglevelbetweenciliatesandsmallautotrophicphytoplankton.Studentprojectscanbedevelopedtosuityourinterestinthisfield.

Interested?Contact:peter.tiselius@bioenv.gu.se

Formorebackgroundinfo,see:http://plankt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/fbw096?ijkey=m22pNm0OJQAfz9z&keytype=ref

AsuggestedscenariohowcopepodsandMnemiopsisleidyimayaffectthelowertrophiclevelsofthefoodweb.A.InyearswithoutM.leidyithecopepodsareabundantcontrollingtheciliatebiomassandreducingthelargerphytoplankton.Thiscreatesaflagellatedominatedbaseforthefoodweb.B.WhenM.leidyiremovesthecopepods,ciliatesthriveandreduceflagellateswhilesupportingM.leidyilarvalgrowth.InordertostarttherapidreproductionofM.leidyi,asufficientfractionthecopepodbiomassneedstoberemovedtorelieveciliatesfromtheirpredationpressure.Greenarrowsindicatechangesinphytoplanktonbiomass,bluearrowsindicatechangesinzooplanktonbiomass.

FunctionalGenomicsofMarineDiatoms

TheseprojectsaresuitableasBachelor(15hp/hec)orMasterdegreeprojects(30-60hp/hec).Start:Spring/Autumn2018.

BackgroundDiatomsperformaround20%ofglobalphotosynthesisandthusplayacrucialrole in the world’s carbon assimilation. They are also central to globalbiogeochemical cycles through the mineralization of silica, carbon andnitrogen.Thelong-termgoalofourresearchistounderstandthegeneticandmolecularmechanismsunderlyingthesuccessofmarinediatomswithinthephytoplanktoncommunitiesandhowthiswillbeaffectedbyongoingclimatechange. The model species is Skeletonema marinoi (see right), a chain-formingdiatomthatisabundantincoastalregionsworldwide.Alongwiththerecentlycompletedgenomesequence,genetic transformationofS.marinoihasnowbeendevelopedandthemoleculartoolsforidentifyingthegenomicinsertion site ineach transformant.Manyof these insertionsdisruptnativegenes, thereby creating specific loss-of-function mutants. ThesetransformantsarenowpartofalargerS.marinoimutantcollection(SMMC)thatwillbeusedtolinkgenefunctiontodifferentdiatomcharacteristics.

ProjectideasPhenotypicscreeningoftheSMMC.ThestudentwillusetheSMMCtosearchformutantsaffectedinimportantphysiologicaltraits,suchasnutrientuptakeandassimilation(e.g.,Fe,Si,N),adaptationtodifferentenvironmentalfactors(salinity,temperature,pH)orchemicalsensitivity(e.g.,heavymetals,pharmaceuticals).

Generation,identificationandcharacterizationofmutantlines.Thestudentwillusethedevelopedtransformationmethodtogenerateadditionalmutantlinesinordertomapthegenomicinsertionsitewithineach.Dependingonthegeneidentityineachmutant,theresultingphenotypeswillbeexaminedtodeterminethespecificfunctionofeachgeneandtheirsignificanceforS.marinoigrowthanddevelopment.

ThemicrobiomeofdiatomsEachdiatomissurroundedbyaveryspecificsetofmicroorganisms.EightofthesehavebeenisolatedfromtheSkeletonemaculture.Thestudentwilltrytodetermineaspecificroleforoneormoreofthesebacteriainvolvedintheirinteractionwiththediatom.

MethodsDependingoftheproject,studentswillusetechniquessuchasDNA/RNAextraction,PCR,gelelectrophoresis,cellculturing,lightandfluorescencemicroscopy,chlorophyllfluorescence

measurements,GC/LC-MS,DNAsequencing,bioinformatics.

Interested,wanttoknowmoreorhaveanyquestions?Contact:

ProfessorAdrianClarke(adrian.clarke@bioenv.gu.se)Dr.OskarJohansson(oskar.johansson@bioenv.gu.se)

Algal ecotoxicology: adaptive responses to herbicides pollution

Microalgae are the main source of food and

oxygen production in freshwater ecosystems. In

agricultural streams, the water quality is frequently

impacted by pesticides, and algae have to

develop tolerance mechanisms to survive and

cope with this chemical stress. This project aims to compare the

sensitivity of different strains of algae isolated from a Swedish river

impacted by pesticides when exposed to selected herbicides. Adaptive

biochemical and physiological responses of stream algae to herbicides

pollution will be evaluated using laboratory ecotoxicological assays. For

this, several methods and approaches will be used: algal batch-cultures,

toxicity tests, flow cytometry (FC), light and fluorescence microscopy,

HPLC, chl fluorescence techniques and enzyme assays.

This project can be suitable for Master, Bachelor or Applied projects in

Biology. The project will be conducted at “Botan” building, BioEnv Dept,

GU.

Interested, want to know more or apply?

Contact: Natàlia Corcoll (natalia.corcoll@gu.se).

Miljöbron – tre intressanta projekt/three interesting

projects:

• http://vastragotaland.miljobron.se/files/2017/08/E17_Cementa3.pdf• http://vastragotaland.miljobron.se/files/2017/08/E18_Kungsbacka-

friluftsliv-1.pdf• http://vastragotaland.miljobron.se/files/2016/12/E16_Kungsbacka-

kommun.pdfKontaktperson/Contact person: Maria Rydberg,Verksamhetsledare Miljöbron

– länk mellan student och näringsliv_________________________________________________________________________Miljöbron | http://vastragotaland.miljobron.se/Växel: +46 (0)31- 202 789 | M: +46 (0)766-12 17 51Adress: Anders Carlssons Gata 7, 417 55 Göteborg

Wearelookingforabiologystudenttohelpus

fighthungerinBangladeshusingwheat!

Areyouabiologystudentwithpassiontoworkinalaboratorysettinginateamtogetherwithotherbiologists?Wearenowlookingfora10weekappliedprojectworkertojoinusinourplantbreedinglab.

Background:

Around7%oftheworldsagriculturelandcantodaynotbeusedbecauseofhighsalinityinthesoils.However,theworldpopulationkeepsgrowingande.g.urbanizationtakemoreoftheagricultureland.Thismakesitessentialtousethe7%highlysalineinordertofeedthepopulationinthefuture.

TheprojectinvolvesworkingwithamutagenizedwheatpopulationfromBangladeshwiththeaimoffindingafewlinesofthepopulationthatismuchmoretoleranttohighsalinitythanthecontrol.TheselinesisintendedtobeusedinBangladesh.

Ifyouhaveabackgroundinplantbiology,cellandmolecularbiology,microbiologyorcloselyrelatedfieldsyouareverywelcometoapplyforthe10-weekproject.

Tasks:

Youaregoingtoworkwithseveraldifferentwheatlinesandanalyzetheirrootsandshootsduringsaltstresswithdifferentassaysinthelab,aswellasworkingtocharacterizedifferentsalttolerantgenesusingomicstools.TheworkwilltakeplaceattheDepartmentofBiologyandEnvironmentalSciencesnexttotheBotanicalgarden.

Application:

PleaseapplywithbysendingyourCV,references,andashortletterdescribingyourbackgroundtoProfessorHenrikAronsson(Henrik.aronsson@bioenv.gu.se)andPhDstudentJohannaLethin(Johanna.lethin@bioenv.gu.se)

Photofromfarmer´sareainsouthernBangladeshtobeusedfortestingourbestsalttolerantwheatlines(November2017)

Post-copulatory sexual selection: ovarian histology and spermstoragecapacityinfemalepainteddragonlizardsSexual selection via male-male competition and female choice can occur both pre- and post-copulation.Prior tocopulation, these largely takethe formofmaleterritorialaggressionandmateguardingpairedwithfemalemateassessmentandchoice.However,thebattleforinseminationdoesnotendwith copulation.Within the female reproductive tract,male spermcompete for access toeggs (A)while femaledriven spermselectionor “cryptic female choice”mayultimatelydeterminefertilizationsuccess.

In the polymorphic Australian painted dragon lizard(Ctenophoruspictus),malereproductivemorphsvaryintheircapacity to fertilize eggs. While the red-morph (B) is moresuccessful at maintaining a territory, and achieves greateraccess to mates in this way, yellow morph (C) sperm isselectively favored, likely as a consequence of largerejaculates. In this desert species, life-spans are short andaccesstooptimalmatingsmayvarywithseasonalconditions.Females (D) mate multiply and store sperm betweenovulation cycles, thereby retaining the ability to inseminateeggs even when optimal mate opportunities are notavailable.Asaconsequence,malesmayachievereproductivesuccess, even after they themselves are no longer living.Female capacity to store sperm is not only adaptive inensuring the opportunity to produce fertile eggs, it mayindicate thepresencemechanisms for cryptic femalechoiceasstoredspermisfavoredoverfreshsperm.

How and where females store this sperm, what protectivemechanisms they provide to guarantee sperm survival overlongspansof time(andevengivetheseoldspermselectiveadvantage), andwhat, if any,mechanisms are employed inspermselectionremainlargelyunexplored.

We will address these questions via histological and morphological analysis of preserved femalereproductivetissue.Byuseofselectedbiologicalstains,wewillbeabletovisualizethestructureandlocationofspermstoreswithinthereproductivetract.Whilethespermstoragecapacityofreptilianspecies remains understudied, the location and structure of these glands varies across these taxa(uturus/ infundibulum).Wewillalsobeabletodetermineiftheepithelialcellssurroundingspermstoresaresecretory,whichwouldindicatethattheyarecapableofprotecting,lubricating,andevenprovidingnutrientstothestoredsperm.Thelocationofthespermstoragetubulesthemselves,maybeimportantinexplainingtheselectiveadvantageofstoredsperminthisspeciesduetodifferencesinswimdistances.

Weseekamotivatedandorganizedstudenttospear-headtheseresearchefforts.Applicantsshouldbe Bachelor’s orMSc level studentswith theoretical interest in sexual selection and reproductivephysiologyandeitherabackgroundorseriousinterestinthefollowingtechniques:microscopy,cellhistology,biologicalstaining,andcellstereology.

Interested?Contact:willow.lindsay@bioenv.gu.seormats.olsson@bioenv.gu.se

Annotation of wheat genes linked to saline resistance Wearelookingforamotivatedstudentthatwilldevelopawebapplicationformappingfunctionalresiduestoexplorestructuralannotationofwheatgeneslinkedtosalineresistance Proteinsbindtoligandstoperformallkindsofimportantandessentialcellularprocesses.Theybindviaanetworkofweak,noncovalentintermolecularinteractionssuchashydrogenbonding,hydrophobicandelectrostaticinteractions.Thus,bindingofsubstrateisrequiredformanyproteinstofunctionproperly.Alargenumberofbioinformaticstoolsareavailabletopredictligandbindingsitesasafirststepinunderstandingaprotein’sfunctionortoperformdockinganalysis.Inmostcases,forbindingsiteprediction,thethree-dimensionalstructure(experimentallydeterminedorahomologymodel)ofthetargetproteintobesearchedforligandbindingsite(s)isrequired.Methodsareavailablewheremultiplestructurescanbeusedforcomparingthebindingsiteforstructurallysimilarligands.However,mappingthebindingsiteonamultiplesequencefileusingknowncrystalstructuresarenotavailable.Asmostoftheproteinsofwheatgenomeremainuncharacterised,itwillbeofprimeimportancetomaptheligandbindingsiteusingmultiplesequencealignment.Thisprojectfocusingondevelopingawebbasedapplicationusingdifferentsoftwareforpredictingandmappingthebindingsitesofthetargetproteinsofinteresti.e.forsalineresistance.Theresultswillbeusedtoimprovemolecularbreedingofwheattohelpfighthungerandpovertyindevelopingcountries.Startingdate:Spring2018Contactpersons: ProfHenrikAronsson(henrik.aronsson@bioenv.gu.se)

PhDSameerHassan(sameer.hassan@bioenv.gu.se)

Mechanisticunderstandingofnovelgeneticstargetsindiabetes,heartfailureandchronickidneydisease

Projectdescription

Cardiovascularandmetabolicdiseasesareabigburdentopatientsandthesociety.Currently,mosttreatmentsaresymptomaticanddonotchangetheprogressionofdisease.Therefore,atAstraZeneca,weareleveraginghumangeneticstofindcausativecandidategenestotargetwithnoveldrugsthatarelikelytodeliverdiseasemodification.ThestudentwilljoinTranslationalSciencewithinCVRM(Cardiovascular,RenalandMetabolism)andfocusonhumantargetvalidationindiabetes,heartfailureorkidneydiseasetodelivernoveltargetproposalswithstronggeneticandexperimentalvalidation.TogetherwiththeBioinformaticsteamwegeneratehypothesesbasedonhumangeneticsandomicsdatafornovelcausativetargetswithdiseasemodifyingeffectsindiabetes,heartfailureandCKD.Often,thegenesidentifiedarenotstudiedbeforeandhavenoknownfunctioninthetargettissue.Thestudentwillpartakeintheexperimentalprocessofunderstandingthefunctionofthesenovelgenesinrelevantcellsortissues,therebydevelopingskillsinexperimentdesign,primarycellculture,diseasebiology,andhypothesisgenerationbasedonexperimentaldata,mentoredbyexpertsincellbiology.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Qualifications

Experienceinmammaliancellcultureandmolecularbiologytechniquesisdesired.

Contactperson:BjörnTyrberg,PhD,associateprincipalscientist,bjorn.tyrberg@astrazeneca.com

DevelopmentofanLC-MRMassayforbiomarkerstudiesinIgAnephropathy.

Liquidchromatographyhyphenatedtotandemmassspectrometricanalysis(LC-MRM)hasgainedpopularityasananalyticalplatformforthetargetedquantificationofproteins,suchasbiomarkersandbiopharmaceuticals,incomplexbiologicalsamples.OneadvantageousfeatureoftheLC-MS/MSplatformisthepossibilityofquantifyingmultiplecompoundssimultaneously.Moreover,theuseofinternalstandardsenhancestheaccuracyandprecisionoftheanalyticalmethodbyofferingcorrectionforanalyticalvariabilityduetothesamplehandlingsteps.ThismeansthatLC-MRMiswellsuitedtobeusedinclinicalstudieswherenormallyasmallnumberofproteins,suchaspotentialbiomarkers,aremeasuredacrosslargepatientcohorts.Recently,anewtechnologycalledquantitativeproteinepitopesignaturetagantigens(QPrESTs)havebeenintroducedtothescientificcommunity.Briefly,QPrESTscontainastretchof50–150aminoacidsidenticaltoahumanproteintargetincludingatleasttwouniquetrypticpeptides.TheQPrESTstandardisaddedtothesampleatanearlystageinthesample-preparationworkflow(priorthetrypsination),andaftertrypsinationthestableisotopiclabelledpeptideisreleasedandcanbeusedasaninternalstandard.

TheaimofthisprojectistoestablishanLC-MRMassayusingthevastQPrESTresourceofrecombinantproteinsmadeavailablebytheHumanProteinAtlasProject(www.proteinatlas.org)atKTH.ThestudentwillestablishaquantitativeLC-MRMassayforquantitationofcomplementfactorsinhumanbloodplasmaanduseitinafeasibilitystudyonIgAnephropathytowardsclinicallyinterestingproteins.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Contactperson:TassoMiliotis,PhD,associateprincipalscientist,tasso.miliotis@astrazeneca.com

PathologicalmechanismsunderlyingcardiachypertrophyandfibrosisinHeartFailure

ThismasterthesiswillbeperformedatAstraZenecaGothenburgintheBioscienceHeartFailureteamoftheCardiovascular,RenalandMetabolismdepartmentwhereyouwillbeapartofadynamicresearchteamandlearnmoreaboutdrugdiscoveryinthepharmaceuticalindustry.

Projectbackground

Heartfailureisalife-threateningandchronicconditionthatseverelyimpactsthequalityoflifeandaffectsover25millionpeopleworldwide.Evenwhentreatedwiththestandardofcare,50%ofthepatientswilldiewithinthenext5yearsascurrenttreatmentoptionsarelimitedandarefocusedonsymptomrelief.

Heartfailureispredominantlytheresultfromsignificant,andoftenprolonged,cardiacstresscommonlycausedbyhypertension,coronaryarterydisease,diabetesormyocardialinfarction.Thehearthascompensatorymechanismswhichattempttocounteractthisstressandamelioratetheheartfunction.Oneofthesemechanismsiscardiachypertrophy,whichischaracterizedbytheincreaseofcardiomyocytesize,resultinginthethickeningofthecardiacwalltoenhancecardiacperformance.However,thishypertrophyisusuallyaccompaniedwithfibrosisandcanleadtoexcessiveandabnormalenlargementoftheheartmuscleleadingtocardiacimpairment.Cardiachypertrophyisthereforeconsideredasapredictorofcardiovascularmorbidityandmortality.

Thepathophysiologicalmechanismsunderlyingcardiachypertrophyarecomplexandmultifactorialwiththeinvolvementofdifferentcell-signallingpathwaysandcross-talkbetweendifferentcelltypes.Unravellingthesemechanismsisessentialinordertoprotectthemyocardiumfrompathologicalremodellingandtopreventtheprogressiontoheartfailure.

Aimandmethodsoftheproject:

• UnravelcellsignallingpathwaysinvolvedinhypertrophyinductioninrodentcardiomyocytesandhumaniPSderivedcardiomyocytesusingdifferentmediators.Changesincardiomyocytessizewillbeassessedbyhigh-contentmicroscopyandgenetranscriptionprofileswillbemappedoutviaRT-PCR,followedbyvalidationonproteinlevel(usingELISAandImmunohistochemistry).

• Monitorphenotypicchangesinsarcomereandmitochondrialstructureduringcardiomyocytehypertrophyusinghigh-contentmicroscopyandquantitativeimageanalysis.

• Investigatetheeffectofinflammatorycellsoncardiomyocytehypertrophywith2Dcellculturesmeasuringthepreviouslydeterminedsignallingpathwaysandphenotypicchanges.Inparallel,thecross-talkbetweenfibroblastsandinflammatorycellswillbestudied,focusingonfibrosisinduction.Usingtheinformationgainedfromthe2Dcellcultures,a3Dcardiacspheroidmodelwillbegeneratedwithcardiomyocytes,fibroblastsandinflammatorycellstostudythemechanismunderlyingcardiachypertrophyandfibrosisinheartfailure.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Contactpersons:YannickMorias,PhDYannick.Morias@astrazeneca.comandErikMuellers,PhD,Erik.Muellers@astrazeneca.com

Developingaribosomalimmunoprecipitation(IP)approachforstudyingthebeta-celltransdifferentiation

Projectdescription

Diabetesisametabolicdiseasethatisassociatedwithbeta-cellfailure,includingbeta-celldysfunctionandlossofbeta-cellmass.Increasingstudieshaveshownthatbeta-cellscanberegeneratedfromotherpancreaticcellstypessuchasalpha-cells,bytransdifferentiation.Transdifferentiationhasthusreceivedagreatdealofattentionbecauseofitspotentialofdevelopingbeta-cellsforcellreplacementtherapy.However,themechanismofbeta-celltransdifferentiationisstillobscure.

Inordertounravelthemechanismsbywhichalpha-celltransdifferentiateintobeta-cell,wewillgeneratehumanalpha-cells(SC-alphacell)frominduciblepluripotentstemcellsandtransplantthemunderthemousekidneycapsule.Thexenograftswillthenbeanalysedbyusingaribosomalimmunoprecipitationapproach,togetherwithRNA-Seqtoidentifythekeychanges/transcriptsduringthetransdifferentiationprocess.

Theaimofthisprojectistodevelopandvalidatetheribosomalimmunoprecipitation(IP)protocol.WehavegeneratedantibodiesthatcanselectivelyIPhumanribosomesfromamixtureofhumanandmousecells.ThestudentwillusetheseantibodiestooptimisetheIPprotocolbytestingdifferentIPprotocols(orbeads),andfurthervalidateitintheinvivoapplicationofribosome-IP(transplantedtissue,translationalresponsetostimuli).Thetasks/objectivesforthisprojectwillbe:1)obtainanoptimisedIPprotocolthatworkswelltoshowspeciesselectivityandhighyieldofhumantranscripts(usemixtureofhumanbeta-cellandmousekidneycells);2)validateitsinvivoapplicationbytestingtranslationalresponsetostimuli.3)validateitsinvivoapplicationonthetransplantedtissue(mousekidneytransplantedwithSC-alphacells).

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Qualificationsforthemasterstudent

PreviousexperiencewithbiochemistryandmolecularbiologytechniquessuchasIP,WesternblottingandRNAextractionispreferred.

Contactinformation

LihuaChen,PhD,postdocorBjörnTyrberg,PhD,associateprincipalscientist(lihua.chen1@astrazeneca.com,bjorn.tyrberg@astrazeneca.com)

InvestigatetherolephospholipidremodelingandsignalinginNon-alcoholicsteatohepatitis(NASH)

Projectdescription:

Phospholipidremodelingisanimportantformaintainingofcellularmembranesintegrityandgeneratingbioactivelipidsinresponsetocellularstressordamage.Accumulatingevidence,includinghumangenetics,suggeststhatphospholipidremodelingplaysakeyroleinthepathogenesisofliverfibrosisinNASH(Non-alcoholicsteatohepatitis)bymodulationoftissueinflammation.Thetraineewillhavetheopportunitytocontributetothisproject,bydevelopinganinvitrosystemmimickingNASH.Inparticular,thetraineewillbeinchargeofdeveloping3Dco-cultures-spheroids-oflivercelltypes,amenabletohighcapacityfunctionalassays(imagingofsteatosisandfibrogenesis)aswellaspharmacologicalandmolecularinterventionsimpactingphospholipidremodelingpathway(Antisenseoligonucleotides,smallmolecules,peptides,adenoviruses...).Ofnote,thetraineewillintegrateacross-functionalteamandwillbecloselyworkingwithapostdoctoralfellowtoestablishthe3Dinvitrolivermodelandtheoutcomeofthisworkwillbepartoffuturepublications.Finally,thetraineewillhavetheopportunitytobeexposedandpotentialcontributetodrugprojectsandgainsubstantialexpertiseinthisarea.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Desiredqualifications:

• TraininginCellandMolecularBiologybiochemistryorrelateddiscipline• Experienceinworkingwithprimarymammaliancellsandcelllines(e.g.livercells

typesisolationandculture)• ExperienceinusingadvancedmolecularbiologytechniquesinRNAandprotein

analysis(e.g.qPCR,WesternBlot…)• Althoughnotamust,experienceinanalysisofbioactivelipidsbyliquidandorgas

chromatography• Strongorganizational,communication(spokenandwrittenEnglish),interpersonal

skillsandtheabilitytoworkwellinateam

Contactpersonsandemail:

Mainsupervisor:

BaderZarrouki,PhD(Bader.zarrouki@astrazenea.com):Teamleader,invivoteamdiabetes/NASH

Co-supervisors:

CarlWhatling,PhD(Carl.Whatling@astrazeneca.com):AssociatePrincipalScientist,Translationalscience

Xiao-RongPeng,PhD(Xiao-Rong.peng@astrazeneca.com):Teamleader,invitroteamdiabetes/NASH

WhitetoBrownAdiposeTissueConversionandLiverCrosstalk

Increasingbrownadiposetissuemassorconvertingwhitefatintobrownfathasemergedasanewtherapeuticparadigmforthetreatmentofdiabetesandobesity.Brownadipocytesnotonlyincreaseenergyexpenditureandtherebyreduceectopiclipidaccumulation,butalsosecreteendocrinefactorsinvolvedinthecrosstalkbetweendistalmetabolictissues.Ascurrentmethodstocultureadiposetissueareallassociatedwithseverelimitations,wehavedevelopedanewmethodforlongtermcultureofisolatedmatureadipocytes.Thisnovelandimprovedtranslationalmodelallowsthestudyofcrosstalkbetweenadipocytesandothercelltypes,andfacilitatesmonitoringadipocytephenotypicchanges.Wealsohaverecentlyidentifiedcompoundsthatrobustlyconvertwhitefatintobrown.

Weproposetostudy:

1)Themolecularmechanismsoccurringduringthewhite-to-brownadipocyteconversion

2)Thecrosstalkbetweenwhite/brownadipocytesandhepatocytes

Adipocyteswillbeculturedalone,withhepatocytes,orinthepresenceofcompoundsthatinducethebrowningofwhitefat.Geneandproteinexpression,lipidcontent,andlevelsofcirculatingadipocytesecretedfactorswillbemeasured.

Thisworkwillbeperformedcollaborativelywithotherresearchersandpost-docs,andhasthepotentialtobeincludedinfuturepublications.Additionally,youwillgetexposuretothedrugdevelopmentbusiness.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Desiredqualifications:

- Experienceinperformingbiochemicalassaysandbasicmolecularbiologytechniquessuchasmeasurementofgeneandproteinexpression

- Experienceinmammaliancellcultureispreferred,andofadipocytesandhepatocytesinparticular

Contactperson:JeremieBoucher,PhD,principalscientist,Jeremie.boucher@astrazeneca.comorJeremie.boucher@gu.se

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremie-boucher-b11a8a22/

http://wcmtm.gu.se/research-groups/boucher

Developmentofcell-freecirculatingDNAassayasabiomarkerfordetectionofpancreaticbeta-celllossindiabetes

Projectdescription

Thelossofpancreaticisletbeta-cellhasbeenrecognizedasanimportantfeatureinthedevelopmentoftypeIandIIdiabetes.Lowcirculatinglevelofinsulinispresentonlyinpatientswhohavesignificantlossofbeta-cells.Therefore,thereisagreatneedtodevelopamoresensitivecirculatingbiomarkerassay,whichcanspecificallydetectthelossofpancreaticbetacellsintheearlystageofdiseaseprogression.Recentadvancementinmolecularbiologydemonstratedthatcell-freecirculatingDNA(cfDNA),releasedfromdyingcells,isanemergingdiagnostictoolformonitoringcancerdynamicsandgraftfailure.Lehmann-Wermanetal(PNAS(2016))developedamethodofdetectingbeta-cell-specificcelldeathinhumansbasedontissue-specificmethylationpatternsincfDNA.Recently,Gala-Lopezetal(Transplantation(2018))developedavariantofbeta-cellspecificcfDNAassay.Theyhaveshownthatthebeta-cellcfDNA,detected24hrsisletpost-transplantation,wasassociatedwithhigher1-monthinsulinrequirements(p=0.04).Thesefindingsvalidateourhypothesisthatthebeta-cellcfDNAcanbeusedasadiagnosticmarkerfordetectingearlystageoftypeIdiabetesinpatientswhomaystillhavesomeleveloffunctionalbeta-cellmassandtheirbeta-cellsmayberescuedbypharmacologicalagentsotherthaninsulininjection.Ourprojectwillfocusonthedevelopmentandimplementationofthebeta-cellcfDNAassayincollaborationwithGU.

Duration:1semesterormore(≥30hp),MasterorBachelorlevel.

Desiredqualifications

Familiaritywithcellcultureandmolecularbiologytechniquesisdesired.

Contactpersons:Ginnie(Hsiu-Chiung)Yang,PhD,seniorprincipalscientist,hsiu-chiung.yang@astrazeneca.comorBjörnTyrberg,PhD,associateprincipalscientist,Bjorn.Tyrberg@astrazeneca.com

AiroPlant–plant-atmosphereinteractionsinachangingworld

AiroPlantisaresearchgroupstudyingtheinteractionsbetweenvegetationandtheatmosphere.Ourresearchfocusisattheinterfacebetweenterrestrialeco(physio)logyandatmosphericscience,withparticularinterestinhowclimatechangeandairpollutionaffectplantsandecosystemsrangingfromarctictotropical.Youcanreadmoreaboutourresearchatourwebpage,https://airoplant.com/

WeregularlysuperviseBScandMScthesisprojectsinourvariousfieldsofresearch,i.e.ecophysiology,ecology,ecosystemscienceandenvironmentalscience.Somepossibleprojectareasarelistedbelow,butmostlyspecificprojectsareformedindiscussionsbetweenthestudentandpotentialsupervisor.YoucangetanideaofwhatkindofprojectsthatwesupervisebylookingatthedescriptionsoftheresearchinterestsofindividualAiroPlantmembersathttps://airoplant.com/peoplestaff/,aswellasbylookingatthelistofpastBScandMScthesesathttps://airoplant.com/education/msc-projects/.

BelowarelistedsomeareaswithinwhichAiroPlantmembershaveresearchandmaysupervisethesisprojects:

• Ecophysiologyandecosystemprocessesintropicalforests.EcophysiologicalandecologicalresearchontheclimatesensitivityoftreesinmontanerainforestandforestplantationsinRwanda.Thisispartofalong-termcollaborationbetweentheUniversityofGothenburgandtheUniversityofRwanda.SwedishstudentsmayapplyforstipendfromtheSwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency(Sida)tocovercostsassociatedwithfieldworkinRwanda.Contacts:johan.uddling@bioenv.gu.seandgöran.wallin@bioenv.gu.se

• Airbornepollenandtheecologyofplantsthatproducethem.Researchonthisincludetheeffectofclimateonphenologyandreproductiveeffortaswellasmeteorology,pollenreleaseandtransport.Theimpactsofallergenicpollenonsymptomsandlifequalityarealsostudiedincooperationwithallergists,includingtheadditiveeffectsofallergenicpollenandairpollution.Contact:aslog.dahl@bioenv.gu.se

• SystemecologyfromaBiogeophysicalperspective.Researchquestionswithfocusonhowhumanlanduseandmanagementandenvironmentalchangeaffectthefluxesofcarbon,nitrogen,phosphorousandradionuclidesinterrestrialecosystems.Process-orientedmodelsareusedtoanalyzerelationshipsbetweenmanagement,vegetation,soil,climateandhydrology.Datafromlong-termexperimentsandtheSwedishnationalsoilinventoryareusedtotesthypothesesandvalidatemodels.Contact:annemieke.gardenas@bioenv.gu.se

• Airpollutioneffectsonvegetation.Researchonairpollutants,includingtheireffectonvegetationandthedynamicsoftheiroccurrenceinecosystems.Particularfocusontheeffectsofground-levelozoneoncropsandtrees.MostofthisresearchincludesinternationalcollaborationwithgroupsintheUK,China,IndiaandAustralia.Contacts:hakan.pleijel@bioenv.gu.seandjohan.uddling@bioenv.gu.se

• Urbanvegetation.Researchontheeffectsofurbanvegetationonecosystemservicessuchascleaningoftheair(byairpollutiondepositiontovegetation),noise

reduction,andcreationoffavorablemicroclimaticconditions.Moreover,thevitalityofurbantreesandhowitisaffectedbytheharshurbanenvironmentandhumanplantingmethodsarealsostudied.Contacts:hakan.pleijel@bioenv.gu.seandjohan.uddling@bioenv.gu.se

• Treetemperatureacclimation.Investigationoftreeacclimationcapacitytoincreasedtemperatureusingcontrolledexperimentsandstudiesalongnaturaltemperaturegradients.Differenttypesofthesisprojectsarepossibleonthistopic.Contacts::johan.uddling@bioenv.gu.seandgöran.wallin@bioenv.gu.se

• ThedirectuptakeofnitrogenbyNorwayspruceshoots.Itisvitaltogetinformationonthepathwaysbywhichthedepositednitrogenenterstheforestecosystems.Thishasimplicationsfortheevaluationofnitrogenimpactsonforestecosystemfunctions,boththeriskforleakagetosurfacewatersaswellasimpactsonbiodiversity.Projectintendedforonesemester.Contact:pererik.karlsson@ivl.se

Pleasecontactustodiscusspossiblethesisprojects!

ModellingpopulationvulnerabilityofmarinemammalsThisMSc-projectaimsatcollectinglifehistorydatafromliteratureandtosetupapopulationviabilityanalysis(PVA)modelforsealsorharborporposies.

Marinemammals have slow life historieswith few offspring and a rather short life span.Seals andharborporpoisesare victims toby-catches in fishinggearand toenvironmentalpollutionthataffecttheirreproduction.

The current projectwill occur in collaborationwith eco-toxicologists andmarinemammalspecialistsatGUandatNRM(NaturalhistorymuseuminStockholm).

We seek amotivated and organizedMSc student with a strong interest in data analysis,programmingandecotoxicology. It is important that the student isboth independentandinterestedinteamwork.

Interested?

Contact:KarinHårdingkarin.harding@bioenv.gu.se

Webpage:https://bioenv.gu.se/english/staff?userId=xhardk

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna_Roos

Estimatingthelevelofradioactivecaesiuminmarinemammals

ThisMSc-projectaimsatanalyzingsamplesalreadycollectedfromBalticringedseals.

The Baltic ringed seals are know to accumulate radioactive caesium Cs-137 in their muscletissuefromthefoodweb(Saremietal2018).Wewouldnowliketogofurtherandquantifythelevelsofradioactivecaesiumindifferentbodyorgans,fat,blood,heart,liveretc.TheideaistosetupamodelofhowCs-137ismetabolizedinmarinemammals.Theresultscanbeimportantinfutureriskassementsinradioecology.

The work occurs in collaboration between BioEnv and the Department of Radiophysics atSahlgrenskaandtheMuseumofnaturalhistoryinStockholm.Thestudentwillgethelpwiththeradiologicalanalysis.

We seek a motivated and organized MSc student with a strong interest in data analysis,ecotoxicologyandgoodwritingskills.Itisimportantthatthestudentisbothindependentandinterestedinteamwork.

Interested?

Contact:KarinHårdingkarin.harding@bioenv.gu.se

Webpage:https://bioenv.gu.se/english/staff?userId=xhardk

PotentialenförsötvattensfiskariÖstersjönsommatresursISverigefinnsdetuttaladestrategierkringökadsjälvförsörjandegradvadgällerlivsmedelsproduktionsamtuppmaningarfrånLivsmedelsverketattätamerfisk.IdagdominerasfiskkonsumtioneniSverigeavodladlaximporteradfrånNorge,ochöverhuvudtagetavimporteradfisk.Deninhemskaproduktionenärmycketlitenvadgällerodladfisksamtmångaavdeartervifiskarharolikautmaningaridagvadgällerattökafångsternapåetthållbartsätt.MångabeståndärredanfulltutnyttjadeellertomöverfiskadeochendelfiskiÖstersjönharocksåhalteravoönskadeämnensomgördemmindrelämpligatillkonsumtion.Fråganärhurvikanökadeninhemskaproduktionen(ochkonsumtionen)avfiskochskaldjurpåetthållbartsätt?DettaprojektethandlarspecifiktomattundersökapotentialenförÖstersjönsolikasötvattensfiskarsommatresurs.Frågorsomkanbelysasär:vadvetviomabundans,vilkamiljögiftersomutgörproblemochvadärpotentialensommatfiskförartersommört,id,braxen?Dessafiskarochsötvattensfiskargenerelltkonsumeradesimycketstörreomfattningförr,menidaghardeistortsettheltförloratsittvärdesommatfisk.IntressantnogärtexmörtenfisksomblivitmerpopulärsommatfiskiFinland,ochmångaandrasötvattensarterharstörrebetydelseiländernakringÖstersjönochäveninternationellt.Nedanlistasförslagpåforskningsfrågorsomärlämpligaförenellerflerastudenter.Storlekpåprojekt(en)blirberoendepådetantalfrågormanvillundersökaochantalartersominkluderas.Eventuelltkanmankantänkasigendjupdykningienartellerstuderaenellerettparfrågorförfleraarter.• Förvilkasötvattensarterfinnsdetinformationsombeskriverhurabundansharförändratsi

tidenochvadgårattutläsaavdennainformation?Vadhardessaarterförlivshistorieegenskapersomkangeinformationkringt.ex.känslighetförfisketryck(dettakanundersökasmedhjälpavekologiskriskanalys).

• Vilkaarterprovtasvadgällerförekomstavolikamiljögifterochvilkaärriskernaförkonsumtion(fördesomprovtasochdesominteprovtas)?

• Vilkaarterätsiandraländerochivilkenomfattning?KanviförståvarfördeförloratsittintressesommatfiskiSverigegenomatttexundersökaförekomstenavolikaarterisvenskakokböckerfråndesenastehundraåren?

• Andraaspekterförhållbartfiske:kanettfiskeskeklimatsmart(dvsbaseratpåredskapsvalochfångstperansträngning)?Bifångster?Andraproblem?

Studentenärvälkommenattsittadelvis/heltidpåRISEkontoriDelsjömotetiGöteborg.Förslagetkommerfrån:SaraHornborgRISEJordbrukochlivsmedelSara.Hornborg@ri.seTel010-5166696DessaprojektgörsmedSaraHornborgsomexternhandledareochJohanHöjesjösom”intern”(dvsBioenv-baserad)handledare(johan.hojesjo@bioenv.gu.se).

HostanimalsoftickborneencephalitevirusTickborneencephalitevirus(TBEV)istransmittedtohumansviaticksandisoneofthefastestgrowinginfectiousdiseasesinSweden.ThoseinfectedbyTBEVrisksevereneurologicalsymptoms,whichhappensin20-30%ofthecases.Thesymptomsmayalsolastforaverylongtime.IntheVästraGötalandregion,thenumberofcaseshasincreasedsignificantlyduringthelast10years.TBEVwaspreviouslyprevalentintheStockholmregionandhassubsequentlyspreadalongtheGötaKanaltotheVästraGötalandregion.InGothenburg7patientshavebeeninfectedintheÄnggårdsbergenarea,andduringthelasttwoyears4tickscarryingTBEVhavebeenfoundina30x30meterareanearLakeFinnsmossen.TickborneviruseslikeTBEVnormallycirculatebetweenticksandaspecifichostanimal,andhumansarenottheultimategoalofthevirus.

ThepurposeofthisprojectistofindoutwhichanimalsinthisparticularareathatcarryTBEV.BybetterunderstandinghowTBEVsurvivesistransmitted,ourmeanstotrackandpossiblycontrolthespreadofthisviruswillincrease.

Theprojectcanbeimplementedasoneormoreprojectsofdifferentcharacter.Thegoalistofindtheunknownhostanimal,buttoalsobeablegeneralizetheoutcomeofthestudytootherareas,wewanttogetascompleteapictureofthebiodiversityintheareaaspossible.Theareainquestionisthusinneedofathoroughsurvey,primarilyofanimals,butalsoafloristicsurveyisapossibleprojectorpartofalargerproject.Thesurveyofanimalswillbeimplementedbyfieldobservationsandtrapping,butalsoeDNAorotherforensicmethodsmaybecomeinvolved.Thesurveyswillprimarilytakeplaceduringthespringandsummer,butyearroundsurveystargetingparticularspeciesmaybeofinterest.Theexactdesignandextentoftheprojectwillbedecideddependingontheinterest,ambitionandtimeavailabletotheinterestedstudent.

Iseekoneormoremotivatedstudentsinterestedinmakingafaunisticor

floristicsurvey,withapotentialtomakeabreakthroughregardingourknowledgeaboutthelifecycleofTBEV.

Level:TheprojectcanbescaledtosuitbothaBachelordegreeproject,Masterdegreeproject,orAppliedprojectinBiology.Start:springsemester2019.Interested?Contact:UrbanOlssonurban.olsson@bioenv.gu.se