Task 1. Factors of extinction risk of soil microorganisms performing key functions in fundamental biogeochemical processes
Dr. Maria Niklińska
She is a specialist in soil microbiology, biogeochemistry and ecotoxicology. Her scientific interests include heavy metal and/or pesticides effect on soil microbial communities and soil processes. As a leader of this work package she is responsible for work coordination, planning of experimental tasks and schedules as well as for organization of training in the application of BIOLOG method in environmental risk assessment.
Dr. Marcin Chodak
A specialist in soil science and land reclamation. His research is focused on the effects of various factors on chemical and microbial properties of forest soil. He has published several papers on the influence of vegetation and heavy metal pollution on soil microbial communities. In the work package he is responsible for soil sampling, biochemical and microbial analyses and statistical elaboration of the experimental data.
M.Sc. Justyna Morawska-Płoskonka
PhD student. Her scientific interests consist of soil microbial biodiversity, pollutants plus natural factors effects on microbes. She is the co-author of few posters and conference presentation. In this work package she is responsible for soil sampling, physicochemical analyses, microbial analyses as well as statistical elaboration of the experimental data.
Task 2. Effect of interaction between population size and copper exposure - studies on the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum
Dr. Paulina Kramarz
She is a specialist in ecology and ecotoxicology. Her scientific interests are focused on stress ecology, interaction between host and parasite, evolutionary biology. In FRISC Project she's the main coordinator of working groups and a head of group working with Tribolium castaneum.
Professor Ryszard Laskowski
A specialist in ecology and ecotoxicology. His scientific interests are focused on effects of toxicants on population dynamics and life histories. He works also in ecosystem ecology, mainly on biogeochemistry and organic matter decomposition. In the work package he is responsible for investigating effects of metal pollution on population dynamics and genetic diversity in experimental populations of Tribolium castaneum.
Professor Jacek Radwan
A specialist in ethology and genetics. His research focuses on sexual selection, sperm competition, the evolution of alternative mating tactics on sexual selection and conservation genetics. His research also involves estimation of quantitative genetic parameters of fitness-related trait, such as heritability and coefficient of inbreeding depression, as well as includes the study of diversity of MHC genes. In the work package he's responsible for assessment a relative contributions of inbreeding and its interaction with pollution, on the risk of extinction and population dynamics of Tribolium confusum.
M.Sc. Katarzyna Kuduk
A PhD student and a specialist in molecular techniques. Her PhD thesis subject area is investigating correlations between the stability of threatened populations, parasite load and MHC genotypes in agamid lizard - Ctenophorus ornatus. Her scientific interests include the adaptive significance of MHC variation in fragmented populations, genetics usage in proper species management and sexual selection, in particular relationships between MHC polymorphism and sexual ornamentation. In this project she is carrying out trainings in molecular techniques and is responsible for molecular analyses.
M.Sc. Patrycja Gibas
Patrycja is responsible for cultures and experiments on Tribolium. And she is really busy with our small beetles
Zadanie 3. Predicting effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for long-term genetic and demographic effects
Professor Erik Ropstad
As a professor he has responsibility for initiation of research within the field of animal reproduction. He has experience in multidisciplinary research to address objectives within the fields of reindeer reproduction, nutrition, population dynamics and welfare. Another main focus in recent years has been studies on occurrence, levels and effects of environmental pollutants. The effects have been studied at various levels of biological organisation from the gonadal cell to the individual and population level. Special focus has been on potential impairment reproductive functions upon exposure during pregnancy and on population studies in the Arctic. In the FRISC project he is a consultant in the work package: "Zebrafish as a model system for genetic and demographic effect studies of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in aquatic ecosystems".
Dr. Irena Grześ
She is involved in the species diversity and heavy metal tolerance in ants. Her interests cover: metal kinetics, adaptation, bioaccumulation of trace metals, physiological mechanisms of trace metal regulation. In FRISC project she will be involved in statistical data analysis of the data on the influence of persistent organic pollutants on the development of Danio rerio.
Task 4. Metabolic performance and genetic variation in the small rodent Myodes glareolus from isolated island populations and populations subject to urban pollution
Professor Paweł Koteja
He is a specialist in ecological and evolutionary physiology of animals. His scientific interests are focused mainly on energetics of vertebrates: individual and interspecific variation in the rates of energy metabolism and its relation to food habits, environmental conditions and live history; limits to energy budgets; evolution of complex physiological adaptations, especially evolution of endothermy in birds and mammals; natural selection on physiological traits. His current main research project is based on a long-term artificial selection experiment on bank voles, which is designed to mimic evolution of adaptations towards high aerobic capacity, predatory behavior, and herbivorous capability. He is an author of over 30 peer-reviewed papers published in leading scientific journals. Within the work package he supervises the research on the effects of population isolation and environmental pollution on physiological performance of bank voles.
Dr. Renata Świergosz-Kowalewska
A specialist in ecology; ecotoxicology. Her scientific interest include industrial pollution and its effects on animals and humans; structural changes on molecular, cellular and tissue levels; genotoxicity of toxicants. Within the work package she is responsible for assesment of the effects of population isolation and stress due to environmental pollution on metabolic performance and genetic variation of the voles.
Dr. Edyta Sadowska
She is a young scientist specializing in ecological and evolutionary physiology of animals. Her PhD thesis was about the evolution of metabolic rate - heritability, genetic correlation and selection effect in bank vole (Myodes glareolus). She is a co-author of some peer-reviewed papers and several posters and conference presentation. Within the work package she is mainly responsible for measurement of physiological performance in bank voles from isolated and environmental polluted population.
M.Sc. Magdalena Mikowska
A PhD student and a specialist in ecotoxicology, her scientific interests focuses on effects of environment and pollution on genetic diversity. Within the work package she is responsible for genetic diversity of bank vole populations.
The other Norwegian Participants
Professor Nils Christian Stenseth
His research interests span a broad spectrum of ecological and evolutionary topics, most of which are rooted in population biology, comparative studies - by comparing similar features between different (but comparable) systems, variations in population densities in time and space - and the underlying demographic processes. Most of his work relates to work on pest control (e.g., rodents in Africa), harvesting (marine and terrestrial), bio-economics (e.g., the ecological dynamics of dry-land pastoral systems) and epidemiology (Plague). Research interests: Population biology (ecology and genetic structuring); large-scale ecological and evolutionary patterns; effects (ecology and evolution) of climate variation; terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems.
Dr. Jannicke Moe
She is an ecologist and zoologist with expertice within ecological modelling and statistics as well as experience from laboratory experiments. Her PhD (2001) focused on the population-level effects of interactions between environmental and demographic stress factors. Her research activities have focused on the relationships between environmental stressors (toxicants, acidification, eutrophication) and ecological responses (demography, population dynamics, community composition etc). One of her main research interest is methodology for describing and quantifying such relationships. She is also working with ecological data management, and is responsible for data service in the EU-funded project WISER. Within FRISC she is the coordinator for the four Norwegian partners, and will contribute with experimental design, statistical analyses and population modelling.
Dr. Anja Brathen Kristoffersen
She is a specialist in statistics and bioinformatics. Her interest is in analyzing biological data. She has experience in planning of studies and statistical processing of data, investigating risk factors for disease occurrence and bioinformatical analysis such as micro array and sequence analysis. She has a long experience in education of students in statistics and bioinformatics, and is also involved in several PhD projects. Beside her employment at National Veterinary Institute she has an associate professorship at the University of Oslo. In FRISC she will be involved in project 3 where she will be responsible analyzing the micro array data.
And...
M.Sc. Renata Śliwińska
"Guardian Angel" of the FRISC project. She is responsible for administration support and finance.