Further information
This course provide Master and Ph.D. students a comprehensive introduction into ecological and physiological processes in animals and plants in winter, with focus on polar and boreal areas. The main focus is on terrestrial species, and processes are studied on both the individual and population level.
More about content:
For most species in cold areas, the challenges are very different in winter compared to the rest of the year, and this can be seen in very substantial changes in ecology and physiology. This course will first give a small introduction in climate, permafrost and snow physics, all important as a basis for understanding the challenges winter will impose to plants and animals. Some focus will be on the importance on variation and changes in the winter conditions, and how this likely will impact individuals and populations.
The course covers a very wide specter ranging from physiological and anatomical adaptations, and behavior of individuals, to demography on the population level and also between species interactions. The winter biology of plants, invertebrates, birds, and both small and large mammals are covered, by experts in the respective fields. A couple of day excursions in the field, and several sessions in the laboratory, including designed experimental studies, are part of the course that runs over two semesters.
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