Trial lecture and PhD defense for Robynne Calypso Nowicki

Doctoral Candidate Robynne Calypso Nowicki at The University of Oslo, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Department of Biosciences will hold a trial lecture and defend her doctoral thesis for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD). The degree will be held at UNIS 17 March 2026.

Thesis title:

«Seasonal energetics in Barents Sea macrozooplankton and fish”

Main research findings:

All living things require energy. Thus, energy connects all living things. As such, the connective nature of energy can be harnessed as a powerful tool in ecology, as a connection from organism to ecosystem. Using this tool, I explored drivers and patterns of energy dynamics of zooplankton and fish in the Barents Sea, an Arctic region strongly affected by climate change.

Seasonality in the Arctic is extreme, and so there was a particular focus on the seasonal changes in the energy contained in zooplankton and fish, and how this was further affected by factors like body size, temperature and what prey is available to eat. I found that energy is anything but constant, and instead the energy content changed over the year, as well as throughout life. These organisms had “critical windows”, when their energy stores were very low and they may be more vulnerable to stress. Energy patterns were also species specific, which means that climate-induced shifts in species dominance can benefit some predators whilst being detrimental for others.

Overall, this work reveals hidden complexity of energy landscapes and improves our ability to predict how climate-driven change will affect marine ecosystems in a future Arctic.