Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Graduate Studies

The major subject of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology acts in a close connection with active domestic and international research work. After graduation the students in the major subject of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology will be able to work in teaching and research positions at universities, and in research positions in research institutes and biological museums. They may also choose to work for media or as experts in environmental administration.

After the obligatory introductory studies, provided for all students of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, it is possible to concentrate on e.g. population biology, community ecology, physiological ecology, ecological genetics, behavioral ecology, evolutionary ecology or conservation biology.

The students have a possibility to familiarize with research work by acting as trainees in the research groups.

The aims of the major subject is to train the students in the following topics:

• Organisms occurring in Finland , recognition of species, life-histories and distribution.
  
  
• Research methods used in ecology and evolutionary biology (including laboratory techniques, statistics, computer methods and programs), experimental methods and experimental planning.
  
  
• Environmental change, the ways it affects organisms and biological populations and communities, and conservation biology in general.
  
  
• Ecological laws, in particular, the factors regulating the distribution and abundance of organisms, and the functioning of ecosystems.
  
  
• Methods used in population, quantitative and ecological genetics as applied to the studies of natural populations.
  
  
• Distribution and exploitation of economically important organisms, such as forest trees, food plants, fish and game animals.
  
  
• Behavioral ecology of animals.

Post Graduate Studies

Post graduate studies are very popular in the major subject of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The major subject hosts the graduate school “LUOVA” (Finnish School in Wildlife Biology, Conservation and Management) to which most of the post graduate students belong to. LUOVA organizes most of the post graduate level courses which can be found from the web pages http://www.helsinki.fi/biosci/luova/. For more details about LUOVA and how
to apply you may also contact the current graduate school coordinator:
luova-infoAThelsinki.fi

Many active and internationally renounced research groups act within the major of subject of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. See http://www.helsinki.fi/bioscience/ecology/research.htm

These research groups recruit actively new post graduate studies from Finland and abroad. One possibility to create contacts with the research groups is to attend the activities of the Spatial Ecology Research Programme. See http://www.helsinki.fi/ml/ekol/spatial_ecology.html