People

Biodiversity Change research group has currently three members who all are geographers with ecological questions related to different aspects of biodiversity change.
Julia Kemppinen, Group Leader

Current project: Investigating the geodiversity-biodiversity relationship under climate change

The project investigates geodiversity and how it influences biodiversity in a changing climate. Geodiversity is the variation of Earth materials, landforms, hydrological elements, and reliefs. Areas with high geodiversity support high biodiversity. Therefore, mapping, understanding, and conserving geodiversity is crucial for reaching the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. This project will refine the theory of the geodiversity-biodiversity relationship by incorporating the underlying mechanisms. These mechanisms are the local variation of temperatures, nutrients, and water resources, which ultimately control global biodiversity patterns. The project will provide evidence for the generalisability of the geodiversity-biodiversity relationship and test if the relationship is similar across Artic, Antarctic, and alpine ecosystems that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Aino-Maija Määttänen, Doctoral Researcher

PhD project: Ecological connectivity for promoting biodiversity under climate and land use change

Mikko Saviranta, Doctoral Researcher

PhD project: Impacts of land use change on plant communities and their biodiversity in northern environments