In her PhD Nora will combine genomic and behavioural methods to study the drivers and consequences of range expansions in highly mobile species. Can high dispersal capability help a species to maintain genetic diversity even during rapid range shifts? Do certain behaviours facilitate the colonization of new areas? In order to find answers, Nora will study local and range-wide patterns of genomic and behavioural variation in the Eurasian reed warbler, a migratory passerine that has recently experienced a rapid northward range shift in response to environmental change.
Nora is a part of the Informed Birds research group, and her PhD is funded by the LUOVA doctoral programme (University of Helsinki).