Annie Jonsson

Large freshwater mussels are excellent indicators of water quality. Not only do they filter and purify the water, but mussel beds on the bottoms also provide structure and shelter for many other organisms, contributing to increased biodiversity. Our research aims to study the ecology of large freshwater mussels and utilise them as indicators for environmental and conservation efforts in lakes and waterways.

The INGENIUM European University is an ambitious Alliance that brings together ten Universities from ten EU Member States, supported by a large group of associate organisations, ranging from regional and local governments to industry and civil society groups.

In this project, researchers at the University of Skövde collaborate with Kinnekulle Energi AB, Götene Municipality and the Vänerskärgården Biosphere Reserve to strengthen biodiversity within the landscape in which Kinnekulle Energi has its power line network.

In today’s biodiversity crisis, there is an urgent need to monitor terrestrial and aquatic species in their natural habitats, especially those that may be endangered, invasive or elusive. Studies conducted within this project will lead to a new metod of tracking down threatened species, the results will be integrated into current monitoring programmes (e.g. red-listing) and action plans.

Sweden and the vast majority of other countries in the world have agreed to preserve biodiversity, ie the variation of species and natural environments. Man need biodiversity as the basis for ecosystem services. Some examples of ecosystem services are carbon sequestration that slows down global warming, water purification that gives clean drinking water and pollination that increases crops.

Industrial wastewater is usually characterized by analyses of chemical concentrations or biological toxicity tests in combination. Included is to detect if there are toxic substances or combinations of substances that are toxic and in turn will affect ecosystems negatively. In this project we aim to improve and design novel biological tests using biomarkers.

Human expansion of land use through agriculture and forestry is globally one of the main drivers of reduced biodiversity. This exploitation has also led to increased greenhouse gas emissions and decreased carbon sequestration. Sweden’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 means that society will need to shift towards extensive use of biofuels and bio-based materials. This will entail significant future changes in land use, requiring us to also assess the resulting environmental impacts.

Göta älv is Sweden's largest watercourse and is utilised for various purposes. It serves as a source of drinking water, is used by industries for cooling and processing water, acts as a recipient for wastewater, supports power generation, and functions as a shipping channel. Human exploitation of the river has negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Like many other lakes and wetlands, Hornborgasjön has been utilised over the past couple of centuries to expand agricultural and forestry land. At Hornborgasjön, five water level reductions were carried out, and by the 1930s, the lake was almost completely drained. It became overgrown with riparian forests, shrubs, sedge, and reeds. Following a government decision, a restoration project to recreate the bird lake began in the late 1980s. Reeds were removed, and forests and shrubs were cleared. The water level increase commenced in 1992 and was completed in 1995.

Imagine an outbreak of a contagious animal disease. Imagine those combating the disease can travel forward in time. Imagine they do so using a simulation model that shows how the disease will continue to spread.