Category: Graduate students

Two special courses this spring

Arnar Pálsson, 17/02/2023
The biology programme offers two short courses this spring.
2 ECTS 7-DAY SUMMER COURSE

This 7-day workshop will be based on the recently published Conservation and the Genomics of Populations (3rd edition, Allendorf et al. 2022). This established book provides a comprehensive overview of the essential background, concepts, and tools required to understand how genetics and genomics can be used to conserve species, reduce the threat of extinction, and manage species of ecological or commercial importance. Allendorf will present the subject of the book over three days and then students will prepare and present a short lecture of their project or article. New genomic techniques and statistical analyses are crucial tools for the conservation geneticist. This workshop will provide an essential toolkit grounded in population genetics theory, coupled with basic and applied research examples from plants, animals, and microbes. The workshop will examine genetic and phenotypic variation in natural populations, the principles and mechanisms of evolutionary change, evolutionary response to anthropogenic change, and applications in conservation and management. Topics 1. Introduction 2. Genomic variation in populations 3. Hardy-Weinberg principle 4. Genetic drift & effective population size 5. Natural selection 6. Mutation 7. Gene flow & population structure 8. Multiple loci 9. Hybridization 10. Inbreeding depression 11. Units of conservation 12. Demography and extinction 13. Exploited populations 14. Climate change 15. Genetic monitoring

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, a students should be able to:

  • to describe the background and the concepts of population genetics with relation to conservation
  • to describe the main genetic and genomic methods which can be applied in species conservation
  • to describe applications of genetics and genomics in management of ecological and commercial importance.
For more info contact

Snæbjörn Pálsson
2 ECT 5-DAY SUMMER SCHOOL
The mesopelagic zone (between 200-1000m depth) is the habitat of the largest fish biomass in the ocean.
Mesopelagic fish likely hold a key role in global climate change by participating in the largest migration in the animal kingdom, transporting and storing carbon into the deep sea.

Credit: Leif Grimsmo, SINTEF Ocean

About the course
The SUMMER (Sustainable Management of Mesopelagic Resources, 2019-2024) EU project aims to evaluate if and how mesopelagic resources can be sustainably exploited.
To share the knowledge of the mesopelagic zone, experts from the SUMMER project have arranged a 5-day summer school course for 2 ECT credits, with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute and the University of Iceland, in Iceland May 22nd – May 26th 2023.
The course will feature lectures from world-leading experts on mesopelagic research, engaging discussions, as well as hands-on laboratory work on mesopelagic fishes – in addition to the dissection of a marine mammal, apex predator of mesopelagic fish.
After completing the course
Students will be familiar with:
• Biology and Ecology of the Mesopelagic Zone
• Taxonomy and Diversity of Mesopelagic Fish
• Mesopelagic Fisheries (Economy, Governance,
Technology)
• Dissection of Mesopelagic Fish and Mammals
Students will develop valuable knowledge of one of the most understudied ecosystems in the world’s oceans, meet worldwide leaders in mesopelagic research, and study in an international group.
Students will also get to experience Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland in May – during a wonderfully bright spring.
The course itself is free for participatnts, but travel expenses (food, lodgings, and transport) must be covered individually.
International students are encouraged to apply, and housing is available on the university campus.
For more information
Website: www.summerh2020.eu
Email: hrandhawa@hi.is

Contributions to the Icebio2021

Arnar Pálsson, 22/12/2021

The lab had several contributions to the biannual Biology in Iceland conference. These were, in no particular order.

Talks

Experimental tests of unicoloniality in Hypoponera species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) living underground Reykjavík
Marco Mancini, Andreas Guðmundsson, Mariana Lucia Tamayo, James K. Wetterer, Arnar Pálsson

Diversity in the internal functional feeding elements of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, morphs in Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland.
Guðbjörg Ósk Jónsdóttir, Finnur Ingimarsson, Sigurður Sveinn Snorrason, Sarah Elizabeth Steeleand Arnar Pálsson

Correspondence of morphological divergence across genotypes in response to diet follows evolutionary divergence of ecologically specialized morphs
Sarah E. Steele, Arnar Pálsson

DNA methylation patterns separate sympatric morphs of Arctic charr
Sébastien Matlosz, Benjamín Sigurgeirsson, Arnar Pálsson, Sigríður R. Franzdóttir, Zophonías O. Jónsson

New wine in old bottles: Geometric morphometric analysis revealed shape and allometric variation among sympatric Arctic charr morphs in Lake Thingvallavatn
Han Xiao, Arnar Pálsson, Sigurður S. Snorrason, Zophonías O. Jónsson

Transcriptional rewiring following compensatory selection of major mutations
Baldur Kristjánsson, Dagný Á. Rúnarsdóttir, Sudarshan Chari, Ian Dworkin, Arnar Pálsson

Dragging skeletons on wings: the effects of strong selection on transcriptional landscapes
Arnar Pálsson, Baldur Kristjánsson, Lea Jerman Plesec, Dagný Ásta Rúnarsdóttir

 

Posters

Food availability of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in rivers of Northeast Iceland Sum Yi Lai, Jón S. Ólafsson, Arnar Pálsson, James Rosindell, Guðni Guðbergsson, Ingi Rúnar Jónsson, Hlynur Bárðarson

Population genetics of stream populations of Arctic charr in North Iceland Sabrina Carli , Sabrina Carli, Irem Dogruoglu, Han Xiao, Marcos Lagunas, Dagny Ásta Rúnarsdóttir, Stefán Óli Steingrímsson, Sarah E. Steele, Arnar Pálsson

A region of ATG7 evolved in vertebrates and might account for a new function Valgerður Jakobína Hjaltalín, Margrét Helga Ögmundsdóttir, Arnar Pálsson

Master of Science (MS) program on aquatic biology and fisheries

Arnar Pálsson, 22/09/2020

The oceans are fundamental ecosystems on the planet and source the most important resources for Icelands economy. The University of Iceland (UI) and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) collaborate to offer a multidisciplinary two-year Master of Science (MS) program on aquatic biology and fisheries, emphasizing freshwater and marine ecology and fisheries in sub-Arctic environments. The program will be instigated in 2020 as a specialization within MS in Biology.

Students can take projects at the Institute of Biology, the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute and also at other affiliated institutions and research centers. Students are admitted based on merit (see University of Iceland webpage) and will find a project and supervisor in the first year of study.

Háskóli Íslands

Picture of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from the University of Iceland collections.

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute has many research areas, including but exclusive to Fish tagging, Lumpfish research, Oceanography, Seabed mapping, Seal research and Whale Research.

The Institute of biology studies many aspects of marine and aquatic biology, spanning questions of ecology and evolution, to toxicology and behavioral biology.

See for instance a list of previous MS projects in the fields of marine-,  aquatic- and fish biology.

Some examples of the research topics and potential supervisors are listed below.

Genatjáning í snemmþroskun og erfðabreytileiki bleikjuafbrigðanna í Þingvallavatni

Arnar Pálsson, 22/04/2019

Það er með töluverðu stolti sem ég fleyti hér áfram tilkynningu um doktorsvarnar erindi Jóhannesar. Það verður kátt í Öskjunni föstudaginn 26 apríl, 2019.
Erindið verður kl. 14:00 í stofu 132.

Doktorsefni: Jóhannes Guðbrandsson

Heiti ritgerðar: Genatjáning í snemmþroskun og erfðabreytileiki bleikjuafbrigðanna í Þingvallavatni

http://luvs.hi.is/vidburdir/genatjaning_i_snemmthroskun_og_erfdabreytileiki_bleikjuafbrigdanna_i_thingvallavatni

Ágrip

Fjögur afbrigði bleikju (Salvelinus alpinus) finnast í Þingvallavatni. Afbrigðin eru talin hafa þróast innan vatnsins frá lokum síðustu ísaldar og eru ólík hvað varðar m.a. stærð, útlit, lífsferla og fæðuöflun. Meginmarkmið verkefnisins var að auka skilning á hvaða sameinda- og þroskunarferlar liggja að baki mismunandi svipgerð afbrigðanna og meta erfðafræðilega aðgreiningu þeirra á milli. Könnuð var genatjáning í snemmþroskun í leit að mismunandi tjáðum genum sem gætu þannig bent á hvaða ferlar móta þroskun ólíkra svipgerða. Erfðabreytileiki meðal afbrigðanna var metinn og athugað hvort að erfðaset með mikinn mun í tíðni samsæta, meðal afbrigða, fyndust í genum með svipuð líffræðileg hlutverk og/eða væru bundin við ákveðna staði innan erfðamengisins. Tvenns konar aðferðarfræði var beitt, í fyrsta lagi að kanna áhugaverð gen með sértækum aðferðum og í öðru lagi að rannsaka allt umritunarmengið (með RNA-raðgreiningu). Niðurstöðurnar afhjúpa ólíka genatjáningu og erfðamun milli afbrigðanna. Munur í tjáningu finnst á genum í mörgum líffræðilegum ferlum sem bendir til töluverðar aðgreiningar afbrigðanna og að mögulega hafi mörg gen verið undir náttúrulegu vali. RNA-niðurbrot í sýnum, líklega vegna tæknilegra vandkvæða í meðhöndlun þeirra, hækkaði flækjustig greininga á RNA-raðgreiningargögnum. Greining umritunarmengisins var engu að síður gagnleg þar sem tjáningarmunur fannst í genum sem tengjast myndun utanfrumugrindar og beinmyndun. Gögnin sýna mikinn mun í tíðni samsæta meðal afbrigða og var mikinn mun að finna víða í erfðamenginu. Það getur bent til æxlunarlegrar einangrunar afbrigðanna og/eða náttúrulegs vals á mörgum litningasvæðum. Mikill erfðamunur fannst til dæmis í genum tengdum ónæmiskerfinu með sértækum aðferðum og aðgreinandi erfðabreytileiki í genum tengdum kollagen-efnaskiptum og umhverfisskynjum (sjón, heyrn) var áberandi í umritunarmenginu. Genatjáningarmunur í fóstrum og skýr munur í erfðasamsetningu afbrigðanna bendir til að þau séu komin áleiðis inn á “veg tegundamyndunar”.

Jóhannes fæddist árið 1985 og ólst upp á Staðarhrauni á Mýrum. Hann lauk BS prófi í líffræði frá Háskóla Íslands árið 2008 og BS prófi í stærðfræði frá sama skóla árið 2010. Jóhannes hóf doktorsnám í lífræði haustið 2009. Frá árinu 2012 hefur hann verið hlutastarfi hjá Veiðimálastofnun, sem varð að Hafrannsóknastofnun árið 2016, þar sem hann stundar rannsóknir á laxfiskum. Hann sinnti einnig aðstoðarkennslu í ýmsum líffræðigreinum í Háskólanum meðfram námi.

Andmælendur:
Dr. Kathryn Elmer, dósent við stofnun líffræðilegs fjölbreytileika, dýraheilsu og samanburðar-læknisfræði við háskólann í Glasgow.
Dr. Jón H. Hallson, dósent við auðlinda- og umhverfisdeild Landbúnaðarháskóla Íslands.

Leiðbeinandi: Dr. Arnar Pálsson, prófessor við Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild Háskóla Íslands.

Einnig í doktorsnefnd:
Dr. Zophonías O. Jónsson, prófessor við Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild Háskóla Íslands.
Dr. Sigurður S. Snorrason, prófessor við Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild Háskóla Íslands.
Dr. Einar Árnason, prófessor við Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeild Háskóla Íslands.
Dr. Páll Melsted, prófessor við Iðnaðarverkfræði-, vélaverkfræði- og tölvunarfræðideild Háskóla Íslands.

Doktorsvörn stýrir: Dr. Snæbjörn Pálsson, prófessor og varadeildarforseti Líf- og umhverfisvísindadeildar Háskóla Íslands.

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(Icelandic) Hvernig kemst maður í framhaldsnám í líffræði?

Arnar Pálsson, 08/08/2016

Sorry, this entry is only available in Icelandic.