Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS)
EEMiS is a centre for research excellence studying ecological and evolutionary interactions from land to sea.
Our research
Healthy ecosystems are essential for the planet. A source of food, water and recreation, they support human life and well-being. Ecosystems are a complex interplay of organisms and environmental factors. Environmental change and global warming has a powerful influence on community composition and thus on ecosystem functioning. It is therefore important to gain insights of biodiversity and interactions to understand the current status and predict future consequences on ecosystem services. In the centre for research excellence, EEMiS we investigate dynamics in ecology and evolution of interconnected organisms associated with aquatic ecosystems, from land through coastal regions to open waters.
In the excellence research centre EEMiS we have the broad expertise necessary to identify how interactions between food web components, ranging from microbial food webs to higher trophic levels including fishes and birds, shape the temporal dynamics across time and space. This information is of high importance for understanding how future conditions will influence variability in food web architecture and biodiversity. The broad knowledge within EEMiS stimulates curiosity-driven research at the intersectionof our expertise and the integration of research and high-quality education. The centre generates cutting-edge knowledge of global significance in the research for healthy ecosystems.
Collaborative research environment
The Baltic is a vulnerable environment which is strongly affected by human activities. Within EEMiS, we work on cross-disciplinary projects and have established several study systems and monitoring stations. Our long-term study sites include the Linnaeus Microbial Observatory (LMO), K-station, warming bay and acoustic monitoring systems. These study systems allows us to study the large-scale consequences that organism interactions have on an ecosystem's function. Such knowledge is important also for other ecosystems. Thus, by studying the Baltic ecosystem, we contribute with results and knowledge of global significance.
Within EEMiS we share common laboratory facilities and infrastructure. We have specialist laboratory technicians which support our work ranging from field and sampling assistance, to molecular ecology and bioinformatics. We are an active research environment where we promote interaction and collaborations by arranging a weekly seminar with internal speakers and invited guests that is open to the whole Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences. We also arrange workshops and career development events for PhD students and postdocs as well as arrange an annual network wide retreat.
We work closely with local, national and international networks. The Linnaeus Knowledge Environment Water is an integrated part of EEMiS with the aim to tackle sustainable water management by gathering and disseminating the knowledge required to create and manage a healthy water landscape. We collaborate within the government funded research program EcoChange which intends to estimate and predict the climate change responses of the Baltic Sea. We also provide expertise to the Swedish Institute for Marine Environment that has the Swedish government's mission to transfer knowledge between researchers, authorities and decision-makers.
Researchers
EEMiS consists of around sixty co-workers. These include students, PhD students, specialist and laboratory technician, communication officer, postdocs and principal investigators (presented below).
