Hi, we are Åshild Hasvik and Maria Skar Knutsen and we are master students in respectively natural resource management and ecology at NMBU. We are writing our master´s theses for the FuncFinse project. This summer we have conducted two weeks of field work at Finse, using open top chambers (OTCs) and control plots established at Sanddalsnuten. These chambers are designed to increase temperature so we can see how vegetation are responding to raised temperatures.
Åshild is looking in to species diversity and abundance for lichens and vascular plants, and if there are differences between the OTCs and the controls. Maria is studying the differences in trait values between species and within species in OTCs and control plots, also for both lichen and vascular plants. For Maria, the next steps are lab work and analyzes, and hopefully some writing before Christmas. Åshild, who won´t start for real until the spring semester, has planned to conduct her analyzes during the fall as well. We are looking forward to an exciting year and lots of new experiences!
Greetings
Åshild and Maria
Åshild during her fieldwork at Finse.
Maria during her fieldwork at Finse.