“One of the largest global threats to our environment is the accelerating loss of biological diversity. Research, documentation and dissemination of biological diversity is dependent on the classification and naming of existing organisms in nature. Taxonomy is the theory and practice of grouping individuals of life on earth into species, arranging species into larger groups and giving those groups names, thus providing a classification. Modern taxonomy and systematics have a solid theoretical foundation and a wide selection of tools to test hypotheses. Molecular methods, including DNA sequence data, are increasingly used to define taxonomic units, analyse their relationships and map their evolutionary history in time and space.”
Project:
This project will focus on taxonomy within crustose and squamulose groups in the orders Lecanorales/Lecideales. We will work with potential candidates to narrow down the research topic to a manageable Master thesis work load, focusing on specific lichen genera or families. Previous students have weighed in on what the overall project will be about, including where to do field work. The project would involve field work, lab work, and collections work. The position is based at the Lids Hus, Natural History Museum at Tøyen.
“What is so cool about this? I'll tell you! You get to be a link in an unbroken chain of keepers of the collections!” - Current Master Student Erik M.
Contact
Please contact Einar Timdal if you are interested in working with this topic.
The Lichen Herbarium: