Tardigrades (FI: karhukaiset) are microscopic metazoans famous for being able to cope with extreme environments while in a dormant state called cryptobiosis. In addition, they have an incredible but largely unexplored diversity in reproductive traits, behaviour and ecology.
My group and I study the evolutionary consequences and ecological correlates of moss-living tardigrade adaptations to different stresses, from cryptobiosis and radiation, to temperature and light. We employ empirical, comparative and genomic tools, using both laboratory populations and field-collected samples.
#karhukaisetjyraa : Youtube channel with information about tardigrades and our research in Finnish.