Winter School of Ecology Course Programme

JYU code: WETS1059
Credits: 1 ECTS
Time: 11.2. - 13.2.2027
Location: Konnevesi Research Station, Konnevesi, Finland
Course coordinator: Dr. Katja Pulkkinen University of Jyväskylä
Lecturers: Dr. Katja Pulkkinen, Dr. Minna Hiltunen, Dr. Henriikka Kivilä (University of Jyväskylä)
Assessment criteria: Active participation in lectures and practicals.
Grading: Pass/fail
Number of students: Maximum number of students accepted for the course: 20 
Learning outcomes/Contents: In winter, most of the boreal lakes are covered with ice and snow, and the water temperatures under ice range from 0°C just under ice to 4°C at maximum near the bottom of the lake. Levels of solar radiation are low and even less is passing through the ice and snow into the water column. Students will understand how ice and snow cover of boreal lakes affect the physical and chemical conditions under ice and how that affects aquatic life in comparison to the open water season. The course includes lectures on winter limnology and plankton in winter, field sampling on the ice at Konnevesi lake close by the research station, and studying the water and plankton samples in the laboratory.  

JYU code: BENS5109 
Credits: 2 ECTS
Time: 15. - 19.2.2027
Location: Konnevesi Research Station, Konnevesi, Finland
Course coordinator: Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita, University of Jyväskylä
Lecturers: Dr. Heikki Helle (birds, BirdLife Finland), Prof. Philipp Lehmann (insects, Greifswald University), Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita (plants, University of Jyväskylä), Dr. Saana Sipari (mammals, University of Jyväskylä), Joni Uusitalo (vertebrates, University of Helsinki)
Assessment criteria: Active participation in lectures and practicals.
Grading: Pass/fail
Number of students: The course will be arranged if 20 students confirm their participation on the course.
Learning outcomes: After completing this course the student: 

• understands through lectures, seminars and field work how snow, ice and cold temperature affects different life forms
• learns to observe and evaluate how winter and snow cover affect animals and plants
• learns how different life forms have adapted to boreal winter conditions
• learns to work in the winter conditions

Contents: Winter is the longest season in northern ecosystems and the snow-covered period can last for more than half a year. Winter conditions are major evolutionary selection agents and delimiting factors with effects from individual performance and population dynamics to ecosystem processes. The course deals with dynamics in physical environment in boreal and subarctic winter, individual and population level adaptation to cold environment and potential effects of climate change on individuals and populations. Specifically lectures, demonstrations and field work focus on snow ecology and adaptations to winter conditions by different life forms. During this course we carry out field work in the vicinity of Konnevesi Research Station and in Pyhä-Häkki National Park in Central Finland.