Hanna-Kaisa Lakka

Research

Ecological Research in Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems

Main research interest

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science. My research interests cover a wide range of topics in ecology and environmental sciences, with a primary focus on Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Arctic freshwater ecosystems are under increasing threat from stressors including climate change, acidification, mining activity, environmental pollution and introduced species. My goal is to develop an improved understanding of how human-induced changes may affect the Arctic freshwater biome and what we can do to solve these problem globally.

I have extensive knowledge and fieldwork experience on freshwater ecosystems in Polar Regions. In my studies, I have used Arctic tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus arcticus), Fairy shrimps (Anostraca) and Daphnia as model organisms. Additionally, I have been working with IUCN Red List animals, rotenone treatments, life history traits, predator-prey interactions, energy transfer, aquatic food webs, paleoecology, bird ecology and parasites and been assessing the extinction risk of large crustaceans in numerous lakes and ponds in Finland and in Svalbard.

I started my studies at the University of Helsinki, Finland. During my MSc studies, I lived a year in Longyearbyen, studying Arctic Biology and collecting data for my MSc thesis in the University Centre in Svalbard, (UNIS). I completed my MSc degree in Biological and Environmental Sciences in 2013. After having a 5-year period in Norway, working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, returned to Finland in 2019 and finished my PhD project on environmental changes in the Arctic freshwaters at University of Jyväskylä in 2020.

Teaching

I have experience in teaching at university level courses, including giving lectures of freshwater ecology and data management. Teaching at the University of Helsinki included four courses: (I) field and laboratory course in environmental ecology, (II) economic perspective on ecosystem services, (III)  EcoTeam- course focusing on sustainable and responsible consumption, and (IV) advanced course in environmental ecology focusing on water insect ecology and identification.  I have organized and taught in international data management workshops in the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and in The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) in Norway. In addition, I have supervised two MSc students.