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JYU code: ECOS1082
Credits: 1 ECTS
Time: 13.2. - 15.2.2025
Location: Konnevesi Research Station, Konnevesi, Finland
Course coordinator: Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥
Lecturers: Dr. Sara Calhim and Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥) 
Assessment criteria: Activity and presence during the course
Grading: Pass/fail
Maximum number of students: 16
Learning outcomes: Students will learn how tardigrades, mosses, lichens and unicellular algae survive extreme cold and temperature fluctuations.  
Contents: Lectures (4 h). Hands-on laboratory work; field survey and collecting test material (4h), experimenting on cold tolerance and survival of tardigrades and algae, experimenting on cold damage on mosses and lichens, (14 h), data analysis and discussions (4h).

NB! Winter in Finland can have very variable weather so be sure to have enough warm clothes and proper shoes. For sauna, swimming suit is needed.  Course material is provided by the organizers.

JYU code: BENS5109 
Credits: 2 ECTS
Time: 17. - 21.2.2025
Location: Konnevesi Research Station, Konnevesi, Finland
Course coordinator: Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥
Lecturers: Dr. Heikki Helle (birds, BirdLife Finland), Prof. Philipp Lehmann (insects, Greifswald University), Dr. Minna-Maarit Kytöviita (plants, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥), Dr. Saana Sipari (mammals, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥), 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.