Image
Copepods
Photo: C. Jönander
Breadcrumb

Ecological and evolutionary cost of chemical mixtures (CopeMix)

Research project
Active research
Project size
3000000
Project period
2018 - 2021
Project owner
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Short description

In CopeMix we study if chemical mixtures in the environment can drive evolution and cause changes in biodiversity with subsequent loss of resilience and structural and functional deterioration of pelagic plankton communities.

Members

Ingela Dahllöf (professor)
Christina Jönander (PhD student)

Collaborations

Peter Tiselius (professor)
Mats Töpel,  Department of Marine Sciences
Ida-Maja Hassellöv, Chalmers

 

More about the project

The aim of CopeMix is to determine whether environmentally realistic chemical mixtures function as evolutionary drivers that cause changes in biodiversity and subsequent loss of resilience and structural and functional deterioration of pelagic plankton communities. Marine plankton communities will be used as model system as these can be kept under near-realistic conditions while providing a high diversity of test organisms.

Focus will be on three model mixtures representing contamination from shipping activities, sewage treatment plants, and and a combination of those in order to simulate different coastal habitats.

The project will contribute will knowledge on the evolutionary and ecological potential of chemical mixtures at realistic concentrations to shape marine plankton communities. The results, methods and end-points will contribute to the development of a more holistic approach to ecological risk assessment of mixtures that is lacking today.