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Studies have often found that some habitats have high species diversity even though the area and quality of that habitat has decreased and fragmentation has increased. However, species diversity will likely decline over time if habitat is not restored. Similar time delays have been observed in the genetic patterns of plants. Based on the literature, the bachelor's thesis examines which and how large time delays have been found in the genetic patterns of plants. 

Supervisors of the thesis are Tsipe Aavik and Iris Reinula. 

During the last hundred years, the area of meadows in Europe has drastically decreased. This has created a situation where meadows are strongly fragmented in several landscapes. The bachelor's thesis examines whether the morphological characteristics (e.g. the number of flowers or the size of the leaf rosette) of a common meadow plant, cowslip (Primula veris) in a fragmented landscape, can differ from those of a more connected landscape, and what consequences the possible differences can bring. Data from the project FuncNet will be used and there’s a possibility to participate in the project’s field work.  

Supervisors of the thesis are Marianne Kivastik  and Iris Reinula. 

Ecosystem services are services provided by nature that benefit humanity. One important pillar of their supply is genetic diversity, which ensures the survival of the species in the long term. Based on the literature, the bachelor's thesis examines whether and how genetic diversity supports the provision of ecosystem services and whether the abundance of ecosystem services could in turn support the genetic diversity of different species. 

Supervisors of the thesis are Elisabeth Prangel and Iris Reinula. 

Genetic diversity is one part of the intra-species variation that is necessary for the survival of the species. In changing environmental conditions, the existence of genetic variability is especially necessary, because it allows individuals that are better adapted to certain environmental conditions to cope better in new conditions. The bachelor's thesis provides an overview of the landscape genomics research field, which studies the influence of the environment on genetic variation under natural selection (adaptive). In the workgroup we have collected data on the genetic diversity of Primula veris with various projects (e.g. FuncNet), which could be used in the bachelor's thesis if desired or further developed for a master's thesis. If interested, there is an opportunity to participate in the activities of the Funcnet project.  

Supervisors of the thesis are Tsipe Aavik and Iris Reinula. 

Increasing urbanization has a significant impact on both pollinators and the flowering plants that depend on them. The impact of urbanization on biodiversity can be both favorable and unfavorable, depending on both the degree of urbanization and the characteristics of the organisms. The bachelor's thesis provides an overview of the scientific literature, which have discussed the relationship between changes in the diversity and abundance of pollinating insects and pollinating plants with the rate of urbanization.   

The supervisors of the thesis are Virve Sõber and Tsipe Aavik. 

Genetic diversity is an important component of biodiversity securing the resilience of populations in an era of environmental change. However, despite its increasing relevance in the light of ongoing climate change, the recovery of genetic diversity is rarely assessed in monitoring programs. The bachelor's thesis will give an overview of the different aspects of restoration success, which can be monitored with the help of plant genetic data. It will also provide an overview of the known monitoring programs relying on temporal assessment of genetic diversity and gene flow of plants. The thesis is part of the international collaboration activity COST  GENOA (Genetic Nature Observation and Action).

The supervisors of the thesis are Iris Reinula and Tsipe Aavik. 

Genetic diversity of organisms is one of the main components of biodiversity alongside species and ecosystem diversity. Although the assessment of genetic diversity has become increasingly common in recent years, most research continues to be limited to assessing the fate of one or a few species. Therefore, it is difficult to make generalizations about regional and global patterns of genetic diversity and their determinants. It is also almost impossible to assess whether and to what extent global change, including climate change and the loss of natural habitats, has affected this important component of biodiversity. Macrogenetics is a new discipline that combines existing research on the genetic diversity of organisms to assess the patterns of this important component of biodiversity and identify the patterns that determine it. The aim of the bachelor's thesis is to provide a literature-based overview of macrogenetics as a field of science, plant-focused macrogenetic research and the main research results in this field.   

The supervisor of the thesis is Tsipe Aavik.

Landscape genetics is a scientific field that studies the influence of different landscape elements on the genetic diversity of organisms. Many different studies have been done, but the results are sometimes even contradictory. For example, in one study, the effect of a higher proportion of forest on plant genetic diversity may be positive, but in another, negative. Thus, it would be necessary to investigate whether some association is more common than the other. Using meta-analysis methods (combined analysis of the results of previous studies), the Master's thesis examines whether and what the general relationships might be between landscape elements and plant genetic diversity.  

The supervisors of the thesis are Tsipe Aavik and Iris Reinula. 

Increasing urbanization has a significant impact on both pollinators and the flowering plants that depend on them. The impact of urbanization on biodiversity can be both favorable and unfavorable, depending on both the degree of urbanization and the characteristics of the organisms. As part of the master's thesis, the impact of different management techniques on pollinator and plant communities in the green areas of the city of Tartu can be compared.   

The supervisors of the thesis are Virve Sõber and Tsipe Aavik. 

The majority of conservation activities are focused on maintaining species diversity, because species diversity is often expected to also reflect other components of biodiversity, like genetic diversity. However, it has been found that interactions between the different mechanisms can result in positive or negative correlations between genetic and species diversity or sometimes no correlation at all. The aim of the master's thesis is to study on the basis of already collected data, what is the relationship between the genetic diversity of cowslip (Primula veris) populations and the species diversity of alvar grasslands, and what nature conservation conclusions can be drawn from it.   

The supervisors of the thesis are Tsipe Aavik and Iris Reinula.