Jenny Ask
(PhD, Assistant Professor)
Email: jenny.ask@umu.se
Umeå University Webpage
Research Summary
I study aquatic ecology and biogeochemistry in northern lakes and brackish water coastal ecosystems, focusing on benthic processes. I mainly focus on the lower trophic levels in aquatic food webs, i.e. algae and bacteria, but also their relative contribution to higher trophic levels. More specifically, I study how biotic and abiotic factors influence the metabolism (primary production and respiration), biomass development and species composition of algae and bacteria in various aquatic ecosystems. Within this context, I also investigate the structural difference between benthic and pelagic habitats, and how environmental factors control the distribution of metabolic processes between these habitats. On a larger scale, I am interested in how aquatic ecosystems are affected by input of terrestrial organic matter, the role of aquatic environments in the global carbon cycle, and also winter (under ice) processes.