Research at the Biodiversity Unit
Research at Biodiversity Unit focuses broadly on biodiversity and ecosystem functions and –services.
The research infrastructure including the botanical garden and two field stations, long-term experiments and environmental monitoring datasets and scientific collections provides an excellent support for multidisciplinary research on topical questions such as climate change, biodiversity crisis, and the sustainable use and protection of natural resources in both natural and man-made environments.
In addition to its own research, the Biodiversity Unit promotes multidisciplinary research at the university and serves as a showcase for public outreach.
Our research
New publications
West Side Story: systematics of funnel-weavers (Araneae: Agelenidae: Ageleninae) from arid western South Africa, with two new genera and 16 new species (2026)
Zootaxa
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Subfamily Campopleginae Foerster, 1869 (2026)
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book)Patterns and Drivers of Knowledge Gaps in Global Databases of Mammal Traits (2026)
Diversity and Distributions
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Finnish winter gnat (Diptera, Trichoceridae) fauna in the light of morphology and DNA barcodes (2026)
Memoranda Societatis Pro Fauna Et Flora Fennica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Liiketoiminta vahvistamaan luonnon monimuotoisuutta : Hallitustenvälisen luontopaneelin (IPBES) arviointiraportin keskeiset viestit ja suosituksia kansallisen luontopolitiikan suunnitteluun ja päätöksentekoon (2026)
(D4 Published development or research report or study )Subfamily Mesochorinae Foerster, 1869 (2026)
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book)Local diversity of Afrotropical and Neotropical Brachycyrtinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with two new species from western Amazonia and keys to species (2026)
Journal of Hymenoptera Research
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Balancing plates and planets: optimising affordable, low-emissions diets for Ghanaian adults (2026)
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Subfamily Tersilochinae Schmiedeknecht, 1910 (2026)
(A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book)New taxonomic and faunistic data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Iraqi Kurdistan, with an updated regional checklist (2026)
Zootaxa
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)