Mývatn Research Anniversary Conference
Skútustöðum, 16. - 19. September 2024
Long-term research that brings together many disciplines and scientists is essential for understanding the complex and changing world. This conference celebrates 50 years of long-term research at Lake Mývatn. Research at Mývatn has touched all aspects of the lake, from paleoecology to ecosystem processes, and from population dynamics to evolution. A central lesson from Mývatn is that, when trying to understand a system that is highly productive and full of strong ecological interactions, it is impossible to segregate different components of the system: for example, the population dynamics of a single species of midge can drive nutrient fluxes in the entire lake, and rapidly changing food resources can lead to evolutionary changes in fish that in turn feed back on their effects on their resources. All of these processes that are revealed by long-term research take place in a lake that plays an important conservation role as a major breeding site of waterfowl in Europe, and as home to rare Marimo (kúluskitur). Finally, to place Mývatn in context of freshwater systems, and freshwater science, in Iceland, the conference vision will encompass other long-term freshwater research programs in Iceland.
Skútustöðum, 16. - 19. September 2024
Long-term research that brings together many disciplines and scientists is essential for understanding the complex and changing world. This conference celebrates 50 years of long-term research at Lake Mývatn. Research at Mývatn has touched all aspects of the lake, from paleoecology to ecosystem processes, and from population dynamics to evolution. A central lesson from Mývatn is that, when trying to understand a system that is highly productive and full of strong ecological interactions, it is impossible to segregate different components of the system: for example, the population dynamics of a single species of midge can drive nutrient fluxes in the entire lake, and rapidly changing food resources can lead to evolutionary changes in fish that in turn feed back on their effects on their resources. All of these processes that are revealed by long-term research take place in a lake that plays an important conservation role as a major breeding site of waterfowl in Europe, and as home to rare Marimo (kúluskitur). Finally, to place Mývatn in context of freshwater systems, and freshwater science, in Iceland, the conference vision will encompass other long-term freshwater research programs in Iceland.
The conference will take place in Skútustaðir, the venue in Skjólbrekka and meals at Sel - Hótel Mývatn. Accommodation will be at Guesthouse Narfastaðir in Reykjadalur. The accomodation is in shared rooms and all booking through the conference. Space is limited to about 80 people. We will provide bus trips daily between the Guesthouse and the Venue. The conference is generously supported by the Mývatn Research Station
A link to pay the fees
A link to pay the fees
Program
Here is a draft programe, that can be subject to changes
Monday, 16. September |
||
13:30-13:40 |
Bjarni K. Kristjánsson |
Welcome |
13:40-14:40 |
Árni Einarsson |
50 years of research at Mývatn |
14:40-15:15 |
Coffee |
|
15:15-15:30 |
Eydís Salome Eiríksdóttir |
The coupling between organic activity and chemistry in Mývatn |
15:30-15:45 |
Gísli Már Gíslason |
The Laxá river ecosystem |
15:45-16:00 |
Jón S. Ólafsson |
Belgjaskógur |
16:00-16:15 |
Ragnhildur Hemmert Sigurðardóttir |
Living with Lake Mývatn |
18:00 |
Dinner |
|
Tuesday, 17. September |
||
9:00-9:15 |
Susan Stipp |
A high resolution peak at how diatoms control basaltic glass dissolution and growth |
9:15-9:30 |
Tony Ives |
Ecosystem production in Mývatn |
9:30-9:45 |
K. Riley Book |
The potential contributions of benthic and pelagic N2 fixation to ecosystem nitrogen acquisition in Mývatn |
9:45-10:00 |
Emily Adler |
Environmental drivers of zooplankton variation through time in Mývatn |
10:00-10:45 |
Coffee and posters |
|
10:45-11:00 |
Joe Phillips |
Midges as ecosystem engineers |
11:00-11:15 |
Tony Ives |
The 45-year time series of midges in Mývatn |
11:15-11:30 |
Bjarni K. Kristjánsson |
Threespine stickleback a key player in the Mývatn ecosystem |
11:30-11:45 |
Ragna Guðrún Snorradóttir |
Relationships between phenotype, diet, and individual specialization of threespine stickleback in Mývatn |
11:45-12:00 |
Joe Phillips |
Stickleback population fluctuations |
12:00-13:45 |
Lunch |
|
13:45-14:00 |
Alessandra Schnider |
The effects of temperature and diet on performance in Mývatn stickleback |
14:00-14:15 |
Katja Räsänen |
Evidence for microevolution in Mývatn stickleback |
14:15-14:30 |
Zophonías O. Jónsson |
Adaptive divergence in fluctuating environments - is it possible? |
14:30-14:45 |
Camille Leblanc |
The Cave Charr |
14:45-15:30 |
Coffee |
|
15:30-15:45 |
Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
Foraging and social behaviour of cave-living Arctic charr in the Mývatn area |
15:45-16:00 |
Lieke Ponsioen |
Acoustic telemetry as a tool to uncover habitat utilisation of fish |
16:00-16:15 |
Guðni Guðbegsson |
The past and present status of Arctic charr in Mývatn |
16:15-16:30 |
Guðbjörg Ósk Jónsdóttir |
Divergence of functional phenotypes in feeding elements of Arctic charr along the benthic – pelagic axis. |
18:00 |
Dinner |
|
Wednesday, 18 September |
||
9:00-9:15 |
Kristinn Pétur Magnússon |
Population Cycling of Icelandic Rock Ptarmigan: Health Parameters and Ecogenomic Insights |
9:15-9:30 |
Svenja Auhage |
Sea Eagles recolonizing Mývatn after 120 years? |
9:30-9:45 |
Snæþór Aðalseinsson |
Wintering area and experience effects on spring migration strategies, timing and breeding success in Icelandic-nesting Common Scoters Melanitta nigra |
9:45-10:00 |
Þorkell Lindberg Þórarinsson |
Long-term fluctuations and distributional changes of the Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus population in Iceland |
10:00-10:45 |
Coffee |
|
10:45-11:00 |
Grant Haines |
Body condition, competition, and survival in replicated wild charr populations |
11:00-11:15 |
Arnar Pálsson |
Genetic structure and relatedness of anadromous and landlocked populations of Icelandic brown trout |
11:15-11:30 |
Guðni Guðbegsson |
Fisheries management and status of fish stocks in River Laxá. |
11:30-11:45 |
Skúli Skúlason |
Conservation of biodiversity: lessons to learn from Mývatn. |
11:45-12:00 |
Eydís Líndal Finnbogadóttir |
Mývatn research towards the future |
12:00-13:40 |
Lunch |
|
13:40-17:30 |
Excursion around Lake Mývatn |
|
19:00 |
Celebrational Dinner |
|
Thursday, 19 September |
||
9:00-9:10 |
Tony Ives |
Future research on the Mývatn ecosystem |
9:10-9:20 |
Katja Räsänen |
Future research on sticklebacks |
9:20-9:30 |
Bjarni Kristjánsson |
On long term studies |
9:30-9:40 |
Camille Leblanc |
Future research on cave charr |
9:40-9:50 |
Agnes-Katharina Kreiling |
Introduction |
9:50-10:00 |
Árni Einarsson |
Research plan for Mývatn |
10:00-10:10 |
Tony Ives |
Questions for group discussion |
10:10-10:30 |
Coffee |
Value |
10:30-11:30 |
all participants |
Group discussion |
11:30-11:40 |
all participants |
Group answers to questions |
11:40-12:00 |
Organizers |
Closing |
12:00-13:40 |
Lunch |
Practical information
We will be staying at Narfastaðir in Reykjadal, about 20 minutes from the venue in Skjólbrekka. Accommodation will be to some extent in shared rooms.
All dinners will be in Narfastaðir, there is facilities for socializing after dinner, open bar etc.
We will provide bus-service between Narfastaðir and Skjólbrekka, where we go together in a bus in the moring at 8:30 and back when the program ends.
Lunch will be in Skjólbrekka, and we walk in between
Conference fees:
40 000 for participants, and partners, - This includes all accomodation and food. There is no discount if people are staying somewhere else (socialism at its best)
10 000 for students
Conference fees can only be paid online, and a link will be provided soon
All dinners will be in Narfastaðir, there is facilities for socializing after dinner, open bar etc.
We will provide bus-service between Narfastaðir and Skjólbrekka, where we go together in a bus in the moring at 8:30 and back when the program ends.
Lunch will be in Skjólbrekka, and we walk in between
Conference fees:
40 000 for participants, and partners, - This includes all accomodation and food. There is no discount if people are staying somewhere else (socialism at its best)
10 000 for students
Conference fees can only be paid online, and a link will be provided soon
Registration
Registration is open, click here to register for the conference and to send in abstract!
Abstract
We invite authors to submit abstracts to present at this year's conference using the guidelines below. We aim for the scientific program to be 15-20 min talk (included few minutes for discussion) and a poster session. Please specify your preference for a talk or a poster when submitting your abstract. Exact time limit for talks will be sent out closer to the conference when we know how many will attend and give talk.
The deadline for the abstract submission is August 23rd 2024.
Please submit your abstract on the same time as you register to the conference.
Abstracts must be written in English. Please ensure that contact details of the presenting author are submitted correctly.
Abstract submission guidelines:
In case of issues using the submission form, please format your abstract with all information above as a PDF and email to [email protected]
If you have any queries, please get in touch and we would be happy to help.
The deadline for the abstract submission is August 23rd 2024.
Please submit your abstract on the same time as you register to the conference.
Abstracts must be written in English. Please ensure that contact details of the presenting author are submitted correctly.
Abstract submission guidelines:
- Preference for poster or oral presentation
- Title – provide a brief title which clearly describes the nature of the work. Note that is does not necessary have to be the title of the presentation.
- Presenting author – please provide the full name of the presenting author.
- Contact details – email address of presenter
- Institutional affiliation – please provide the presenters institution, department name and country
- Full list of authors – please provide full list of authors, without titles.
- Text of abstract – Please limit text to 300 words
In case of issues using the submission form, please format your abstract with all information above as a PDF and email to [email protected]
If you have any queries, please get in touch and we would be happy to help.
A special issue will be published in Aquatic Ecology
The special issue in Aquatic Ecology will be about the biology of Lake Mývatn, and its surrounding areas.
Research on the biology of the lake have been published in a number of publications, but two special issues have been published, in Oikos in 1979 and in Aquatic Ecology in 2004. In addition, a book on the Nature of the Lake and its surrounding areas was published in Icelandic in 1991. The year 2024 marks an important step in the history of research of the Lake and its surrounding systems. The Research station, who is celebrating its 50th year anniversary is being merged in to a larger institution. Lastly, there are 20 years since the last conference and publication of a special issue about Lake Mývatn.
The Lake, and River Laxá who drains the lake, were protected by special laws in 1974. These laws mark the foundation of the Mývatn Research Station, who has maintained the monitoring of the lake and assisted and housed a number of research groups working on the Lake. The lake has high density and diversity of aquatic bird species, which has led to it being assigned as a Ramsar site. The lake, its unique ecosystems and its importance for the local communities have made it important for nature conservation in Iceland. This has been especially true in the last decades, as the area is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Iceland receiving over million tourists annually.
Lake Mývatn is a shallow, spring fed, highly productive eutrophic lake. The lake has been extensively studied, with long-term monitoring of important aspects of the lake´s biology dating back decades. An important aspect of the biology of the lake is strong spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the ecosystem, where fluctuations in populations of invertebrates (especially midges) and vertebrates (especially teleost and birds), can range over orders of magnitude.
Associated editors of the special issue are:
Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, professor, Hólar University, is an evolutionary ecologist and a limnologist whose studies have included fish and invertebrates in the Mývatn area for the last 25 years. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6984-5771
Gísli Már Gíslason, professor emeritus , University of Iceland, is a limnologist whose studies have included studying invertebrates and fishes of Lake Mývatn and the River Laxá. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8507-1796
Joseph Phillips, Assistant Professor, Creichton University, is a population and community ecologist who did his PhD work and post-doctoral research on Lake Mývatn and its surrounding area. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2016-1306
Katja Räsänen, Associate Professor, University of Jyväskylä, is ane evolutionary ecologist and intergrative biologist, whose work has included studying diversity of threespine stickleaback in Lake Mývatn. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6293-2634
Mireia Bartrons, Associate Professor, is an ecosystem ecologist, specializing in food webs and global ecology, whose work included a post-doctoral work on Lake Mývatn. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0617-9577
Zophonías Oddur Jónsson, Professor, is a molecular genetics, whose work has included studies on genomics of ecological adaptations. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5798-9647
Research on the biology of the lake have been published in a number of publications, but two special issues have been published, in Oikos in 1979 and in Aquatic Ecology in 2004. In addition, a book on the Nature of the Lake and its surrounding areas was published in Icelandic in 1991. The year 2024 marks an important step in the history of research of the Lake and its surrounding systems. The Research station, who is celebrating its 50th year anniversary is being merged in to a larger institution. Lastly, there are 20 years since the last conference and publication of a special issue about Lake Mývatn.
The Lake, and River Laxá who drains the lake, were protected by special laws in 1974. These laws mark the foundation of the Mývatn Research Station, who has maintained the monitoring of the lake and assisted and housed a number of research groups working on the Lake. The lake has high density and diversity of aquatic bird species, which has led to it being assigned as a Ramsar site. The lake, its unique ecosystems and its importance for the local communities have made it important for nature conservation in Iceland. This has been especially true in the last decades, as the area is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Iceland receiving over million tourists annually.
Lake Mývatn is a shallow, spring fed, highly productive eutrophic lake. The lake has been extensively studied, with long-term monitoring of important aspects of the lake´s biology dating back decades. An important aspect of the biology of the lake is strong spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the ecosystem, where fluctuations in populations of invertebrates (especially midges) and vertebrates (especially teleost and birds), can range over orders of magnitude.
Associated editors of the special issue are:
Bjarni K. Kristjánsson, professor, Hólar University, is an evolutionary ecologist and a limnologist whose studies have included fish and invertebrates in the Mývatn area for the last 25 years. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6984-5771
Gísli Már Gíslason, professor emeritus , University of Iceland, is a limnologist whose studies have included studying invertebrates and fishes of Lake Mývatn and the River Laxá. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8507-1796
Joseph Phillips, Assistant Professor, Creichton University, is a population and community ecologist who did his PhD work and post-doctoral research on Lake Mývatn and its surrounding area. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2016-1306
Katja Räsänen, Associate Professor, University of Jyväskylä, is ane evolutionary ecologist and intergrative biologist, whose work has included studying diversity of threespine stickleaback in Lake Mývatn. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6293-2634
Mireia Bartrons, Associate Professor, is an ecosystem ecologist, specializing in food webs and global ecology, whose work included a post-doctoral work on Lake Mývatn. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0617-9577
Zophonías Oddur Jónsson, Professor, is a molecular genetics, whose work has included studies on genomics of ecological adaptations. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5798-9647
