Veljo Kisand

Research:

Our current research is divided into following major directions:

1. Paleolimnolgy and - microbiology. Project aims to optimize and develop fossil DNA based methods for analysis of paleodiversity in lake sediment samples. Fine resolution analysis of total algal community based on DNA with higher replication of samples is presumed to facilitate analysis and construction of paleoclimatic and –environmental changes.

Major collaborators:

Institute of Geology, Tallinna Univeristy of Technology
Dr Normunds Stivrinš, Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
Prof Heikki Seppä, Department of Geosciences and Geography, Univeristy of Helsinki, Finland

2. Ecology, physiology and phylogeny of bacteria in lakes and their catchments. We are studing the diversity and activity of bacteria in the sediment, sediment-water column interaction, resuspension, and in water column. Objective of this research is to shed light on importance of the resuspention events on the bacterial diversity and activity in above mentioned compartments. In addition we study distribution of bacterial species withing lake ecosystems and its interaction with catchment waters.

Major collaborators:

Võrtsjärv Centre for Limnology, Estonian University of Life Sciences

3. Biogeography and ecology of the natural communities of bacteria to various antibiotics. The task of this research is to describe the naturally occurring resitance pool and estimate to possible flow between pathogenic and mediacally important strains and natural bacterial communities.

Major collaborators:

4. Paleolimnolgy and - microbiology. Project aims to optimize and develop fossil DNA based methods for analysis of paleodiversity in lake sediment samples. Fine resolution analysis of total algal community based on DNA with higher replication of samples is presumed to facilitate analysis and construction of paleoclimatic and –environmental changes.

Major collaborators:

Institute of Geology, Tallinna Univeristy of Technology
Dr Anne Bjune, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
Prof Heikki Seppä, Department of Geosciences and Geography, Univeristy of Helsinki, Finland

5. Microbes in the Baltic Sea. Various projects deal topics from mesocosms to biogeography of microbes in the Baltic Sea, from environmental strains genomics to metagenomics

Major collaborators:

BLUEPRINT concortium
Dr. Inga Lips (Tallinna Univeristy of Technology)
Dr. Risto Lignell (Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Finland)
Dr. Johan Wikner (UMF, Sweden)

6. Micorbiome in fish and and fish populations. Emerging research topic to assess microbiome and fish pathogens relationship to population genetics of fishes in collaboration with:

Dr. Anti Vasemägi, Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Drottningholm, Sweden
Estonian University of Life Sciences

Publications

Team:

Group leader:

Veljo Kisand, Associate Professor in Molecular Ecology, PhD, PI

Research Scientists:

Helen Tammert, PhD, helen.tammert@ut.ee

PhD students:

Liisi Talas, liisi.talas@gmail.com

Mailis Laht, mailis.laht@ut.ee

Associates:

Ilmar Tõnno, PhD, ilmar.tonno@limnos.ee

Triin Reitalu, PhD, triinreitalu@gmail.com