Schools engaged in forest biodiversity study
Mahwash Jamy and Tobias Andermann are going to compare biodiversity between natural forests and production forests, with the help of school pupils throughout the country. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
How does biodiversity differ between natural forests and production forests? Researchers Tobias Andermann and Mahwash Jamy are seeking to find out, with the help of school pupils throughout the country. The pupils will collect soil samples, which will then be analysed in collaboration with researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and SciLifeLab.
The project is being run by the Nobel Prize Museum under the name Help a Scientist (Forskarhjälpen) 2026 and has a tight schedule. The samples will be collected during May, and the schools will receive the analysis results from the research team at the beginning of October. The schools will then help to present the research findings in the form of posters, which will be displayed at the Nobel Prize Museum in December.
The starting point for the study is to compare different types of forests, explains Tobias Andermann:
“We’re going to compare biodiversity between natural forests and production forests where clear-cutting has taken place. We will be taking soil and spider web samples from both types of forest in order to extract environmental DNA (eDNA) from these samples.”
There is room for 35 schools in the project. Using a recently developed AI tool, the researchers will select two forest areas near each participating school – one with a recent history of logging and one that represents a natural forest.
Tobias Andermann, researcher at the Department of organismal biology. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
Collecting soil samples and spider webs
The pupils will collect soil samples using a spoon and place them in bags. In the forest, the pupils will also take photos and use an app that identifies the plants, fungi or animals visible in the pictures. In addition to soil, they will also be collecting spider webs, Mahwash Jamy explains:
“Spider webs act almost like an air filter. They are quite sticky, so pollen, spores, and pieces of DNA that are floating around in the air get stuck to them. So it’s a really nice way of getting airborne eDNA samples.”
In total, the researchers expect to receive hundreds of samples from which DNA will then be extracted, in collaboration with researchers at SciLifeLab and SLU. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
Once the samples have been sent to Uppsala, the researchers will begin matching the DNA from the samples with various organisms in the forest. In total, the researchers expect to receive hundreds of samples from which DNA will then be extracted, in collaboration with researchers at SciLifeLab and SLU.
“DNA is everywhere in the environment. There are also a lot of microbial organisms that we can’t even see with the naked eye, including protists and fungi. When we can find the DNA, we will look at reference databases where we can see which species each DNA sequence belongs to. We will also find many DNA sequences that we don’t have in our databases, likely originating from currently unknown species,” says Andermann.
Many unknown species
The researchers say that a large proportion of the species found in Swedish forests are unknown to science. According to current global estimates, for example, only one to five per cent of fungi are known. The research project will measure biodiversity, including both known and unknown species, and contribute to new knowledge about the impact of human activities on forest biodiversity.
“It’s also a curiosity-driven project. We want to know which species exist around us in the world, and there are still new things to explore. Finding out which organisms are present in different habitats and ecosystems will also help us understand how these ecosystems function,” says Jamy.
One challenge in the project is finding a natural forest near each school. To address this, an AI model is being used that was developed by Andermann and collaborators in a previous project in collaboration with the Swedish Forest Agency.
Mahwash Jamy, researcher at the Department of organismal biology. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
Data from airplanes and satellites
The model is based on LIDAR data from airplanes that have scanned the landscape throughout Sweden. In addition, the model also uses data derived from satellite images.
“This provides a really detailed data product that we can actually use to see which forests look like they have natural forest characteristics. The model learns to identify them, for example by looking at tree height variation and multi-generational growth. It seems that small pockets of such forests are scattered all over Sweden, so we are hopeful to find a forest of this kind near every school.”
Other models have been developed to estimate the age of different forest stands, making it possible to identify forests that were logged 40–50 years ago.
“Those are going to be sampled in this project, because they’re old enough that the trees have regrown after the harvest, but not old enough yet to be representative of natural forests. This way we can compare what a natural forest biodiversity signature looks like compared with the production forest,” says Andermann.
Annica Hulth
Help a scientist (Forskarhjälpen)
- In Help a scientist, students are given the opportunity to try out real research in collaboration with top scientists in Sweden.
- Students gain a deeper understanding of what a research project can mean, and at the same time, the scientists get some help with their research.
- The team presenting the best poster will be invited to join the official Nobel Prize ceremony at the end of the year.
- Help a scientist is funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.