Unravelling the Past and Present: Marine Phytoplankton Population Dynamics in the face of the Anthropocene

During my PhD, I explored how Baltic Sea phytoplankton populations, especially the diatom Skeletonema marinoi, have responded to environmental pressures over the past 8,000 years. Using a mix of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA), molecular ecology, and resurrected resting stages, I tracked population dynamics and found long-term genetic stability that is now being challenged by human impacts. This work shows how genomic monitoring can help us understand and assess ecosystem resilience.