• Metadata from our marine sampling stations

  • School lessons scenarios (in polish)

  • Dwarf inspired mathematical excersises for secondary and high school children (in polish)

  • Logo DWARF

  • The DWARF project t-shirt for the 2014 sampling season

  • The DWARF SPECIES GALLERY

  • Our movies

  • Sampling campaign blogs

  • Popular science books:

    Jan Marcin Węsławski & Dag O. Hassen, "Size; why are some animals small and other large?"


  • Popular science publications:

    Krzysztof Zawierucha, 2019, "Body size of terrestrial tardigrades – chasing the white rabbit" Glacier & Polar Life

    Krzyrztof Zawierucha, 2018, "Beautiful beasts – the revision of Arctic tardigrades with a description of a new species from African mountains" Glacier & Polar Life

    Krzysztof Zawierucha, 2017, " Into the glaciers with a student grant"(in polish), Nauka w Polsce

    Krzyrztof Zawierucha, Jan Marcin Węsławski, 2017, "The climate warming may... cause animal shrinking" (in polish), Crazy Nauka

    Krzysztof Zawierucha, 2016, "Zmieniająca się wielkość ciała, czyli odpowiedź zwierząt na zmiany klimatu", Biologia w Szkole 5: 9-13


  • Popular science presentations:

    Jan Marcin Węsławski "Duże zwierzęta w morzu"

  • Science festivals:



  • Research papers:

    Stepien A., Kuklinski P., Wlodarska-Kowalczuk M, Porter J.A., 2020, A preliminary investigation of change in Bryozoa zooid size along a thermal gradient of the North Atlantic Sea region. Australasian Palaeontological Memoirs 52: 139-146, go to paper!

    Telesiński M.M., Szymańska N., Pawłowska J., Zajączkowski M., 2020, Does foraminiferal test size reflect changes in palaeoenvironmental conditions?—a case study from the southern Svalbard shelf. Polar Research, 39: 3624, go to paper!

    Trudnowska E., Stemmann L., Błachowia-Samołyk K., Kwaśniewski S., 2020, Taxonomic and size structures of zooplankton communities in the fjords along the Atlantic water passage to the Arctic. Journal of Marine Systemns, 204: 103306, doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2020.103306, go to paper!

    Mazurkiewicz M., Górska B., Renaud P.E., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., 20202, Latitudinal consistency of biomass size spectra - benthic resilience despite environmental, taxonomic and functional trait variability. Scientific Reports, 10 (1): 4164, doi:10.1038/s41598-020-60889-4, go to paper!

    Górska B., Gromisz S., Włodarska-Kowalczuka, M., 2019, Size assessment in polychaete worms-application of morphometric correlations for common North Atlantic taxa. Limnology and Oceanography Methods 17 (4): 254-265, go to paper!

    Mazurkiewicz M., Górska B., Renaud P., Legeżyńska J., Berge J., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., 2019, Seasonal consistency of benthic size spectra in an Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard). Polar Biology 42 (7): 1255-1270, doi: 10.1007/s00300-019-02515-2, go to paper!

    Molis M., Beuchel F., Laudien J, Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., Buschbaum C., 2019, Ecological drivers of and responses by Arctic benthic communities, with an emphasis on Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. In: Hop H., Wiencke C., (eds) The Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Advances in Polar Ecology vol 2. Springeg, Cham, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-46425-1_11, go to paper!

    Choquet M., Hatlebakk M., Dhanasiri A.K. S., Kosobokova K., Smolina I., Søreide J.E., Svensen C., Melle W., Kwaśniewski S., Eiane K., Daase M., Tverberg V., Skreslet S., Bucklin A., Hoarau G., 2017, Genetics redraws pelagic biogeography of Calanus, Biology Letters, 13: 20170588, doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0588, go to paper!

    Sengupta, S., Ergon, T., Leinaas, H.P., 2017, Thermal plasticity in post-embryonic life history traits of a widely distributed Collembola: Effects of macroclimate and microhabitat on genotypic differences. Ecology and Evolution, 7 (19): 8100-8112, go to paper!

    Stępień A., Kukliński P., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., Krzemińska M., Gudmundsson G., 2017. "Bryozoan zooid size variation across a bathymetric gradient: a case study from the Icelandic shelf and continental slope." Marine Biology, 164: 197, doi: 10.1007/s00227-017-3231-9, go to paper!

    Gąsiorek, P., Zawierucha K., Stec D., Michalczyk Ł., 2017. "Integrative redescription of a common Arctic water bear Pilatobius recamieri (Richters, 1911)". Polar Biology 40 (11): 2239–2252, go to paper!

    Alfsnes, K., Leinaas, H.P., Hessen D.O., 2017, "Genome size in arthropods; different roles of phylogeny, habitat and life history in insects and crustaceans." Ecology and Evolution 7 (15): 5939–5947, doi:10.1002/ece3.3163, go to paper!

    Pawłowska J., Łącka M., Kucharska M., Szymańska N., Koziorowska K., Kuliński K., Zajączkowski M., 2017, "Benthic foraminifera contribution to fjord modern carbon pools: A seasonal study in Adventfjorden, Spitsbergen." Geobiology, 15 (5): 704-714, doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12242 go to paper!

    Gąsiorek P., Stec D., Zawierucha K., Kristensen R.M., Michalczyk L, 2018 Revision of Testechiniscus Kristensen, 1987 (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae) refutes the polar-temperate distribution of the genus, Zootaxa 4472 (2): 261–297 go to paper!

    Zawierucha K., Podkowa P., Marciniak M., Gąsiorek P., Zmudczyńska-Skarbek K., Janko K., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., 2018, Temperature (latitude) and nutrient (seabird guano) effects on limno-terrestrial Tardigrada (Testechiniscus spitsbergensis and Pilatobiusrecamieri) body size, Polar Reserach 37, 1492297, doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2018.1492297 go to paper!

    Trudnowska, E., Saga, S., Blachowiak-Samolyk, K., 2018, Spatial variability and size structure of particles and plankton in the Fram Strait. Progress in Oceanography 168, 1-12, doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2018.09.005 go to paper!

    Renaud, P.E., M. Daase, N.S. Banas, T.M Gabrielsen, J. Søreide, Ø. Varpe, F. Cottier, S. Falk-Petersen, C. Halsband, D. Vogedes, K. Heggland, J. Berge., 2018, Pelagic food-webs in a changing Arctic: a trait-based perspective suggests a mode of resilience, ICES Journal of Marine Science (in press), doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy063. go to paper!

    Borgstrøm R., Aas M., Hegseth H., Dempson J.B. & Svenning M.-A., 2018, Lepidurus arcticus (Crustacea : Notostraca); an unexpected prey of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in a High Arctic river. Boreal Environment Research 23: 149–157. go to paper!

    Zaborska A., Beszczyńska-Moller A., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., 2017, History of heavy metal accumulation in the Svalbard area: distribution, origin and transport pathways. Environmental Pollution 231: 437-450, doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.042 go to paper!

    Mazurkiewicz M., Gromisz S., Legeżyńska J., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., First records of Lacydonia eliasoni Hartmann-Schröder, 1996 (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida) in the European Arctic. Polish Polar Research 38(2): 175-185, doi: 10.1515/popore-2017-0011 go to paper!

    Pouch A., Zaborska A., Pazdro K. 2017, Concentrations and origin of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in sediments of western Spitsbergen fjords (Kongsfjorden, Hornsund, and Adventfjorden). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189: 175, doi:10.1007/s10661-017-5858-x go to paper!

    Górska, B. and Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., 2017. Food and disturbance effects on Arctic benthic biomass and production size spectra. Progress in Oceanography, 152: 50–61, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2017.02.005 go to paper!

    Leinaas, H.P., Jalal, M., Gabrielsen, T.M., Hessen, D.O., 2016. Inter- and intraspecific variation in body- and genome size in calanoid copepods from temperate and arctic waters. Ecology and Evolution 6: 5585 – 5595, doi:10.1002/ece3.2302 go to paper!

    Zawierucha K., Kolicka M., Kaczmarek Ł., 2016. Re-description of the Arctic tardigrade Tenuibiotus voronkovi (Tumanov, 2007 (Eutardigrada; Macrobiotidea), with the first molecular data for the genus. Zootaxa 4196.4 (2016): 498-510, doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4196.4.2 go to paper!

    Mazurkiewicz M., Górska B., Jankowska E., Włodarska-Kowalczuk M., 2016. Assessment of nematode biomass in marine sediments: A semi-automated image analysis method. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods doi:10.1002/lom3.10128 go to paper!

    Alfsnes K., Hobæk, A., Weider, L.J., Hessen, D.O., 2016, Birds, nutrients, and climate change: mtDNA haplotype diversity of Arctic Daphnia on Svalbard revisited. Polar Biology 1-13, doi:10.1007/s00300-015-1868-8 go to paper!

    Porter J.S., Spencer Jones M.E., Kuklinski P., Rouse S., 2015, First records of marine invasive non-native Bryozoa in Norwegian coastal waters from Bergen to Trondheim. Bioinvasions Records 4: 157-169 go to paper!


  • Submitted manuscripts:

    Hessen D.O., Jalal M., Svenning M.-A., Erythrocyte size and genome size in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus): A linkage to temperature and body size?, Journal of Fish Biology (submitted)


  • Information for the project participants
  • Conference presentations:

    Paul Renaud, Malin Daase, Neil Banas, Janne Søreide, Tove Gabrielsen, Øystein Varpe, Finlo Cottier, Stig Falk-Petersen, Claudia Halsband, Daniel Vogedes, Kristin Heggland, Jørgen Berge, "Impacts of climate change on productivity of Arctic marine food-chains", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Hans Peter Leinass ,Dag O. Hessen, “Body size variations between temperate and arctic populations of marine and terrestrial ectotherms; Calanoid Copepods and Collembola as model organisms” , Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Martin-A. Svenning, M. Jalal, E Damm Soby, D.O. Hessen, "Erythrocyte size and genome size in Arctic charr; a linkage to temperature and body size?", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Anna Stępień , Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Joanne Porter, "Spatial and temporal trends in bryozoan zooid size and shape variability along latitudinal gradient in the North Atlantic", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Dag O. Hessen, Kristian Alfsnes, Hans P. Leinaas, Martin Svenning, "Genome size and body size in ectotherms related to temperature; Ecological and evolutionary drivers", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, Anna Kubiszyn, Sławomir Sagan, Józef Wiktor, Rafał Boehnke, Emilia Trudnowska, "Insights on relationship between distribution of different plankton size fractions alond Isfjorden (Spitsbergen) environmental gradients", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Sławomir Kwaśniewski, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, Emialia Trudnowska, "Size responce to global warming in high latitude and Arctic marine zooplankton - DWARF-ing is likely", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Joanna Pawłowska, Magdalena Łącka, Natalia Szymańska, Małgorzata Kucharska, Agnieszka Kujawa, Marek Zajączkowski, "Does the size really matters? The effect of climate variability on the size of benthic foraminifera.", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jan Marcin Węsławski, Joaana Legeżyńska, Katarzyna Dragańska, Waldemar Walczowski, "Temperature controlled size changes in marine crustaceans (benthic and hyperbenthic Malacostraca)", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Barbara Górska, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "Food and disturbance effects on Arcitc benthic biomass and production size spectra", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Barbara Górska, Paul Renaud, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "Will size in Arctic benthic communities respond to climate warming? Variabilit in biomass size spectra alonf latitudinal gradient (60-80'N)" Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic

    Emilia Trudnowska, Sagan Sławomir, Sunnje Basedow, Zhou Meng, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, "Latitudinal and vertical gradients in structure and distribution of size-fractionated plankton in the eastern Fram Strait region", Arctic Frontiers 2017, 21-26th January, Tromso, Norway

    Sławomir Kwaśniewski, Weronika Patula, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, Emilia Trudnowska, Size-related response of zooplankton to various temperature regimes along latitudinal gradient from boreal to polar marine coastal ecosystems, Arctic Frontiers 2017, 21-26th January, Tromso, Norway

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Barbara Górska, Assesement of climate change impact on size structure of benthic communities, 51th European Marine Biology Symposium, 26-30th September 2016, Rodos, Greece

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Barbara Górska, Paul Renaud, Arctic benthic biomass size spectra in response to climate changes, 9th GeoSymposium of Young Researchers “Silesia 2016”, 31st August - 02nd September 2016, Kroczyce, Poland

    Barbara Górska, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Will the warming influence the size in Arctic meiofauna? - patterns in biomass and production size spectra along the latitudinal gradients (60 – 80 °N), 16th International Meiofauna Conference, 3-8th July 2016, Heraklion, Greece

    Emilia Trudnowska, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, Sławomir Kwaśniewski, The size response of zooplankton to various temperature regimes across latitudinal gradient from 60°N up to 80°N , ASLO 2016 Summer Meeting, 5-10th June 2016, Santa Fe, USA

    Anna Stępień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Joanne Porter, Bryozoa zooid size along thermal gradient of North Atlantic, International Bryozoology Conference, 11-16th April, Melbourne, Australia

    Jan Marcin Węsławski, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Arctic fauna in a changing climate – projects: DWARF and GLAERE , Polish and Norwegian research on climate and environment. 19-20 November 2015, Sopot, Poland

    Anna Stępień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska Kowalczuk, Małgorzata Krzemińska, Gudmundur Gudmundson, Bathymetric patterns in Bryozoa zooid size on shelf and continental slope off Iceland, 50th European Marine Biology Symposium. 21-25 September 2015, Helgoland, Germany

    Paul Renaud, Declining size -a general response to climate warming in Arctic fauna? (DWARF), "6th Programme Committee Meeting" of the Polish Norwegian Programme. 24th June 2015, Tromsø, Norway

    Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Barbara Gorska, Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, "Benthic Biomass Size Spectra - a tool to identify biotic response to environmental change in the Arctic? Arctic Science Summit Week, ISAR-4 and ICARP III Symposium. 27-30th April 2015, Toyama, Japan

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Barbara Górska, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "DWARF - Declining size - a general response to climate warming in Arctic fauna? - A Polish - Norwegian Research Project." Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) science workshop. ISTAS: Integrating spatial and temporal scales in the changing Arctic System: towards future research priorities. 21 October 2014, Plouzané, France

    Anna Stępień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska Kowalczuk, "Zooid size structure along thermal regimes in the arctic region – overview of the project", Larwood Symposium. 12–13 Czerwca 2014, Sopot, Polska

    Anna Stepień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "Bryozoan size structure across a gradient of thermal regimes in the Northern Hemisphere (DWARF) – an overview of the project", June 2014, 35th Polar Symposium, Wrocław, Poland

    Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "DWARF - Declining size - a general response to climate warming in Arctic fauna?",
    Annual Institute of Oceanology Conference, Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Sea Research, 7th February 2014, Sopot, Poland

  • Posters:

    Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Agata Zaborska, Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Emilia Jankowska, "Organic carbon storage and benthic consumption in sediments of northern fjord (60-80'N)", European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017, 8-13th April 2017, Vienna, Austria
    go to poster!

    Anna Stępień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska Kowalczuk, Małgorzata Krzemińska, "Variation in size and shape of bryozoan zooids on continental shelf and slope of southern Iceland". Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Krzysztof Zawierucha Paweł Podkowa, Piotr Gąsiorek, Martyna Marciniak, Lidia Szymkowiak, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "Morphometric Snapshots Reveal no Effect of Latitude on Water Bears (Tardigrada) Body Size", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Agnieszka Kujawa, Natalia Szymańska, Małgorzata Kucharska, Magdalena Łącka, Joanna Pawłowska, Marek Zajączkowski, "The Patterns of Foraminiferal Test Size Change Along Thermal Graadients", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Mateusz Ormańczyk, Emialia Trudnowska, Sławomir Kwaśniewski, "56 vx. 180um mesh NetCatchability", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Emilia Trudnowska, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk, Sławomir Kwaśniewski, "When size spectrum reflects only a port of the story - zooplanktoon size structure along natural temeprature gradient (60-80'N)", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Barbara Górska, Emilia Jankowska, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "A semi-automated image analysis method for bennthic nematodes size assessment", Arctic Science Summit Week 2017, 04-07th April 2017, Prague, Czech Republic
    go to poster!

    Mikołaj Mazurkiewicz, Barbara Górska, Paul Renaud, Jan Marcin Węsławski, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, "Will climate warming impact the size structure of Arctic benthic communities? - benthic biomass size spectra along latitudinal gradient (60-80'N)", Arctic Frontiers 2017, 21-26th January 2017, Tromso, Norway
    go to poster!

    Natalia Szymańska, Agnieszka Kujawa, Joanna Pawłowska, Magdalena Łąska, Małgorzata Kucharska, Katarzyna Koziorowska, Karol Kuliński, Marek Zajączkowski, "Rola otwornic w obiegu węgla w fiordach arktycznych. 2. Udział otwornic w puli węgla w osadach Adventfjorden, Svalbard", XII Conference "Chemia, Geochemia i Ochrona Środowiska Morskiego", 21 Września 2016, Sopot, Poland
    link do posteru!

    Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Agata Zaborska, Mikolaj Mazurkiewicz, Emilia Jankowska, "Environmental drivers and benthic controls of organic carbon burial in northern fjords - a latitudinal (60-80 N) perspective", 35th International Geological Congress, 27th August-4th September 2016, Cape Town, RSA
    go to poster!

    Klaudia Gregorczyk, Katarzyna Grzelak, Jan Marcin Węsławski, " Comparison of meiofauna communities on soft bottom in two different fjords of Spitsbergen", MeioScool 2016 Meiofauna Summer School, 27 June - 1 July 2016, Plouzané, France
    go to poster!

    Joanna Pawłowska, Magdalena Łącka, Natalia Szymańska, Małgorzata Kucharska, Agnieszka Kujawa, Marek Zajączkowski, "Size matters: the response of foraminifera test size to changing climate", PAST Gateways 4th International Conference. 23-27th May 2016, Trondheim, Norway
    go to poster!

    Sławomir Kwaśniewski, Emilia Trudnowska, Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyl, Mateusz Ormańczyk, "Will Arctic Ocean zooplankton DWARF as water temperature increases?", ICES/PICES 6th Zooplankton Production Symposium "New Challenges in a Changing Ocean". 9-13th May, Bergen, Norway
    go to poster!

    Anna Stępień, Piotr Kukliński, Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Joanne Porter, "Polymorphism trends in North Atlantic bryozoans", International Bryozoology Conference. 11-16th April 2016, Melbourne, Australia
    go to poster!

    Mazurkiewicz, M., Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Górska, B., Renaud P., "Prediction of Changes in Arctic Benthic Ecosystems on the Basis of Large Scale Study of Benthic Biomass Size Spectra", Ocean Sciences Meeting 2016, 21-26 February 2016, New Orleans, USA
    go to poster!

    Szymkowiak, L., Włodarska-Kowalczuk, M., Zawierucha K., "Porownanie morfometryczne populacji lądowych niesporczaków (Tardigrada) Svalbardu", II Poznańskie Sympozjum Młodych Naukowców 'Nowe Oblicze Nauk Przyrodniczych', 14th November 2015, Poznań, Poland
    go to poster!