Anders Nielsen
Head of Department/Head of Research
Authors
Paul Ragnar Berg Lawrence Richard Kirkendall Kyrre Linné Kausrud Martin Malmstrøm Anders Bryn Kjetil Hindar Johanna Järnegren Anders Nielsen Erlend Birkeland Nilsen Brett Kevin Sandercock Eva Bonsak Thorstad Gaute VelleAbstract
Import of leeches for medical use and hobby keeping poses a low risk of negative effects on Norwegian biodiversity. This is the key message in a risk assessment of two species of blood-sucking leeches conducted by VKM for the Norwegian Environment Agency. Background The two species of leeches (Hirudo medicinalis and H. verbana) have in recent years become more commonly used in Western medicine for various procedures where maintaining good blood flow is important. Hirudo medicinalis is considered native to Norway and is found in scattered populations in southern Norway. There is uncertainty about the genetic impact on these populations if imported leeches were to be released into the wild. Hirudo verbana is not registered in Norway but may have been imported as H. medicinalis in the past. Both species are listed under Appendix I, List B of the Norwegian CITES regulations. Methods VKM reviewed scientific literature to uncover potential negative effects in light of the leeches’ ecology under Norwegian conditions. VKM also investigated how the trade in live leeches is conducted, where they originate from, and outlined possible risk-reducing measures. VKM assessed four factors of potential relevance for negative impacts on biodiversity and conducted risk assessments for each: Hybridisation or other negative genetic impacts on local populations Competition with other leech species Parasitism or predation on amphibian populations Transmission of diseases Additionally, VKM assessed the extent of such imports and the likelihood of imported leeches ending up in Norwegian nature. Results VKM concluded that it is moderately likely that H. medicinalis will genetically affect Norwegian populations, but this will have minimal negative effects. Hybridisation between H. verbana and H. medicinalis is considered unlikely and would have little effect if it occurs. ”The leeches already present in Norway mainly originate from leeches imported from Europe in the 1800s. The introduction of new genes from the same areas now will therefore have minimal impact. The risk is therefore low,” says Lawrence Kirkendall, the scientific leader of the work. For parasitism or predation, amphibians are the main species that could theoretically be negatively affected by the leeches. VKM concludes that such negative effects are very unlikely and would have little or minimal impact. This implies low risk. Regarding competition and disease transmission, VKM assesses that these factors have little or minimal effect on biodiversity and are very unlikely. "We assess that the effects on biodiversity in Norway, if imported leeches were to end up in an environment where they thrive, are very small. At the same time, it is very unlikely that leeches used for medical procedures will end up in nature. The overall assessment is therefore that both species are associated with low risk of negative impact on biodiversity," says Kirkendall. The risk assessment is approved by the VKM Panel for Biodiversity.
Authors
Markus A. K. Sydenham Yoko L. Dupont Anders Nielsen Jens M. Olesen Henning Bang Madsen Astrid Brekke Skrindo Claus Rasmussen Megan Sara Nowell Zander Venter Stein Joar Hegland Anders Gunnar Helle Daniel Ingvar Jeuderan Skoog Marianne Strand Torvanger Kaj-Andreas Hanevik Sven Emil Hinderaker Thorstein Paulsen Katrine Eldegard Trond Reitan Graciela Monica RuschAbstract
Climate change, landscape homogenization, and the decline of beneficial insects threaten pollination services to wild plants and crops. Understanding how pollination potential (i.e. the capacity of ecosystems to support pollination of plants) is affected by climate change and landscape homogenization is fundamental for our ability to predict how such anthropogenic stressors affect plant biodiversity. Models of pollinator potential are improved when based on pairwise plant–pollinator interactions and pollinator's plant preferences. However, whether the sum of predicted pairwise interactions with a plant within a habitat (a proxy for pollination potential) relates to pollen deposition on flowering plants has not yet been investigated. We sampled plant–bee interactions in 68 Scandinavian plant communities in landscapes of varying land-cover heterogeneity along a latitudinal temperature gradient of 4–8°C, and estimated pollen deposition as the number of pollen grains on flowers of the bee-pollinated plants Lotus corniculatus and Vicia cracca. We show that plant–bee interactions, and the pollination potential for these bee-pollinated plants increase with landscape diversity, annual mean temperature, and plant abundance, and decrease with distances to sand-dominated soils. Furthermore, the pollen deposition in flowers increased with the predicted pollination potential, which was driven by landscape diversity and plant abundance. Our study illustrates that the pollination potential, and thus pollen deposition, for wild plants can be mapped based on spatial models of plant–bee interactions that incorporate pollinator-specific plant preferences. Maps of pollination potential can be used to guide conservation and restoration planning.
Authors
Markus A. K. Sydenham Yoko Dupont Anders Nielsen Jens Olesen Henning Bang Madsen Astrid Brekke Skrindo Claus Rasmussen Megan Sara Nowell Zander Venter Stein Joar Hegland Anders Gunnar Helle Daniel Ingvar Jeuderan Skoog Marianne Strand Torvanger Kaj-Andreas Hanevik Sven Emil Hinderaker Thorstein Paulsen Katrine Eldegard Trond Reitan Graciela Monica RuschAbstract
Climate change, landscape homogenization and the decline of beneficial insects threaten pollination services to wild plants and crops. Understanding how pollination potential (i.e. the capacity of ecosystems to support pollination of plants) is affected by climate change and landscape homogenization is fundamental for our ability to predict how such anthropogenic stressors affect plant biodiversity. Models of pollinator potential are improved when based on pairwise plant-pollinator interactions and pollinator´s plant preferences. However, whether the sum of predicted pairwise interactions with a plant within a habitat (a proxy for pollination potential) relates to pollen deposition on flowering plants has not yet been investigated. We sampled plant-bee interactions in 68 Scandinavian plant communities in landscapes of varying land-cover heterogeneity along a latitudinal temperature gradient of 4–8 C°, and estimated pollen deposition as the number of pollen grains on flowers of the bee-pollinated plants Lotus corniculatus, and Vicia cracca. We show that plant-bee interactions, and the pollination potential for these bee-pollinated plants increase with landscape diversity, annual mean temperature, plant abundance, and decrease with distances to sand-dominated soils. Furthermore, the pollen deposition in flowers increased with the predicted pollination potential, which was driven by landscape diversity and plant abundance. Our study illustrates that the pollination potential, and thus pollen deposition, for wild plants can be mapped based on spatial models of plant-bee interactions that incorporate pollinator-specific plant preferences. Maps of pollination potential can be used to guide conservation and restoration planning.
Division of Environment and Natural Resources
CANALLS Agroecological practices for sustainable transition
Agroecology covers all activities and actors involved in food systems. It also places the well-being of people (producers and consumers of crops and products) at its core. The EU-funded CANALLS project will focus on the agroecological zones and diverse farming systems in the humid tropics of Central and Eastern Africa. It will explore the complex environmental, social and economic challenges, which in some cases are exacerbated by conflict and high vulnerability. Moreover, it will advance agroecological transitions in these regions through multi-actor transdisciplinary agroecology Living Labs at eight sites in four countries. The focus will be on crops such as cocoa, coffee and cassava, which are vital for subsistence and economic development.
Division of Food Production and Society
Sustainable growth of the Norwegian Horticulture Food System – GreenRoad GS35 (“GrøntStrategi mot 2035)
The main aim of GreenRoad is to deliver knowledge and solutions for increased value creation and sustainability in the horticultural food system in Norway.