Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Authors
Tatsiana EspevigAbstract
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Authors
Eirik Gottschalk Ballo William J. D’Andrea Helge Irgens Høeg Kjetil Loftsgarden Manon Bajard Sabine Eckhardt Massimo Cassiani Nikolaos Evangeliou Jostein Bakke Kirstin KrügerAbstract
Previous Common Era (i.e., the past 2000 years) climate reconstructions from Fennoscandia have focused on northern and central areas, with scarce data from the southern areas. Using varved sediments from Lake Sagtjernet in southeastern Norway, we developed a hydrogen isotope record from sedimentary leaf waxes (n-alkanes) as a proxy for hydrogen isotopes in precipitation, which we interpret as an indicator of temperature variability over the past 2000 years. The climate reconstruction provides high, decadal resolution for the period 360–770 CE, allowing critical evaluation during the Dark Ages Cold Period (around 300–800 CE) and a cooling during the 6th century, previously suggested as the coldest period of the Common Era. Our results reveal that the most rapid drop in temperature occurred from 536 to 545 CE (+74/-90 years), corresponding in time to the 536 and 540 CE volcanic eruptions. We also document an inferred cold interval that persisted from around 650 to 710 CE (+72/-90 years). While past studies have suggested prolonged cooling during the Dark Ages Cold Period, our findings show that, on average, the climate during 360–770 CE was similar to the Common Era average in the Lake Sagtjernet record. To explore socio-environmental interactions throughout the past 2000 years, we present a pollen-based environmental reconstruction and integrate it with archaeological evidence from around Lake Sagtjernet. These analyses reveal significant societal activities such as land clearing, cereal cultivation, and large-scale iron production, which drastically altered the landscape in the Viking Age (around 800–1050 CE) and the first half of the Norwegian Middle Ages (around 1050–1350 CE). Modern cultivation practices following the Black Death (1349–1350 CE) were first established around 1470 CE and increased continuously until around 1940 CE. Intensification of societal activities through the past millennium, including iron production and modern cultivation, occurred during both warmer (Medieval Climate Anomaly; 950–1250 CE) and colder (Little Ice Age; 1450–1850 CE) periods.
Authors
Yuri Lebedin Anna Antropova Valentina Maygurova Marina Usoltseva Tatiana Gagkaeva Tatsiana EspevigAbstract
The most common and harmful disease affecting the grass on golf courses in the Nordic countries is microdochium patch. The early diagnosis of the Microdochium nivale can help prevent the spread of infection through targeted treatment. The aim of the work was to develop an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test system for Microdochium fungi detection. We have prepared specific rabbit affinity antibodies against Microdochium genus by antigen adsorption and exhaustion on wide range of fungal species. These specific antibodies were used to construct sandwich ELISA showing genus specificity and capable to detect the antigen on early stage of infection on different grass substrates. In field study, the ELISA has shown good correlation to microbiological diagnostics and was able to detect the latent infection in the absence of visual signs. We suggest that Microdochium ELISA can be used for regular testing of grass specimens for prediction and early diagnosis of latent infection. Further studies are required to determine the antigen level, which indicates the degree of infection at which steps to prevent the disease need to be applied.
Abstract
Green roofs provide vital functions within the urban ecosystem, from supporting biodiversity, to sustainable climate-positive ESS provisioning. However, how plant communities should best be designed to reach these objectives, and how specific green roof systems vary in their capacity to support these functions is not well understood. Here we compiled data on plant traits and plant–insect interaction networks of a regional calcareous grassland species pool to explore how designed plant communities could be optimised to contribute to ecological functionality for predefined green roof solutions. Five distinct systems with practical functionality and physical constraints were designed, plant communities modelled using object-based optimization algorithms and evaluated using five ecological functionality metrics (incl. phylogenetic and structural diversity). Our system plant communities supported a range of plant–insect interactions on green roofs, but not all species were equally beneficial, resulting in wide-ranging essentiality and redundancy in ecological processes. Floral traits were not predictive of pollinator preferences, but phylogeny was observed to govern the preferences. Large differences in ecological functionality can be expected between green roofs depending on system design and the extent of the plant community composition. Multifunctionality covariance diverged between systems, suggesting that ecological functionality is not inherently universal but dependent on structural limitations and species pool interactions. We conclude that informed system design has a potential to simultaneously support ecosystem services and urban biodiversity conservation by optimising green roof plant communities to provide landscape resources for pollinating insects and herbivores.
Abstract
Optimised contributions of green infrastructure (GI) to urban ecosystem services are strongly related to its multifunctionality. The challenge, however, is that the concept of multifunctionality still needs to be transformed into an operationalised assessment to evaluate current performance, which is instrumental in supporting spatial planning and policy strategies. Using the case of Stavanger City (Norway), the study conducted a spatial assessment of the multifunctionality of the urban green infrastructure. The study used a comprehensive set of 27 function indicators estimated for each of the 156 spatial units classified by their type, age, size, and biophysical characteristics. Correlation patterns among indicators and how the average and effective multifunctionality related to unit characteristics were analysed using correlation and multivariate approaches. The study demonstrated weak correlations between function indicators but revealed some potential trade-offs and function bundles. Notably, bundles related to tree cover (e.g. C sequestration, stormwater retention) had negative relationships with facilitation measures. There was a large overlap in functions between GI types associated with public green spaces and parks. Moreover, the characteristics of green infrastructure units, like size and age, primarily affected multifunctionality through effects on function indicators. Regarding the city-wide multifunctionality, we found some turnover and subsetting of functions among units, supporting multifunctionality at larger spatial scales. However, the average contributions from different GI types were similar. The study highlights the need to understand correlation patterns among function indicators and function bundles as critical to benefit from synergies and avoid unintentional trade-offs when designing and managing urban green areas.
2024
Authors
Desalegn Chala Abel Gizaw Seid Jessica P.R. Thorn Aida Cuni-Sanchez Gerald Eilu Sebsebe Demissew Claudia Hemp Andreas Hemp Christine B. Schmitt Marchant Rob Christian BrochmannAbstract
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Authors
Karin Juul Hesselsøe Trond Olav Pettersen Anne Friederike Borchert Eli Unn Dahl Trygve S. AamlidAbstract
No abstract has been registered