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.
2021
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Alexander Kopatz Oddmund Kleven Ilpo Kojola Jouni Aspi Anita J. Norman Göran Spong Niclas Gyllenstrand Love Dalén Ida Marie Luna Fløystad Snorre Hagen Jonas Kindberg Øystein FlagstadAbstract
Knowledge about the connectivity among natural populations is essential to identify management units for effective conservation actions. Conservation-minded management has led to the recovery of large carnivore populations in northern Europe, possibly restoring connectivity between the two separated, but expanding brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations on the Scandinavian peninsula to the west and Karelia, a part of the large Eurasian population, to the east. The degree of connectivity between these populations has been poorly understood, therefore we investigated the extent of connectivity between the two populations using autosomal microsatellites and Y chromosome haplotypes in 924 male bears (the dispersing sex), sampled during a period of 12 years (2005–2017) across the transborder area where these two populations meet. Our results showed that the two populations are not genetically isolated as reported in earlier studies. We detected recent asymmetrical gene flow at a rate (individuals per generation) of 4.6–5.5 (1%) from Karelia into Scandinavia, whereas the rate was approximately 27.1–34.5 (8%) in the opposite direction. We estimated historical gene flow of effective number of migrants to be between 1.7 and 2.5 between the populations. Analyses of Y chromosome markers supported these results. Successful recovery and expansion of both populations led to the restoration of connectivity, however, it is asymmetric, possibly due to different recovery histories and population densities. By aligning monitoring between neighboring countries, we were able to better understand the biological processes across the relevant spatial scale. Brown bear Genetic structure Male gene flow Microsatellites Migration Recovery Ursus arctos Wildlife monitoring Y chromosome
Authors
Nicholas Clarke Lars Pødenphant Kiær O. Janne Kjønaas Teresa Gómez de la Bárcena Lars Vesterdal Inge Stupak Leena Finér Staffan Jacobson Kestutis Armolaitis Dagnija Lazdina Helena Marta Stefánsdóttir Bjarni D. SigurdssonAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Over recent decades, climate change has been particularly severe in the Mediterranean basin, where the intensity and frequency of drought events have had a significant effect on tree growth and mortality. In this context, differences in structural and physiological strategies between tree species could help to mitigate the damage inflicted by climate variability and drought events. Here, we used dendroecological approaches to observe common associations (synchrony) between indexed ring width in Pinus pinea and P. pinaster, as a measure of degree of dependence on climate variation or growth sensitivity to climate, as well as to analyze species growth responses to drought events through the Lloret’s indices of resistance, recovery and resilience. Based on data from 75 mixed and pure plots installed in the Northern Plateau of Spain, we used modeling tools to detect the effect of the mixture, along with climate and stand-related variables, on the short-term responses and long-term growth sensitivity to climate. Our results showed a trade-off between resistance and recovery after the drought episodes. In addition, different attributes of tree species, such as age and size as well as stand density seemed to act synergistically and compensate drought stress in different ways. The presence of age and quadratic mean diameter as covariates in the final synchrony model for P. pinaster reflected the influence of other variables as modulators of growth response to climate. Furthermore, differences in growth synchrony in mixed and monospecific composition suggested the existence of interactions between the two species and some degree of temporal niche complementarity. In mixed stands, P. pinaster exhibited a lower sensitivity to climate than in monospecific composition, whereas P. pinea enhanced its resistance to extreme droughts. These results allowed us to identify the species-specific behavior of P. pinea and P. pinaster to mitigate vulnerability to climate-related extremes.
Authors
Xiao Huang Hanna Marika Silvennoinen Bjørn Kløve Kristiina Regina Tanka P. Kandel Arndt Piayda Sandhya Karki Poul Erik Lærke Mats HöglindAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Dina Stober Monika Suškevičs Sebastian Eiter Stefanie Müller Stanislav Martinat Matthias BucheckerAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Martin Forsius Maximilian Posch Maria Holmberg Jussi Vuorenmaa Sirpa Kleemola Algirdas Augustaitis Burkhard Beudert Witold Bochenek Nicholas Clarke Heleen de Wit Thomas Dirnböck Jane Frey Ulf Grandin Hannele Hakola Johannes Kobler Pavel Krám Antti-Jussi Lindroos Stefan Löfgren Tomasz Pecka Pernilla Rönnback Krzysztof Skotak Józef Szpikowski Liisa Ukonmaanaho Salar Valinia Milan VáňaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
2020
Abstract
SYMBIOMA Project Report, Project No. 352
Authors
Isa Nergård SkjelbostadAbstract
Abstract In 2016 Chronic Wasting Disease was discovered in Nordfjella, Norway for the first time in a female reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Since then Norwegian nature management have implemented several measures in the affected area in Nordfjella and its surrounding municipalities to stop the spread of the prion disease. The prions’ long viability in soil outside of a host body increases the risk of spillover to other cervid species. The risk is especially high for the red deer (Cervus elaphus) population of Lærdal being the densest population in the Nordfjella region, and with its overlapping summer ranges with the affected reindeer herd. Norwegian red deer have been studied for a long time and a lot is known about their broad scale habitat selection and seasonal migration patterns. However, little is known about when and why the red deer repeatedly use the same locations on a fine scale, which has become a more relevant topic now as it may facilitate disease transmission. With location data from 14 red deer in Lærdal from 2017 to 2019, and through field work in Lærdal, I have quantified the proportion of spatial clusters containing natural forage, supplemental forage aimed for cervids and supplemental forage not aimed for cervids. I have also been able to quantify the seasonal pattern of number of spatial clusters. I found that non-intentional feeding caused as much as 31% of the clustering in infield habitats, and that most of this was in the form of leftover silage dumped in fields. I found that non-intentional feeding facilitates the contact between cervid species, and that it therefore can facilitate the spillover of Chronic Wasting Disease from reindeer, through red deer, and to roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) or other cervid species that do not have overlapping ranges with reindeer. Aggregation in infield habitat and around non-intentional feeding was more frequent during periods with more snow. Lastly, I discovered during the field work that even though there is a requirement of fencing in hay bales to help minimize aggregation of cervids in Lærdal, there were several cases of lack of compliance to this. To reduce the amount of contact within red deer and between cervid species additional measures to limit the amount of silage dumped in fields may need to be installed. In addition, it may be necessary to enforce the requirement of fencing around hay bales to ensure compliance.