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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

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Abstract

Sustainable land management can play an important role in climate change mitigation by reducing soil organic carbon (SOC)losses or even by sequestering C in soils. This can be achieved through practices that increase C inputs to the soil and/or improve the quality of these inputs, thereby facilitating the removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) and storing it in the soil asSOC. In this study, we investigated the potential of an increased share of legumes in crop rotations to enhance SOC accrual—defined as the increase in SOC stocks at a given land unit compared to the baseline scenario—using data from 30 mid-term(MTEs, 5–20 years) and long-term (LTEs, 20+ years) field experiments across Europe. Our findings indicate that increasing the proportion of forage legumes in rotations (based on 21 experiments and 39 paired comparisons) led to SOC accrual of up to13.25 Mg ha−1 (0.44 Mg ha−1 year−1), while grain legumes (based on nine experiments and 28 paired comparisons) resulted in a decrease in SOC stocks of up to 14.37 Mg ha−1 (−0.48 Mg ha−1 year−1) compared to the reference treatment. For forage legumes,the largest SOC gains were achieved at sites with the smallest reference SOC stocks and greater share of forage legumes in the rotation. Our observations suggested that the duration of crop growth of the forage legumes (annual vs. perennial) did not exert a significant impact on SOC stock increase, while pedoclimatic zone did. Positive effects on SOC stocks were more pronounced in the Atlantic climatic zone in contrast to the Mediterranean climatic zone. For grain legumes, larger SOC losses were observed with a greater share of grain legumes in the rotation. Overall, integrating forage legumes in cropping systems can enhance their sustainability and present a viable option for climate change mitigation. Finally, we present a regression equation to derive emission factors (EFs) for estimating SOC changes due to the increase of the share of forage legumes in a rotation, and another due to the increase of the share of grain legumes in the rotation. The first can be used to support the assessment of management impacts for the purpose of rewarding carbon farming and the estimation of a national-scale SOC accrual potential, while the second can be used for estimating national-scale SOC losses.

Abstract

Based on data from 58 stands located in three different regions within Norway, this study presents new models for quantifying growth characteristics of young, planted trees of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), a species that forms the backbone of the Norwegian forestry sector. The study focused on well-established, sufficiently stocked plantations to capture their inherent growth patterns. The presented models predict total tree height and the number of years required to reach a diameter at breast height of 5 cm for dominant and average-sized individuals, using common tree- and stand-level metrics. The study’s findings indicate enhanced growth of young spruce stands compared to growth dynamics observed in the 1960–1970s, likely due to improved growing conditions. The models presented here are an improvement over existing similar models and can be used in future forest growth and yield simulations. The study also aimed to provide a means to predict diameter distributions of young spruce plantations. While the results suggested significant differences between observed and predicted distributions, this still represents progress as there are currently no tools to estimate diameter distributions of young spruce plantations in Norway. Further research is recommended to corroborate the findings across a larger number of sites and to consider larger sample plots for potentially more accurate diameter distribution predictions.

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Abstract

Aim: This study sets out to understand the variability in larval traits of dispersive life stages of a famous invader, the European shore crab Carcinus maenas, in its native distribution range. Location: North East Atlantic coast from the Norwegian Arctic to the southern European distribution limit of C. maenas in Southern Spain. Taxon: European shore crab Carcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda). Methods: We quantified latitudinal patterns in larval body mass, elemental composition (C and N content), and thermal tolerance of the first larval stage. We collected crabs from four populations spanning 25° of latitude (Vigo in Northern Spain; Bergen, Trondheim, and Bodø in Norway) and reanalysed published and unpublished data of body mass and elemental composition of additional populations from Germany, Wales, France, and Southern Spain. Furthermore, we used two laboratory experiments to test the thermal tolerance limits of the first larval stage from Vigo and the Norwegian populations. In the first experiment, we reared larvae from hatching to Zoea II at seven temperatures (9°C–27°C) and from hatching to LT50 at 6°C. In the second experiment, we exposed freshly hatched larvae acutely to increasing or decreasing temperatures (up to 40°C and down to 3°C). Results: Across the entire European range, we found a substantial increase in dry mass and carbon and nitrogen content of freshly hatched larvae with latitude. Norwegian populations exhibited higher survival at 9°C than the Vigo population. Furthermore, LT50 at 6°C increased from South to North. All populations showed high survival in the range 12°C–24°C but low survival at 27°C.

Abstract

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