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.
2010
Authors
Hans Geir Eiken Rune Andreassen Alexander Kopatz I WartiainenAbstract
The use of non-invasive sampling of hairs and scats in wildlife genetics opens the possibility for sampling and analyzing living populations of brown bears (Ursus arctos). The aims of this study have been to develop a quality assured approach for genetic assignment of individual identity of brown bears and to generate a population database that can be used for research, conservation management and forensics. Non-invasive genetic sampling was performed by collection of scats and hairs in the field during the time period from 2004 to 2008. Hair traps were applied to collect hairs from bears in selected geographical areas in 2007 and 2008. Genotypes from 13 STR loci were determined for 232 Norwegian bears. Initial analysis of the entire sample indicated a high level of substructure, and the sample was divided in four geographically different populations consisting of 206 individuals for further validation of the markers. Ten STRs (G1D, G10L, Mu05, Mu09, Mu10, Mu15, Mu23, Mu50, Mu51 and Mu59) conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations with only minor deviations, while the remaining three STR loci (G1A, Mu26 and G10B) were subjected to further molecular analysis. The average estimate of population substructure for Norwegian bears using 10 STRs (FST) was determined to be 0.1, while the estimate for inbreeding (FIS) was -0.02. Accounting for the FST-value, the average probability of identity (PIave) was 5.67 x 10-10 and the average probability of sibling identity (PIsib) was 1.68 x 10-4. Accreditation in accordance with the international standard ISO17025 was achieved for the described laboratory approach in 2009. We suggest that this approach and STR markers should also be considered to be used for other populations of brown bears in Northern Europe in order to ensure a common quality of the data as well as to facilitate exchange of information in conservation genetics.
Abstract
Isolates of Colletotrichum sublineolum were collected from different sorghum-producing regions of Ethiopia and divided into five groups based on their geographic origin. The growth rate of 50 isolates showed considerable variation: 1·7?5·8 mm day?1, mean 3·3 mm day?1. However, the isolates displayed little variation in colony colour and colony margin, except for isolates from the north, which were different from the others. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of 102 isolates revealed much greater variations among the different groups. Dice similarity coefficients ranged from 0·32 to 0·96 (mean 0·78). Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis revealed a differentiation of the isolates according to their geographic origin, and both methods clearly indicated a genetic separation between the southern, the eastern and the other isolates. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) indicated a high level of genetic variation both among (42%) and within (58%) the C. sublineolum sampling sites in Ethiopia. The amova also indicated a high level of genetic differentiation (FST = 0·42) and limited gene flow (Nm = 0·343). The results of this study confirmed the presence of a highly diverse pathogen, which is in agreement with the existence of diverse host genotypes and widely ranging environmental conditions in sorghum-producing regions of the country. Such diversity should be taken into account in future breeding programmes to achieve an effective and sustainable disease management strategy.
Authors
Mari Mette Tollefsrud Christoph SperisenAbstract
Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), one of the most important species of the boreal forest, is found naturally distributed in two disjunct ranges; one northern and one southern European range. These ranges have been shown to correspond to two genetically distinct lineages. In this talk, results on the genetic structure based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; nad1) and nuclear microsatellites in populations from the northern European lineage, will be presented and discussed in the light of its glacial and postglacial history. The genetic relationship between Norway spruce and its will closest relative Siberian spruce (Picea abovata Lebed.) will also be discussed based on results from mtDNA and paternally inherited chloroplast DNA (cpDNA). Genetic structure of northern European Norway spruce is generally shallow, consistent with recently compiled pollen data, suggesting that Norway spruce in Northern Europe was colonized from a single Russian refugium. Despite the low differentiation found, the structure at both mtDNA and nuclear DNA suggest that expansion westwards took place along two main migration routes; one northwestern over Finland to northern Scandinavia, and one southwestern across the Baltic Sea into Scandinavia. Based on both mtDNA and nuclear DNA, populations in the oldest regions of Russia and the Baltic States show the highest diversity. Based on pollen data, colonization of these regions took place at high population densities, helping to maintain high levels of diversity. Also populations in southern Sweden and southern Norway show relatively high levels of diversity compared to the more northern Scandinavian populations. This may be due to the additional southern migration route into the region, as well as pollen-mediated gene flow in the south which seems to efficiently have replenished the loss of nuclear diversity following postglacial colonization. In the northern part of Fennoscandia, smaller effective population size due to more limited seed and pollen production may have caused decreased nuclear diversity and increased inbreeding, reflecting the ecological marginality of the species in the north. Genetic differentiation between Norway spruce and Siberian spruce based on mitochondrial and chloroplast markers suggest that the border between the two species occur east of the Ural Mountain, following the river Ob. Still, the paternally inherited cpDNA marker suggests extensive introgression from Siberian spruce into the northern European range of Norway spruce. Introgression via pollen may thus acts as a mechanism of dispersal of Siberian spruce genes into the northern European gene pool of Norway spruce.
Authors
Igor A. Yakovlev Ari M. Hietala Pierre-Emmanuel Courty Francis Martin Jan Stenlid Halvor Solheim Carl Gunnar FossdalAbstract
The genome H. annosum s.l. was sequenced by JGI to a 8.23X coverage and assembled into 39 scaffolds with a total size of 33.7 Mb covering more than 98% of the whole genome. Based of genome sequence we annotated a number of genes for fungal enzymes that are believed to participate in lignin degradation, including: laccases (Lcc18 genes), manganese peroxidases (MnP8 genes) and hydrogen peroxide forming enzymes such as glyoxal oxidases (GLOX5 genes), quinone oxidoreductases (QOR17 genes) and aryl alcohol oxidases (AAO16 genes), which is in concordance with these gene family sizes observed in other sequenced white-rot fungi. We studied the genomic organisation and phylogeny of these genes as well as their expression using NimbleGen arrays and qRT-PCR. Transcript profiling using whole-genome oligo arrays and qRT-PCR revealed that some transcripts were very abundant in lignin-rich media (Lcc5 15, MnP2, GLOX4, QOR2 10, AAO9), in cellulose-rich media (lcc2, 7 16, MnP3 4, GLOX3, QOR4 6, AAO2, 7 10), in wood (Lcc3, MnP4, QOR2, GLOX1, AAO10) or in the free-living mycelium grown liquid culture (Lcc1, 3, 10 13), suggesting specific functions of these genes, which need to be studied further.
Authors
Miguel D. Mahecha Markus Reichstein Nuno Carvalhais Gitta Lasslop Holger Lange Sonia I. Seneviratne Rodrigo Vargas Christof Ammann M.Altaf Arain Alessandro Cescatti Ivan A. Janssens Mirco Migliavacca Leonardo Montagnani Andrew D. RichardsonAbstract
The respiratory release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the land surface is a major flux in the global carbon cycle, antipodal to photosynthetic CO2 uptake. Understanding the sensitivity of respiratory processes to temperature is central for quantifying the climate–carbon cycle feedback. We approximated the sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem respiration to air temperature (Q10) across 60 FLUXNET sites with the use of a methodology that circumvents confounding effects. Contrary to previous findings, our results suggest that Q10 is independent of mean annual temperature, does not differ among biomes, and is confined to values around 1.4 ± 0.1. The strong relation between photosynthesis and respiration, by contrast, is highly variable among sites. The results may partly explain a less pronounced climate–carbon cycle feedback than suggested by current carbon cycle climate models.
Abstract
Understanding the feedback between terrestrial biosphere processes and meteorological drivers is crucial to ecosystem research as well as management. For example, remote sensing of the activity of vegetation in relation to environmental conditions provides an invaluable basis for investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics and patterns of variability. We investigate the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fAPAR) using SeaWiFS satellite observations from 1998 to 2005 and ancillary meteorological variables from the CRU-PIK dataset. To what extent do precipitation and temperature dominate the terrestrial photosynthetic activity on monthly to interannual time scales? A spectral decomposition using Singular System Analysis leads to a global ‘classification’ of the terrestrial biosphere according to prevalent time-scale dependent dynamics of fAPAR and its relation to the meteorology. A complexity analysis and a combined subsignal extraction and dimensionality reduction reveals a series of dominant geographical gradients, separately for different time scales. Here, we differentiate between three time scales: on short time scales (compared to the annual cycle), variations in fAPAR coincide with corresponding precipitation dynamics. At the annual scale, which explains around 50% of the fAPAR variability as a global average, patterns largely resemble the biomes of the world as mapped by biogeographic methods.At longer time scales, spatially coherent patterns emerge which are induced by precipitation and temperature fluctuations combined. However, we can also identify regions where the variability of fAPAR on specific time scales cannot be traced back to climate and is apparently shaped by other geoecological or anthropogenic drivers. http://uregina.ca/prairies/assets/Prairie_Summit_Final_Program.pdf
Abstract
Determining the feedbacks between terrestrial biosphere processes and the meteorological drivers (here precipitation and temperature) is crucial to ecosystem research. In this context, the continuous monitoring of the earth surface provides an invaluable basis for investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics in the activity of vegetation in relation to environmental conditions. Here, we seek to identify which patterns of variability in the meteorological drivers dominate the terrestrial photosynthetic activity from monthly to interannual time scales (resp. fluctuation frequencies). We investigate the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) using SeaWiFS observations from 1998 to 2005 and ancillary meteorological variables. A spectralanalysis leads to a global `classification` of the terrestrial biosphere according to prevalent scale dependent dynamics of fAPAR and its relation to the meteorology. A combined subsignal extraction and dimensionality reduction reveals a series of dominant geographical gradients on specific time scales. E.g. we uncover spatially coherent patterns at low frequencies and show where these are induced by precipitation or temperature fluctuations. We also show where high frequency variations (relative to the annual cycle) in fAPAR coincide with corresponding precipitation dynamics. However, we can also identify regions where the variability of fAPAR on specific time scales cannot be traced back to climate and is apparently shaped by other geoecological or anthropogenic drivers. http://www.terrabites.net/fileadmin/user_upload/terrabites/PDFs/Programme_Book_TERRABITES.pdf
Authors
Peder GjerdrumAbstract
A number of presentations were given at the GlueLam Study Tour in Trøndelag arranged by The Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute April 2010 within the Developing the Scots Pine Resource project. The editor wishes to express his gratitude to all those who contributed to the outcome of the study tour: To the host businesses, to the participants and those giving presentations, and to Northern Periphery Program for contributing to the funding. The presentations listed in this report has been collected, trimmed and otherwise slightly modified by the editor. However, the content as well as the layout have been the choice and responsibility of each author. The report is intended for publication in electronic format on the project\"s web page and distribution to the participants. However, the report is public and free to use for anybody, provided a proper citation is given.
Authors
Anette Edvardsen Rune Halvorsen Ann Norderhaug Oddvar Pedersen Knut RydgrenAbstract
Habitat specificity analysis provides a tool for partitioning landscape species diversity on landscape elements by separating patches with many rare specialist species from patches with the same number of species, all of which are common generalists and thus provide information of relevance to conservation goals at regional and national levels. Our analyses were based upon species data from 2201 patch elements in SE Norwegian modern agricultural landscapes. The context used for measuring habitat specificity strongly influences the results. In general the gamma diversity contribution and core habitat specificity calculated from the patch data set were correlated. High values for both measures were observed for woodland, pastures and road verges whereas midfield islets and boundary transitional types were ranked low, as opposed to findings in traditional, extensively managed agricultural landscapes. This is due to our study area representing intensively used agricultural landscape elements holding a more trivial species composition, in addition to ruderals being favoured by fertility and disturbance, a finding also being supported by the semi-natural affiliation index. Results obtained by use of checklist data from the same study area diverged from patch data. Caution is needed in interpretation of habitat specificity results obtained from checklist data, because modern agricultural landscapes contain several land types which are seldom surveyed by botanists, thus being under-represented in the data set. We propose the use of core habitat specificity and gamma diversity contribution in parallel to obtain a value neutral diversity assessment that addresses patch uniqueness and other properties of conservation interests.
Authors
Nicholas Clarke Milan Gryndler Hans-Holger Liste Reiner Schroll Peter Schröder Miroslav MatuchaAbstract
The halogens, most importantly fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, occur in nature as ions and compounds, including organic compounds. Halogenated organic substances (haloorganics) were long considered purely anthropogenic products; however, they are in addition a commonly occurring and important part of natural ecosystems. Natural haloorganics are produced largely by living organisms, although abiotic production occurs as well. A survey is given of processes of formation, transport, and degradation of haloorganics in temperate and boreal forests, predominantly in Europe. More work is necessary in order to understand the environmental impact of haloorganics in temperate and boreal forest soils. This includes both further research, especially to understand the key processes of formation and degradation of halogenated compounds, and monitoring of the substances in question in forest ecosystems. It is also important to understand the effect of various forest management techniques on haloorganics, as management can be used to produce desired effects.