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.
2023
Authors
Cornelya KlutschAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Arctic ecosystems are increasingly exposed to extreme climatic events throughout the year, which can affect species performance. Cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) provide important ecosystem services in polar ecosystems but may be physiologically affected or killed by extreme events. Through field and laboratory manipulations, we compared physiological responses of seven dominant sub-Arctic cryptogams (three bryophytes, four lichens) to single events and factorial combinations of mid-winter heatwave (6°C for 7 days), re-freezing, snow removal and summer nitrogen addition. We aimed to identify which mosses and lichens are vulnerable to these abiotic extremes and if combinations would exacerbate physiological responses. Combinations of extremes resulted in stronger species responses but included idiosyncratic species-specific responses. Species that remained dormant during winter (March), irrespective of extremes, showed little physiological response during summer (August). However, winter physiological activity, and response to winter extremes, was not consistently associated with summer physiological impacts. Winter extremes affect cryptogam physiology, but summer responses appear mild, and lichens affect the photobiont more than the mycobiont. Accounting for Arctic cryptogam response to multiple climatic extremes in ecosystem functioning and modelling will require a better understanding of their winter eco-physiology and repair capabilities.
Authors
Fredrik Rustøen Klaus Høiland Einar Heegaard Lynne Boddy Alan C. Gange Håvard Kauserud Carrie Joy AndrewAbstract
Wood decomposing fungi differ in their substrate affinities, but to what extent factors like wood properties influence host specialization, compared to climate, is largely unknown. In this study, we analysed British field observations of 61 common wood decay species associated with 41 tree and shrub genera. While white rot fungi ranged from low-to high-substrate affinity, brown rot fungi were exclusively mid-to high-affinity. White rot fungi associated with dead fallen wood demonstrated the least substrate affinity. The composition of wood decomposer fungi was mostly structured by substrate properties, sorted between angiosperms and conifers. Any relationships with temporal and regional climate variability were of far less significance, but did predict community-based and substrate-usage host shifts, especially for fungi on fallen deadwood. Our results demonstrate that substrate shifts by wood-decay fungi will depend primarily upon their degree of affinity to, and the distribution of, related woody genera, followed less at regional levels by climate impacts.
Abstract
The European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus and the North American spruce beetle Dendroctonus rufipennis cause high mortality of spruces on their native continents. Both species have been inadvertently transported beyond their native ranges. With similar climates and the presence of congeneric spruce hosts in Europe and North America, there is a risk that one or both bark beetle species become established into the non-native continent. There are many challenges that an introduced population of bark beetles would face, but an important prerequisite for establishment is the presence of suitable host trees. We tested the suitability of non-native versus native hosts by exposing cut bolts of Norway spruce (Picea abies), black spruce (Picea mariana) and white spruce (Picea glauca) to beetle attacks in the field in Norway and Canada. We quantified attack density, brood density and reproductive success of I. typographus and D. rufipennis in the three host species. We found that I. typographus attacked white and black spruce at comparable densities to its native host, Norway spruce, and with similar reproductive success in all three host species. In contrast, D. rufipennis strongly preferred to attack white spruce (a native host) but performed better in the novel Norway spruce host than it did in black spruce, a suboptimal native host. Our results suggest that I. typographus will find abundant and highly suitable hosts in North America, while D. rufipennis in Europe may experience reduced reproductive success in Norway spruce.
Abstract
The anaerobic digestion of organic materials produces biogas; however, optimizing methane (CH4) content within biogas plants by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the challenges for sustainable biomethane production. CH4 is separated from biogas, which is called biogas upgrading for biomethane production. In this regard, in-situ CO2 capture and utilization could be an alternative approach that can be achieved using conductive particles, where the conductive particles support the direct intraspecific electron transfer (DIET) to promote CH4 production. In this investigation, a carbon nanotube (CNT) was grown over conductive activated carbon (AC). Then an iron (Fe) nanoparticle was anchored (AC/CNT/Fe), which ultimately supported microbes to build the biofilm matrix, thereby enhancing the DIET for CH4 formation. The biogas production and CH4 content increased by 17.57 % and 15.91 %, respectively, when AC/CNT/Fe was utilized. Additionally, 18S rRNA gene sequencing reveals that Methanosarcinaceae and Methanobacteriaceae families were the most dominant microbes in the reactor when conductive particles (AC/CNT/Fe) were applied. The proposed study supports the stable operation of biogas plants to utilize CO2 for CH4 production by using surface-modified material.
Abstract
Soil loss by erosion threatens food security and reduces the environmental quality of water bodies. Prolonged and extreme rainfalls are recognized as main drivers of soil erosion, and climate change predictions for large parts of the world foresee such increases in precipitation. Erosion rates are additionally affected by land use, which may change as a result of the shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to an economy relying on using renewable biomass, a “Bioeconomy”. In this study we aimed at investigating, through modelling, i) if future changes in land use, due to a bioeconomy, would increase the risk for soil loss and enhance suspended sediment yields in streams and ii) if these changes, when combined with climate change effects, would further aggravate suspended sediment conditions in a catchment. We used hydrological and bias adjusted climate models to compare the effect of seven land use pathways on discharge and sediment transport relative to a baseline scenario under present and future climate conditions. The study was carried out based on data from a small headwater stream, representative for cereal production areas of S-E Norway. By modelling our scenarios with the PERSiST and INCA-P models, we found that land use change had a greater influence on both future water discharge and sediment losses than a future climate. Changes from climate showed strongest differences on a seasonal basis. Out of the modelled land use pathways, a sustainable pathway manifested the least occurrence of extreme flood and sediment loss events under future climate; whereas a pathway geared towards self-sufficiency indicated the highest occurrence of such extreme events. Our findings show that careful attention must be placed on the land use and soil management in the region. To maintain freshwater quality, it will be increasingly important to implement environmental mitigation measures.
Authors
Narta ElshaniAbstract
Sheep production systems in Norway present complexity in the same way as other systems partaking in the climate challenges. Sustainability of these systems cannot be defined through single-impact indicators; hence a broader range of sustainability dimensions and trade-offs must be assessed. The present research uses the Sustainability Assessment and Monitoring RouTine (SMART): a multi-criteria sustainability assessment based on the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) Guidelines which gathers data on the farms’ performance through 327 indicators across 4 dimensions. Eight sheep farms in Norway were selected for assessment: four low-land coastal farms, and four inland mountain farms. Management practices which support sustainability were identified in all farms: high animal welfare, high number of days of access to pasture for the livestock, no/low use of synthetic chemicals, good water management, and high quality of life for farmers. Management practices which hinder sustainability and key areas for improvement were also identified: increased onfarm energy production, decreased use of externally sourced concentrate feed, and increased farmers’ knowledge about externally sourced inputs. Some differences between the coastal and inland farms were also identified which were related to number of days of access to pasture for livestock, water consumption, participation for farmers in trainings and additional education, and political involvement. Using the SMART-Farm tool aided the process of identifying practices and systematically evaluating them through a global sustainability perspective. Aggregated results from the SMART-Farm assessment indicated a high degree of goal achievement across dimensions. The farms scored on average above 80% on the Environmental Integrity and the Social Well-Being, and lower on the Economic Resilience and the Good Governance dimensions (76% & 71% respectively). To evaluate these results, a qualitative expert elicitation method was employed; this provided insight into shortcomings which were a result of the context-generic approach that the tool has and lack of inclusion of stakeholder participation in indicator selection and aggregation process. These shortcomings are important to consider when interpreting the results of numeral integration assessments which are used for decision-making. However, evaluating these scores was also a valuable outcome in itself since it uncovered knowledge gaps about the topic of sustainability of sheep farming in Norway.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Gunnhild SøgaardAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tatsiana EspevigEditors
John Kemp Maria StrandbergAbstract
No abstract has been registered