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In a north European context, identifying invasive species is far from trivial because the vegetation has been influenced by human activities for thousands of years. New species have immigrated continuously since the end of the last glaciation, both spontaneously and through direct or indirect help by man. Still, newly immigrated species may be problematic in a nature conservation context and may h

Questions: To what extent is species richness in semi-natural grasslands related to local environmental factors and (present/past) surrounding landscape structure? Do responses of species richness depend on degree of habitat specialization (specialists vs generalists) and/or scale of the study? Location: Öland, Sweden. Methods: Richness of herbaceous vascular plants (subdivided into richness of gr

Increased anthropogenic pressures on coastal marine ecosystems in the last century are threatening their biodiversity and functioning. Global warming and increases in nutrient loadings are two major stressors affecting these systems. Global warming is expected to increase both atmospheric and water temperatures and increase precipitation and terrestrial runoff, further increasing organic matter an

Several investigations have revealed surprisingly high activities during the winter in vegetation and soil in temperate and subarctic areas. Plants have been found to photosynthesize even under snow cover and at temperatures below freezing, and decomposer microorganisms can function, at low rates, all year around. In temperate grasslands, the vegetation includes winter annual herbs as well as bryo

The evolution of striking phenotypes on islands is a well-known phenomenon, and there has been a long-standing debate on the patterns of body size evolution on islands. The ecological causes driving divergence in insular populations are, however, poorly understood. Reduced predator fauna is expected to lower escape propensity, increase body size and relax selection for crypsis in small-bodied, ins

Application of mycorrhizal inoculum could be one way to increase the yield of rice plants, and reduce the application of fertilizer. We therefore studied arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the roots of wetland rice (Oryza sativa L.) collected at the seedling, tillering, heading and ripening stages in four paddy wetlands that had been under a high-input and intensively irrigated rice cultivation

Soil functions can be classified as supporting (nutrient cycling) and provisioning (crop production) ecosystem services (ES). These services consist of multiple and dynamic functions and are typically assessed using indicators, e.g. microbial biomass as an indicator of supporting services. Agricultural intensification negatively affects indicators of soil functions and is therefore considered to d

Question Can we reliably estimate grazing intensity, indicators of grazing intensity (i.e. field-layer height and shrub-cover), and vascular plant species richness in semi-natural grasslands from high spatial resolution satellite data? Location The Baltic Island of Oland (Sweden). Methods Fieldwork included the on-site description of grazed and ungrazed areas and shrub-cover within 107 semi-natura

Unraveling the genetic basis of organismal form and function remains one of the major goals of evolutionary biology. Theory has long supported a model of polygenic evolution in which quantitative traits are underpinned by many genes of small effect, but empirical methods have lacked the power to detect causative loci when effect sizes are small or moderate. We (i) review traditional approaches use

The recent loss of pollinating insects and out-crossing plants in agricultural landscapes has raised concern for the maintenance of ecosystem services. Wild bees have been shown to benefit from garden habitats in urban and suburban areas. We investigated the effects of distance from garden habitats on wild bees and seed set of a native out-crossing plant Campanula persicifolia, in intensively mana

In this second article in a series based on various analyses of data from the survey of the vascular flora of the province of Skåne, southern-most Sweden, completed 1987–2007, the geographic distribution of mean indicator values are mapped and discussed. The Ellenberg indicator values are applied and found to correlate well with actual conditions as far as light, temperature and soil reaction (pH)

Many economic models contain the single variable 'money'. Money does not exist in the form of a single physical unit and it is common to construct monetary aggregates using the method of simple summations. Monetary aggregation theory lends little or no support to the method of simply summing various monetary asset components up to arbitrary levels of aggregation. In monetary aggregation theory, mo

Popular Abstract in Swedish Tekniken för vitreoretinal kirurgi har utvecklats betydligt de senaste åren, både vad gäller metodik och instrumentering. Allt fler sjukdomstillstånd i näthinnan kan nu behandlas. För att utveckla dessa metoder vidare, och även öka kunskapen bakom verkningsmekanismen för deras effektivitet, är standardiserade djurmodeller där både funktion och histologi kan utvärderas aThe field of vitreoretinal surgery has expanded greatly over the last decades. A continuous refinement of surgical methods and instruments has increased the number of treatable retinal disorders. Vitrectomy, retinectomy and laser treatment are all part of the modern surgical arsenal. In order to further develop and refine these methods, and also to improve the knowledge of the mechanisms behind th

1. Temperate semi-natural grasslands are characterized by high levels of species diversity and have a high conservation value. Plant species diversity in grazed semi-natural grasslands is known to be influenced by management intensity and habitat connectivity. Both grazing pressure and between-patch connectivity are expected to depend on the movement patterns of livestock in the landscape. 2. The

In this first article in a series based on various analyses of data from the survey of the vascular flora of the province of Skåne, southern-most Sweden, completed 1987–2007, the geographic distribution of total species richness (excluding taxa with only casual occurrences), red-listed species, rapidly declining species, recent immigrants and the Nature Conservation Value of species is mapped and

We present a comparison of feather stable isotope (C-13, N-15) patterns representing the habitat and diet conditions for two subspecies of willow warblers Phylloscopus trochilus that breed in parapatry, but winter in different regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Previous analyses have shown that on average winter moulted innermost primaries (P1) show subspecific differences in N-15 values, although ind

Phenological shifts belong to the most commonly observed biological responses to recent climate change. It is, however, often unclear how these shifts are linked to demography and competitive interactions. We develop an eco-evolutionary model to study adaptation of timing of reproduction in organisms with social dominance hierarchies. We focus on residential birds with winter flocks, where success

Dispersal limitation and long-term persistence are known to delay plant species’ responses to habitat fragmentation, but it is still unclear to what extent landscape history may explain the distribution of dispersal traits in present-day plant communities. We used quantitative data on long-distance seed dispersal potential by wind and grazing cattle (epi- and endozoochory), and on persistence (adu

Mobility growth poses considerable challenges to city planners around the world, as it entails problems of congestion, air pollution, and accidents. Many cities have thus sought to increase the share of sustainable transport, and specifically travel by bicycle. However, it appears that measures to foster cycling are often implemented on an ad hoc basis, lacking strategic focus and a more profound