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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
Spatially variable selection has the potential to result in local adaptation unless counteracted by gene flow. Therefore, barriers to gene flow will help facilitate divergence between populations that differ in local selection pressures. We performed spatially and temporally replicated reciprocal field transplant experiments between inland and coastal habitats using males of the common blue damsel
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)
Various proteases in the brain contribute to ischemic brain injury. We investigated the involvement of the asparaginyl endopeptidase legumain after experimental stroke. On the basis of gene array studies and in situ hybridizations, we observed an increase of legumain expression in the peri-infarct area of rats after transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 120 mins with a maxim
Inflammation and ischemia have a synergistic damaging effect in the immature brain. The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors 1 and 2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sensitization and tolerance to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) was evaluated in neonatal murine hippocampal organotypic slices. Hippocampal slices from balb/c, C57BL/6 TNFR1(-/-), TNFR2(-/-), and wild-type (WT) mice obtai
OBJECTIVE: To study the information gained by extending a well-established instrument of dependence/independence in activities of daily living with a self-rating of difficulty, and to illustrate the relevance and usefulness of this combined approach with cross-national data. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional survey study data collected with 1918 very old persons in 5 European countries. METHODS
Prey organisms often use multiple sensory cues to gain reliable information about imminent predation threat. In this study we test if a freshwater fish increases the reliance on supplementary cues when the reliability of the primary cue is reduced. Fish commonly use vision to evaluate predation threat, but may also use chemical cues from predators or injured conspecifics. Environmental changes, su
Detailed knowledge on habitat requirements is a key to successful conservation actions. The marbled jewel beetle Poecilonota variolosa (Buprestidae) has a wide global distribution but populations are often scarce and typically fragmented. In Sweden it is monophagous on aspen Populus tremula and is classified as near threatened on the Swedish Red List due to its rapid population decline. This study
Migratory land birds perform extreme endurance flights when crossing ecological barriers, such as deserts, oceans and ice-caps. When travelling over benign areas, birds are expected to migrate by shorter flight steps, since carrying the heavy fuel loads needed for long non-stop flights comes at considerable cost. Here, we show that great snipes Gallinago media made long and fast non-stop flights (
Det finns några pågående projekt som provocerar fram väldigt många och starka åsikter men få har involverat så många kvalificerade och uttalanden som Nobelcenter som planerades att byggas på Blasieholmen i Stockholm. Jag vill därför utforska projektet, läsa in vad som utmärkte vinnaren, vad som nu bromsade det samt utforska hur ett alternativ hade sett ut som jobbar med kritiken men ändå är placerIn this thesis I’m investigating the project to build a Nobel centre in central Stockholm. By first studying the competition, the winner and the critique it faced I then want to explore what a Nobel centre that tries to meet both critique and program might look like. The focus of the thesis lies in the investigation and the learning by exploring, the result in the end should be regarded as how far
Comparative analyses of gene birth–death dynamics have the potential to reveal gene families that played an important role in the evolution of morphological, behavioral, or physiological variation. Here, we used whole genomes of 30 species of butterflies and moths to identify gene birth–death dynamics among the Lepidoptera that are associated with specialist or generalist feeding strategies. Our w
Explaining the maintenance of genetic variation in fitness-related traits within populations is a fundamental challenge in ecology and evolutionary biology. Frequency-dependent selection (FDS) is one mechanism that can maintain such variation, especially when selection favours rare variants (negative FDS). However, our general knowledge about the occurrence of FDS, its strength and direction remai
The opening of habitats associated with the emergence of C4 grasslands during the Neogene had a massive influence on the evolution of plant and animal communities. Strikingly, the impacts of grassland expansion on species diversification in Africa, where the largest surface of grasslands and savannas in the world is located, are not well understood. To explore the impact of habitat opening, we inv
In the current context of climate and anthropogenic change, assessing the adaptive capacity of coastal communities, i.e., their ability to adapt, navigate and/or recover from the impacts of change is key in coastal management and decision-making processes. Framing in adaptive capacity assessments (i.e., what is highlighted) influences how coastal communities’ adaptive capacity is perceived and und
Diversification of plant chemical phenotypes is typically associated with spatially and temporally variable plant–insect interactions. Floral scent is often assumed to be the target of pollinator-mediated selection, whereas foliar compounds are considered targets of antagonist-mediated selection. However, floral and vegetative phytochemicals can be biosynthetically linked and may thus evolve as i
The extraordinary diversity of flowering plants has long captivated biologists andevolutionary ecologists. Plant-insect relationships are recognized as a major driverof this diversity, with pollinators playing a crucial role in angiosperm speciation andtrait diversification. Numerous observational and experimental studies have shownthat pollinators influence the evolution of floral traits—such as
