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Assessment of genetically modified maize MON 95379 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2020‐170)
Get PDFEvent MON 95379 is a genetically modified maize developed by a two-step process. In the first step, immature embryos of maize inbred line LH244 were co-cultured with a disarmed Agrobacterium tumefaciens (also known as Rhizobium radiobacter) strain ABI containing the vector PV-ZMIR522223. In the second step, selected R2 lines were crossed with maize inbred LH244 line expressing Crerecombinase, which had been transformed with vector PVZMOO513642. In the resulting plants, the CP4 EPSPS-cassette (used for selection of transformed plants) was excised by the Cre recombinase, and the Cre gene was subsequently segregated away, through conventional breeding, to obtain maize MON 95379. Maize MON 95379 expresses Cry1B.868, a chimeric protein containing domains from Cry1A, Cry1B and Cry1C naturally expressed in Bacillus thuringiensis, and Cry1Da_7, an optimised version of Cry1Da carrying four amino acids substitutions to increase its activity. The two Cry proteins expressed in maize MON 95379 provide protection against targeted pests within the order of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) including fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis) and corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea). The scientific documentation provided in the application for genetically modified maize MON 95379 is adequate for risk assessment, and in accordance with EFSA guidance on risk assessment of genetically modified plants for use in food or feed. The VKM GMO panel does not consider the introduced modifications in event MON 95379 to imply potential specific health or environmental risks in Norway, compared to EU-countries. The EFSA opinion is adequate also for Norwegian considerations. Therefore, a full risk assessment of event MON 95379 was not performed by the VKM GMO Panel.Assessment of genetically modified maize MON 95379 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA‐GMO‐NL‐2020‐170)publishedVersio
Assessment of genetically modified maize MON 87429 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA-GMO-NL-2019-161)
Get PDFEvent MON 87429 is a genetically modified maize developed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation. MON 87429 plants contain the transgenes pat, dmo, ft_t and cp4 epsps. Maize MON 87429 encodes the DMO, PAT and FT_T proteins. In addition, maize MON 87429 encodes the CP4 EPSPS protein and utilises an endogenous maize RNAi regulatory element to suppress its expression in pollen. This results in a lack of viable pollen and thus male sterility when MON 87429 plants are exposed to glyphosate-containing herbicides at growth stages ranging from V8 to V13. This is part of a hybridisation system to be used in inbred lines to facilitate the hybrid seeds production. This is not considered an agronomic trait since the application of glyphosate outside the specific growth stages does not lead to male sterile plants but reduces plant yield compared to plants not expressing the same trait. The scientific documentation provided in the application for genetically modified maize MON 87429 is adequate for risk assessment, and in accordance with EFSA guidance on risk assessment of genetically modified plants for use in food or feed. The VKM GMO panel does not consider the introduced modifications in event MON 87429 to imply potential specific health or environmental risks in Norway, compared to EU-countries. The EFSA opinion is adequate also for Norwegian considerations. Therefore, a full risk assessment of event MON87429 was not performed by the VKM GMO PanelAssessment of genetically modified maize MON 87429 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 (application EFSA-GMO-NL-2019-161)publishedVersio
Diffusive and advective cross-frontal fluxes of inorganic nutrients and dissolved inorganic carbon in the Barents Sea in autumn
Get PDFThe Atlantic Water, entering the Arctic through the Barents Sea and Fram Strait, is the main source of nutrients in the Arctic Ocean. The Barents Sea is divided by the Polar Front into an Atlantic-dominated domain in the south, and an Arctic-dominated domain in the north. The Polar Front is a thermohaline structure, which is topographically-steered at sub-surface, and influenced by the seasonal sea ice edge near the surface. Exchanges of nutrients between the inflowing Atlantic Water and the surrounding waters are key for the primary production in the Barents Sea. In October 2020, we measured nutrients (nitrate, phosphate and silicic acid), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), ocean stratification, currents and turbulence in the vicinity of the Polar Front in the Barents Sea within the framework of the Nansen Legacy project, allowing estimates of horizontal and vertical advective fluxes and turbulent fluxes of nitrate and DIC. We studied the autumn situation when primary production was declining. We found a substantial transfer of nitrate and DIC across the Polar Front from the Atlantic domain to the Arctic domain. Up to one quarter of the replenishment of the nitrate in the mixed layer during winter could be attributed to vertical mixing during wind events, shared approximately equally between advective and turbulent fluxes. The vertical turbulent fluxes bring nutrients from the subsurface Atlantic Water to the surface. We also identified an export of nitrate and DIC from the Barents Sea to the Nordic Seas occurring along the eastern shelf of Svalbard. Our study shows the role of vertical fluxes in fall and winter to precondition for the following spring bloom.publishedVersio
Polar Fresh Water in a Changing Global Climate: Linking Arctic and Southern Ocean Processes
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Vitamin B12 and folate status in pregnant females and their infants in Norway: Secondary analysis from the Mommy´s Food Study
Get PDFBackground: Vitamin B12 and folate are essential micronutrients important for normal infant growth and development. Objectives: The aims were to describe vitamin B12 and folate status in pregnant females and their infants according to commonly used status cutoffs and examine the associations between maternal status, maternal supplement use, and breastfeeding and infant status. Methods: Pregnant females were recruited at 18 wk gestation in Bergen, Norway. Maternal vitamin B12 and folate status were measured at gestational weeks 18 (n = 136) and 36 (n = 116), and infant status was measured at ages 3 (n = 73) and 6 (n = 74) mo. Results: At gestational weeks 18 and 36, respectively, 4.4% and 2.6% of the mothers had plasma cobalamin concentrations 0.26 μmol/L, and 3.7% and 30% had folate concentrations 13 μmol/L or 3 combined indicator of vitamin B12 (cB12) 6.5 μmol/L, 59% and 66% had MMA concentrations >0.26 μmol/L, and 47% and 60% had cB12 > -0.5. None of the infants had folate concentrations <10 nmol/L. Several of the vitamin B12 biomarkers in infants were associated with maternal vitamin B12 status during pregnancy. Breastfed infants had lower vitamin B12 status (as indicated by plasma cobalamin, t-Hcy, and cB12) than nonbreastfed infants at both 3 and 6 mo. Use of supplements during pregnancy was associated with better vitamin B12 status among infants at 3 and 6 mo, as indicated by infants' cobalamin and t-Hcy concentrations. Conclusions: Subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency among infants was common and associated with maternal vitamin B12 status during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Among the mothers, an increase in biochemical folate deficiency was discovered toward the end of gestation. Further studies are needed to investigate clinical consequences. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02610959.Vitamin B12 and folate status in pregnant females and their infants in Norway: Secondary analysis from the Mommy´s Food StudypublishedVersio
Occurrence of salmonid alphavirus and piscine orthoreovirus-1 infections in migrating salmon (Salmo salar L.) post-smolt in western Norway
Get PDFViral diseases are a serious problem in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) farming in Norway, often leading to reduced fish welfare and increased mortality. Disease outbreaks in salmon farms may lead to spread of viruses to the surrounding environment. There is a public concern that viral diseases may negatively affect the wild salmon populations. Pancreas disease (PD) caused by salmonid alphavirus (SAV) and heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) caused by piscine orthoreovirus-1 (PRV-1) are common viral diseases in salmon farms in western Norway. In the current study, we investigated the occurrence of SAV and PRV-1 infections in 651 migrating salmon post-smolt collected from three fjord systems (Sognefjorden, Osterfjorden and Hardangerfjorden) located in western Norway in 2013 and 2014 by real-time RT-PCR. Of the collected post-smolts, 303 were of wild origin and 348 were hatchery-released. SAV was not detected in any of the tested post-smolt, but PRV-1 was detected in 4.6% of them. The Ct values of PRV-1 positive fish were usually high (mean 32.0; range: 20.1–36.8). PRV-1 prevalence in post-smolts from the three fjords was 6.1% in Sognefjorden followed by 4.8% in Osterfjorden and 2.3% in Hardangerfjorden. The prevalence PRV-1 was significantly higher in wild (6.9%) compared to hatchery-released post-smolt (2.6%). The occurrence of PRV-1 infection in the fish was lowest in the Hardangerfjorden which has the highest fish farming intensity. Our results suggest that SAV infection are uncommon in migrating smolt while PRV-1 infection can be detected at low level. These findings suggest that migrating smolts were at low risk from SAV or PRV-1 released from salmon farms located in their migration routes in 2013 and 2014.Occurrence of salmonid alphavirus and piscine orthoreovirus-1 infections in migrating salmon (Salmo salar L.) post-smolt in western NorwaypublishedVersio
Still Arctic? — The changing Barents Sea
Get PDFThe Barents Sea is one of the Polar regions where current climate and ecosystem change is most pronounced. Here we review the current state of knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological systems in the Barents Sea. Physical conditions in this area are characterized by large seasonal contrasts between partial sea-ice cover in winter and spring versus predominantly open water in summer and autumn. Observations over recent decades show that surface air and ocean temperatures have increased, sea-ice extent has decreased, ocean stratification has weakened, and water chemistry and ecosystem components have changed, the latter in a direction often described as “Atlantification” or “borealisation,” with a less “Arctic” appearance. Temporal and spatial changes in the Barents Sea have a wider relevance, both in the context of large-scale climatic (air, water mass and sea-ice) transport processes and in comparison to other Arctic regions. These observed changes also have socioeconomic consequences, including for fisheries and other human activities. While several of the ongoing changes are monitored and quantified, observation and knowledge gaps remain, especially for winter months when field observations and sample collections are still sparse. Knowledge of the interplay of physical and biogeochemical drivers and ecosystem responses, including complex feedback processes, needs further development.Still Arctic? — The changing Barents SeapublishedVersionpublishedVersio
Abundance and biomass of copepods and cladocerans in Atlantic and Arctic domains of the Barents Sea ecosystem
Get PDFZooplankton in the Barents Sea have been monitored annually with a standard procedure with determination of size-fractioned biomass since the mid-1980s. Biomass of copepods and cladocerans was estimated based on measured abundance and individual weights taken from literature. Calanus species were dominant, making up ~85% of the estimated biomass of copepods. The second most important taxon was Oithona spp. (~0.5 g dry weight (dw) m−2, ~10%), followed by Metridia spp. (~0.15 g dw m−2, 2–3%) and Pseudocalanus spp. (0.10–0.15 g dw m−2, 1–5%). Estimated biomass of cladoceran taxa (Evadne and Podon) was low (0.01 g dw m−2). Calanus spp. contributed most of the biomass of the medium size fraction (1–2 mm), whereas small copepod species (Oithona, Pseudocalanus and others) contributed to the small size fraction (<1 mm). Estimated biomass of Calanus spp. and of the sum of small copepod species were both positively correlated with measured total zooplankton biomass (R2 = 0.72 and 0.34, respectively). The biomass ratio of small copepod species to Calanus was similar in Atlantic and Arctic water masses (~0.15–0.2) but tended to increase with decreasing total biomass. This suggests a shift to relatively larger roles of small copepods as Calanus and total biomass decrease.publishedVersio
Pre-fertilization gamete thermal environment influences reproductive success, unmasking opposing sex-specific responses in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Get PDFThe environment gametes perform in just before fertilization is increasingly recognized to affect offspring fitness, yet the contributions of male and female gametes and their adaptive significance remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated gametic thermal plasticity and its effects on hatching success and embryo performance in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Eggs and sperm were incubated overnight at 2°C or 8°C, temperatures within the optimal thermal range of this species. Crosses between warm- and cold-incubated gametes were compared using a full-factorial design, with half of each clutch reared in cold temperatures and the other in warm temperatures. This allowed disentangling single-sex interaction effects when pre-fertilization temperature of gametes mismatched embryonic conditions. Pre-fertilization temperature influenced hatch timing and synchrony, and matching sperm and embryo temperatures resulted in earlier hatching. Warm incubation benefited eggs but harmed sperm, reducing the hatching success and, overall, gametic thermal plasticity did not enhance offspring fitness, indicating vulnerability to thermal changes. We highlight the sensitivity of male gametes to higher temperatures, and that gamete acclimation may not effectively buffer against deleterious effects of thermal fluctuations. From an applied angle, we propose the differential storage of male and female gametes as a tool to enhance sustainability within the hatcheries.publishedVersio