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Sortblandningar i svensk växtproduktion
Get PDFOdling av sortblandningar har flera fördelar, såsom att minska angrepp från skade-insekter och växtpatogena svampar. Detta kan i sin tur reducera behovet av kemiska bekämpningsmedel. Olika sorter har olika krav på odlingsförhållanden, såsom vatten- och näringstillgång. Odling av sortblandningar kan medverka till att öka skörden och göra skördnivån mer stabil över tid genom att bättre kunna kompensera för till exempel varierande jordar och klimatförhållanden där ett bättre resursutnyttjande ger en mer hållbar odling och en minskad belastning på miljön. Att odla olika sorter i blandning kan bidra till att främja den biologiska mångfalden i odlingssystemet och skapa bättre förutsättningar för ekosystemtjänster, såsom pollinering och naturlig bekämpning av skadedjur och växtsjukdomar. I livsmedelsproduktionen kan sortblandningar användas för att skapa en slutprodukt med en bredare variation av egenskaper, såsom olika smakprofiler, texturer eller näringsinnehåll som kan öka attraktionskraften för vissa konsumentgrupper eller specifika marknader. Det finns dock en del hinder för en ökad odling av sortblandningar i Sverige. Odlarna behöver tillgång till tydlig information om vilka sortblandningar som fungerar samt möjligheten att köpa färdigblandat utsäde eller få instruktioner för att själva blanda eget utsäde. Trots teorier kring de mekanismer som orsakar sortblandningars effekter på skadegörare och skördenivå finns det många frågetecken när det gäller att med precision förutspå hur blandningar av sorter och miljöer interagerar. Här är det viktigt att ta fram evidensbaserad kunskap kopplad till tillämpning. För att öka intresset för sortblandningar i Sverige krävs också att intressenter aktivt främjar och underlättar odlingen, likt det arbete som danska myndigheter och utsädesföretag har genomfört.Förslag till åtgärder:• Kunskapsspridning till lantbrukare och lantbruksrådgivning kring sortblandningars möjligheter men också om befintliga begränsningar från olika intressenter inom lantbruk, så som myndigheter och företag.• Öka kunskapen kring vilka sorter som lämpar sig för blandning under svenska förhållanden genom fältförsök och insamling av praktisk erfarenhet.• Forskning om underliggande mekanismer för att ta fram riktlinjer kring sortblandningars sammansättning.• Växtförädling för att ta fram sorter vars egenskaper passar för sortblandning.• Utveckling av odlingssystem där sortblandningar ingår.• Underlätta certifieringen av sortblandat utsäde genom snabbare analysme-toder.• Möjlighet att certifiera sortblandningar
Temporal changes in the Bothnian Sea food web reveal a deterioration linked to fishing pressure and recent eutrophication
Get PDFChanges in food web dynamics can have large and irreversible effects for many species, due to natural, climate-related, or anthropogenic factors. In the Bothnian Sea, changes in key drivers, including climate change and fisheries, raise concerns that food web dynamics are deteriorating. However, no method exists for evaluating food web status for the region. We examine how the Bothnian Sea open sea food web has changed over time (1979-2021) using the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive criteria for food web status. To analyse food web components and potential key drivers, we apply integrated multivariate analysis and generalized additive models. Results indicate changes in the MSFD criterion 'balance between trophic guilds', mainly associated with changes in herring fishing mortality, dissolved inorganic phosphorus, and salinity. Changes in the 'balance of species within trophic guilds' mainly reflected increased cyanobacteria in the phytoplankton biomass, increased stickleback abundance within the planktivorous fish guild, and declining Monoporeia affinis among benthic deposit feeders. The results corroborate a worsening food web status of the Bothnian Sea food web and that measures such as lowering phosphorus loading and fishing mortality would prevent further depreciation. This study contributes to development of management objectives for food webs in the region
Pedotransfer Functions Versus Model Structure: What Drives Variance in Agro-Hydrological Model Results?
Get PDFPedotransfer functions (PTFs) are widely used empirical relationships to estimate soil hydraulic parameters. PTFs are usually derived from point soil samples analysed in the field or laboratory; thus, they contain uncertainties at different levels (i.e., from sampling and measuring techniques, as well as empirical approaches chosen to quantify relationships). When PTFs are used to parametrize agro-hydrological models, both the choice of PTF and the choice of the model may influence the simulation results. Both sources of variance (PTF choice and model structural differences) were found to be relevant in previous studies, but how they relate to each other has rarely been investigated. In this study, we addressed this research gap by conducting a systematic analysis of the variance in selected agro-hydrological model outputs (i.e., seepage water, soil water content, actual evapotranspiration, transpiration, biomass production) based on an ensemble of 18 PTFs applied to four agro-hydrological models, namely: APEX, CANDY, DAISY and SWAP. The models were calibrated for aboveground biomass and phenology of silage maize and evaluated using data of actual evapotranspiration, seepage water and soil water content obtained from a lysimeter facility in Switzerland. ANOVA-based variance partitioning was applied to attribute variance in model outputs to two uncertainty sources (PTF choice, model choice). Overall, we found that agro-hydrological model structural differences had a larger influence on the variance in model outputs than PTF differences. Further analyses undertaken per model showed that the sensitivity of the simulated outputs to the choice of PTF differed between the models; our results showed that the models integrating the Richards equation (SWAP, DAISY) were more sensitive to the choice of PTF than those using a reservoir cascade approach (APEX, CANDY). Our results also showed that simulated outputs using the mean of a PTF ensemble performed better than when using a single PTF, irrespective of the model and output variable. We therefore recommend using PTF ensembles in agro-hydrological modelling studies. The benefit of using large PTF ensembles is, however, likely to be reduced in larger ensembles of agro-hydrological models, as structural model uncertainties will dominate over PTF uncertainties, according to the four-member model ensemble investigated here
Beyond pollination - The neglected contribution of ground-nesting bees to soil functions
Get PDFWhile the pollination services provided by wild bees are now well recognized, their importance as soil ecosystem engineers has been largely overlooked, despite the fact that most species nest in the soil in self-excavated burrows. Here we provide an overview of the many direct and indirect effects of ground-nesting wild bees on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, soil functions, and ecosystem services. In particular, we discuss how ground-nesting bees move and mix substantial amounts of soil during nest construction, thereby altering soil physical properties (e.g., soil pore architecture, soil porosity, density) and soil functions (e.g., water and gas exchange), and act as geomorphic agents at larger scales (affecting, e.g., surface runoff and soil erosion). We also review how ground-nesting bees affect soil chemical and biological properties through their nesting activity, leading to the redistribution and accumulation of organic carbon and nutrients in the soil, providing hotspots for microbial activity, and introducing a range of organisms into the soil. Furthermore, we discuss the large-scale indirect effects on soils through their pollination functions, which shape plant communities and soil functions modulated by plants. Lastly, we highlight the role of ground-nesting bees as soil ecosystem engineers that complement the activity of other bioturbators in both space and time by occupying biogeographical niches where other bioturbators are largely absent, and by complementary activity peaks during the season. We emphasize the distinctive position of ground-nesting bees among soil fauna, acting as both pollinators and soil bioturbators, and conclude that ground-nesting bees deserve greater attention and recognition in future research and conservation policy as part of soil biodiversity and for their role as soil ecosystem engineers
Procedural justice for whom? A case study of a densification project
Get PDFRealising just and equitable pathways to urbanisation is a major challenge in urban research and practice. Environmental justice literature outlines approaches for just distribution and meaningful public participation by including and recognising different groups of residents. Despite institutionalised support for just procedures in urban planning, citizens do not necessarily perceive outcomes as just and inclusive. This paper aims to understand and critically examine procedural justice in the urban development process in a marginalised neighbourhood in Malm & ouml;, Sweden. We use the theories of procedural justice and communicative planning to provide a layered assessment of procedural justice. The overall findings show critical discrepancies between institutionalised and perceived justice. The legal guidelines are vague and lack consistency in implementation from the city's point of view. This in turn weakens citizen influence in public participation. Additionally, this case reveals novel tensions in operationalising procedural justice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper concludes that even if there is a mandatory requirement for participation with affected groups of citizens, planners must represent various interests, and procedural justice is not being operationalised. Just development and transformation of the urban environment requires further unpacking of the interaction between the official, the applied, and the lived dimensions of procedural justice
Gelatinous macrozooplankton in the North Sea: Biodiversity and distribution pattern during winter 2023-Q1 dataset
Get PDFThe biodiversity and distribution of gelatinous macrozooplankton in the North Sea and adjacent waters during winter (January/February) 2023 is presented both quantitatively and qualitatively. The data include species-specific jellyfish and comb jelly community data, encountered during the North Sea - Midwater Ring Net (MIK) survey [1]. The MIK survey targets ichthyoplankton and is conducted at night during the quarter 1 (Q1) International Bottom Trawl Surveys (IBTS). Presented data about the gelatinous macrozooplankton community stems from Danish (DTU Aqua), the Swedish (SLU), and German (TI) partners. A total of 158 stations were investigated using a MIK net (2 m diameter, 13 m long, 1.6 mm mesh size with 0.5 mm for net end and cod end) [2]. Samples were collected by double oblique hauls from the surface to 5 m above the seafloor with a maximum depth of similar to 100 m [2]. Eighteen gelatinous macrozooplankton species were encountered during the Q1 2023 survey. Species encountered are hydrozoans (i) Aequorea vitrina, (ii) Agalma elegans (siphonophore), (iii) Aglantha digitale, (iv) Apolemia uvaria (siphonophore), (v) Clytia spp., (vi) Eutima spp., (vii) Leuckartiara octona, (viii) Melicertum octocostatum, (ix) Muggiaea atlantica (siphonophore), (x) Nanomia cara (siphonophore), (xi) Tima bairdii; scyphozoans (i) Cyanea capillata and (ii) Cyanea lamarckii as well as the ctenophores (i) Beroe spp., (ii) Bolinopsis infundibulum, (iii) Pleurobrachia bachei, (iv) Pleurobrachia pileus, and (v) the non-indigenous Mnemiopsis leidyi. In total 12,093 individual specimens from samples and sub-samples were analyzed and extrapolated to generate a database with 77,099 records of gelatinous macrozooplankton caught in the investigation area during Q1 2023. For rare species, the entire sample was processed, while abundances were estimated from sub-samples for abundant taxa. Flow-meter recordings and maximum net depths during each haul were used to convert raw counts to volume-specific densities (individuals m(-3)) and area-specific abundances (individuals m(-2)). Further, sizes for the different species were obtained from a total of 5,566 individual gelatinous macrozooplankton organisms. Sizes are presented in the accompanying database and were used to calculate species-specific wet weights, using published size-weight regressions [3] and regressions outlined in Table 1. In addition, we present spatial wet weight distribution patterns for (i) the total gelatinous macrozooplankton community, (ii) hydrozoans only, (iii) scyphozoans only and (iv) ctenophora only. The presented data contribute to a time series describing the gelatinous macrozooplankton diversity and distribution in the extended North Sea area during winter [3,4] and summer [5] and are an important baseline to understand response of jellyfish to climate change. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc
Genetic assessment of subspecies composition in bean goose (Anser fabalis) harvest in Sweden, Finland and Estonia
Get PDFBean goose (Anser fabalis) harvest in Europe consists of two subspecies, whose conservation statuses are different. However, the proportions of each subspecies in hunting bags are unknown. We studied the subspecies composition among harvested bean geese in Sweden, Finland and Estonia by sequencing a short mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) region (210 bp). The proportion of taiga bean geese (A. f. fabalis) over two hunting seasons was 94% in Sweden, but only 5.8% and 11% in Estonia and southeastern Finland, respectively. The majority of harvested bean geese in Estonia and southeastern Finland were tundra bean geese (A. f. rossicus), and hence the results show that the Finnish spatio-temporal harvest regulations have successfully managed to focus the harvest mostly to the abundant tundra bean goose. We also detected mitochondrial heteroplasmy, i.e. multiple mtDNA variants within some of the individuals. In addition, we discovered a few exceptional individuals with an mtDNA haplotype belonging to eastern taiga bean goose (A. f. middendorffii) or greater white-fronted goose (A. albifrons), which could be hybrids between bean goose subspecies or interspecific hybrids. Hybrid individuals are a problem to this type of method. We also noted that it was not possible to distinguish bean geese and pink-footed goose (A. brachyrhynchus). Our derived method is more cost-efficient than previously used molecular methods, and could be used to monitor bean goose hunting bag in the future
Exploring the female genital tract mycobiome in young South African women using metaproteomics
Get PDFBackgroundFemale genital tract (FGT) diseases such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and sexually transmitted infections are prevalent in South Africa, with young women being at an increased risk. Since imbalances in the FGT microbiome are associated with FGT diseases, it is vital to investigate the factors that influence FGT health. The mycobiome plays an important role in regulating mucosal health, especially when the bacterial component is disturbed. However, we have a limited understanding of the FGT mycobiome since many studies have focused on bacterial communities and have neglected low-abundance taxonomic groups, such as fungi. To reduce this knowledge deficit, we present the first large-scale metaproteomic study to define the taxonomic composition and potential functional processes of the FGT mycobiome in South African reproductive-age women.ResultsWe examined FGT fungal communities present in 123 women by collecting lateral vaginal wall swabs for liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. From this, 39 different fungal genera were identified, with Candida dominating the mycobiome (53.2% relative abundance). We observed changes in relative abundance at the protein, genus, and functional (gene ontology biological processes) level between BV states. In women with BV, Malassezia and Conidiobolus proteins were more abundant, while Candida proteins were less abundant compared to BV-negative women. Correspondingly, Nugent scores were negatively associated with total fungal protein abundance. The clinical variables, Nugent score, pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, vaginal pH, Chlamydia trachomatis, and the presence of clue cells were associated with fungal community composition.ConclusionsThe results of this study revealed the diversity of FGT fungal communities, setting the groundwork for understanding the FGT mycobiome
Milk somatic cell count and its relationship with feed efficiency, and with GreenFeed-estimated methane emission and energy partitioning variables in Nordic Red cows
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of somatic cell count (SCC) with production efficiency, energy partitioning, and methane emission in Nordic Red cows. Data were obtained from 10 previously conducted experiments consisting of 3 milk production trials and 7 GreenFeed (GF) studies, with available information on SCC, body weight (BW), milk production and feed intake. The complete data set consisted of a total of 924 cow/period observations from 265 cows. A subset of 150 cow/period observations from three of the GF studies, with available data on digestibility, and heat production were used for analysing energy partitioning variables. All measurements were made on cows fed diets based on grass silage with a range of protein and energy supplements. Production efficiency and energy partitioning variables were evaluated by mixed-model regression in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). with the natural logarithm of SCC (lnSCC) treated as a fixed variable. Experiment (Exp), diet(Exp), and period(Exp) were included as random effects, allowing their effects to be excluded from the fixed-effect estimates. Additionally, segmented regression (PROC NLMIXED in SAS) was applied to determine SCC thresholds affecting feed efficiency variables. An increase in lnSCC showed a negative relationship with milk lactose concentration, milk yield, energy corrected milk (ECM), residual ECM, and feed conversion efficiency. Conversely, milk protein concentration increased with rising lnSCC. A trend towards increased BW was noted with rising lnSCC. Methane energy intensity and heat production increased while the efficiency of metabolizable energy (ME) use for lactation (kl) decreased with elevated lnSCC. We identified SCC thresholds of 40 000 cells/mL for heat production (HP) and 74 000 cells/mL for kl, indicating that HP increases at an earlier stage of infection, while a more advanced infection is required to impair energy utilization efficiency. These findings underscore the importance of early SCC management to sustain production, minimize energy losses, and enhance feed efficiency and overall dairy sustainability