Studies based on satellite-tracking show that hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) spend many months out in the open sea each year. When the seals are out in the open sea they have no access to fresh water. Experimental studies have showed that hooded seals drink seawater and that they have the capacity to produce urine with Na+ and cl- concentrations equal to or higher than that of seawater. They ...

The growth and important structures development in different temperature regime histories were studied during mid-metamorphosis stage of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae. In order to see the growth and the organ development differentiation due to different temperatures at a given stage, we exposed the larvae into 4 different temperature regimes; L-L (low temperature at incubation, low temperature ...

The aim of the study was to investigate if the Dileka-cell reduces bacterial survival in municipal drinking water in Tromsø, and if such an effect was found, also to discuss possible mechanisms involved in such an anti-bacterial effect. A pilot study was conducted first, followed by a series of 8 experiments (4 with Dileka and 4 without Dileka (control)). Since no documentation of active mechanisms ...

Microbial fermentation in the world domesticated ruminant populations is thought to be responsible for as much as 13.5-33% of the global anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions (World Resources Institute 2005, EPA 2004, Bodas et al., 2012). However, methane also represents a loss of 2-15% of the gross energy intake in these animals (Blaxter and Clapperton 1965, Holter and Young 1992, Johnson and Ward ...

Estimates of repeatability (R) are an important statistic tool in assessing the consistency of individual differences and thus different phenotypes. A high repeatability of estimates of the daily energy expenditure (DEE), allow for better inferences of the long term energetic effort of individuals, as well as for sound correlations of other traits related to individual performance, such as reproductive ...

The introduction of new hosts into new habitats can bring along hitchhiking parasites, i.e. parasites being introduced with the host. This in particular can be an important dispersal mechanism for autogenic parasites that are otherwise restricted by the natural movement of their fish hosts. In this study, the effect of a local host introduction on the parasite communities of three-spined sticklebacks ...

Three mechanisms have been implicated for plant microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate gene expression, i.e. directing target RNA cleavage, transcriptional silencing and translational repression. A great number of target genes of plant miRNAs were predicted using different algorithms and verified through experimental methods. In the present work, one miRNA from Arabidopsis, microRNA 840 (miR840) was ...

The spring season is important to polar bears, since females with young cubs leave the maternity dens, ringed seal pupping creates a peak in prey availability, and it is the mating season. Understanding space- and resource use at this time is a key to understanding polar bear ecology. This study from Svalbard, Norway analyzed 348 measurements of spring-to-spring displacement from 220 polar bears ...

Currently there is a lack of spring phenology studies covering small-scale altitudinal gradients of mountain birch in coastal northern Fennoscandia, a region characterized by exceptionally high precipitation of snow, which gives reason to investigate the influence of snow cover on birch budburst in this area. Furthermore, ground phenology studies are today increasingly replaced by satellite data ...

The fatty acid (FA) composition of 37 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from 4 different areas, Spitsbergen, Bjørnøya, Vesterålen and the North Sea was determined. Stratification between inner, middle and outer blubber was present. Most saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) with 20 and 22 carbon atoms had a higher relative amount in the inner blubber while ...