Mastergradsoppgaver i biologi: Nye registreringer
Viser treff 121-140 av 397
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Uncovering the foraging strategies in two pelagic diving seabird species outside their breeding season using coupled feather stable isotopes and light-based geolocators
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2022-02-16)The critical endangered Common and Brünnich guillemot are exhibiting contrasting population trends in the Barents Sea region, where the Common guillemots are increasing, while Brünnich guillemots are declining. The non-breeding season is regarded as the main mortality period among seabirds, especially in winter, as climate conditions may be harsh and prey availability rather limited. The contrasting ... -
Plant-Soil Feedback: Alpine Grassland Plants in Home and Away soil
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-12-16)For the grassland, plant soil feedback (PSF) has been the focus of much recent research to understand plant species dynamics. Experimental methods are very important in the plant soil feedback (PSF) analysis, and it has been observed that various PSF experimental approaches yield in different feedback values. More field type experiments are required to understand the role of PSFs in plant communities ... -
Interactions between white-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, seabirds and tourism; how the breeding success of the endangered black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla is affected
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-12-17)In many seabird colonies along the coast of Norway, the increased population of white-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla and the growing industry of birdwatching tourism are causing a dilemma for management decisions. Thus, this study aimed to examine the indirect effect of white-tailed eagles and tourists on the breeding success of the endangered seabird species, black legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla ... -
Shifts in bacterial biodiversity along an environmental gradient in high-Arctic tundra
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2019-11-18)Arctic soil microbiomes may have to face drastic climate changes in the coming century. Currently, the arctic tundra act as a carbon sink due to slow decomposition rates of soil organic carbon, which partly owes to low temperatures and poor water drainage. However, with elevated temperatures, large, latent carbon pools stored in arctic permafrost are exposed to mineralization by the active layer ... -
Developmental effects of embryonic exposure to a water-soluble fraction of crude oil on early life stages of capelin (Mallotus villosus)
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2020-05-15)The rise in offshore oil and gas operations, maritime shipping and tourism in northern latitudes enhance the risk of petroleum pollution and anthropogenic impacts of oil-related compounds on sub-Arctic and Arctic organisms. In particular, there is a need to investigate the potential adverse effects of petroleum to the early life stages of capelin (<i>Mallotus villosus</i>), an important forage and ... -
Contrasting body burdens of organohalogenated contaminants in two Arctic glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus populations in relation to their dietary ecology
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-06-12)This study compared body burdens of organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) between glaucous gull populations from Bjørnøya and Kongsfjorden, Svalbard and if OHC levels was influenced by their dietary ecology and biological variables (body condition index and sex). To do so, blood from 112 adult glaucous gulls were sampled during the breeding seasons of 2015 until 2019 in Bjørnøya and Kongsfjorden. ... -
Seabird guild composition and distribution relative to biophysical cues throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-08-16)Seabird distributions reflect physical and biological features of the marine environment and their variability on different spatial and temporal scales. Different species assemblages are associated with specific oceanic habitats and concentrations of birds typically occur in areas of high biological productivity. Here I explore seabird distributions and habitat use relative to biophysical cues of ... -
Feeding ecology of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the outer Oslofjord quantified by DNA metabarcoding of scat soft-matrix and morphological analysis of hard prey remains
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-08-15)The feeding ecology of harbor seals in the outer Oslofjord was investigated during late summer and autumn of 2019 using DNA metabarcoding and morphological hard-parts identification. To evaluate potential competition between seals and fisheries, the annual consumption of fish by harbor seals was estimated and compared to the fisheries landings in the outer Oslofjord. Fish species from 16 and 18 ... -
Novel methanotrophic community assemblages in a terrestrial methane seep in Svalbard
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2020-08-14)Recent studies have concluded that groundwater driven methane escape through open system pingos is an important greenhouse gas source in the vulnerable high Arctic. In wetlands and marine sediments, large quantities of methane are consumed by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and ANaerobic MEthanotrophic (ANME) archaea, preventing its release to the atmosphere. The methanotrophic capacity of open ... -
Metabolomic and metagenomic study of Lake Baikal diseased sponges
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2020-08-15)Widespread mortality and disease are recognized as growing problems in benthic marine coral and sponge communities across the globe and despite being extensively studied, in most cases the etiology of disease remains unknown. Since 2011, sponge communities in freshwater Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia have been affected by an unknown agent of disease, which has been causing an array of physical disease ... -
The effect of coloured LED light treatments on the biosynthesis of flavonoids in woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) originating from different latitudes
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2019-07-31)Flavonoids are a group of phenolic compounds produced in plants. They have many biological functions in plants and also beneficial bioactivities in human’s health. Light quality is one of the major environmental factors regulating the accumulation of flavonoids in plants. Understanding plants accumulation of secondary metabolites in response to light qualities is important in order to optimize plants ... -
Growth and Maturation of a Subarctic Fish Community Under a Changing Climate
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-06-15)Increasing water temperatures from novel climate change may alter freshwater fish life history strategies, especially those of fish populations in northern latitudes. Fish species life history strategies are reflected by their environments and increasing water temperature may alter the most favorable strategies considering growth and reproductive patterns. In this study, life history traits of a ... -
Evaluation and use of a monitoring method to estimate Atlantic salmon spawning run
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-06-16)ARIS sonar and Timespace video cameras were used to estimate spawning run and migration pattern of Atlantic salmon in Máskejohka, a tributary belonging to the River Tana. Máskejohka has not been monitored before and needs more detailed information about the stock size and its migration pattern, after several years with declining Atlantic salmon catch. Data for the first weeks of the migration period ... -
Distribution, reproductive ecology, and colouration of the Arctic skate Amblyraja hyperborea (Collett, 1879) in the North Atlantic Ocean
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-06-14)<i>Amblyraja hyperborea</i> is the cartilaginous fish with the widest distribution across the Arctic seas and shelves and yet, large parts of its biology remain unknown. In a changing climate where the ice cover in the polar regions is retreating and fisheries are expanding northward, studying poorly known species is more important than ever. To provide a more exhaustive understanding of this species, ... -
Monitoring anthropogenic activity in the Hardangervidda wild reindeer range. Possible applications of crowdsourced Strava-data in remote settings
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-05-31)Seen in light of the increasing interest of nature-based tourism and recreational outdoor activities in Norway the last decades (Haukeland, Grue & Veisten, 2010), spatiotemporal information on human activity in remote areas and knowledge about how this activity may affect wildlife and nature is a crucial part of a knowledge-based management (Gundersen et.al., 2011, p.14; Gundersen, Strand & Punsvik, ... -
Can spruce forest stands be adapted to climate-driven natural disturbances? The consequential effects of two key disturbance agents and their management in spruce dominated stands under climate change – A review
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-05-20)The purpose of the thesis is to support the initial stage of the Climate Smart Forestry Norway (CSFN) undertaken by a consortium between NMBU, NIBIO, LUKE (Finland), and Wageningen University & Research, which is a five-year project aimed to assess how Norway’s forests are best managed in order to adapt to climate change. As part of the CSFN project a framework for quantifying probability and effects ... -
Temporal changes of persistent organic pollutants in Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from Svalbard
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-05-18)Recent evidence shows that temporal changes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Arctic ecosystems are not only due to emission patterns and regulations; environment-related changes in prey availability and long-range transport may also influence concentrations of these compounds in tissues of Arctic predators. Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in Svalbard, Norway, scavenge and hunt opportunistically ... -
Effect of simulated latitudinal variation in daylength conditions on oscillations of circadian gene expression in populations of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) from Northern Norway and Italy
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-05-15)Almost all species on Earth possess circadian rhythms that align their physiological processes with suitable times of day and year based on predictable changes in the light cycle. While it is known that natural variations exist in photoperiodic responses regulated by the circadian clock, there are currently no studies assessing the effect of latitudinal variations in daylength on the properties of ... -
Ingestion and egestion of microplastic fibers in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis: An experimental exposure
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-05-18)Plastic is a major component of marine litter in the world’s oceans and therefore it is critical we develop a better understanding of the fate of plastic in the marine environment, and the potential impacts on biota. Microplastics are the most abundant size class (<5 mm) of plastic found in the marine environment and have the potential to interact with smaller marine organisms at lower trophic levels. ... -
Long-term fluctuations in an arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) population: a matter of diet?
(Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2021-06-14)The long-term dynamics of predator populations may be driven by fluctuations in resource availability and reflect ecosystem changes in response to climate change. The Icelandic arctic fox population has known major fluctuations in size since the 1950s, starting with a decreasing period until late 1970s, followed by a six-fold increase until 2008 when the population dropped to half its size within ...