Increasing demand for valuation of ecosystem services has led stated preference methods to be applied to public goods that are increasingly complex and unfamiliar. Traditionally, stated preference surveys were conducted via mail or face-to-face interviews, but over the past two decades internet panels have been used to a larger extent. As we move away from traditional methods of survey administration ...

To maintain and restore the membrane potential that is crucial for normal function of neurons, the brain requires a constant and high energy supply. This supply is mainly covered by oxidative metabolism. When oxygen supply is impaired on a cellular level (hypoxia), such as in the case of stroke, neural energy levels become inadequate to maintain ion balance, leading to excessive ion flux and ultimately ...

The earth is experiencing warming at a rate that challenges the adaptive capacities of many animal species. Because marine mammals can integrate and reflect ecological variation across various spatial and temporal scales, they are prime sentinels of marine ecosystem change. This thesis explores movement patterns and foraging behaviour, and the ontogeny of these behaviours, in harbour seals (Phoca ...

As a consequence of the expected population growth towards 2050, the demand for food, and in particular proteins, will increase. Due to limited resources of arable land and freshwater, this increase cannot come in the agricultural sector alone. At present, the utilization of marine environments for food production is low and should be increased. Seaweeds are fast-growing plants occurring in marine ...

Exotic invasive giant hogweeds are infamous in Europe for their ecological and economic damage; however, the magnitude of their impact on plant diversity has not yet been fully explored. In addition, uncertainties in their source and route of introduction impede management interventions. In such cases, molecular markers may bridge gaps between invasion history and management by providing insight ...

Five species of baleen whales are regularly encountered at their feeding grounds in Icelandic waters during summer. Systematic monitoring of distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Icelandic and adjacent waters was initiated in 1987 as a part of the North Atlantic Sightings Surveys (NASS). In this thesis, the objecive is to summarize the results of these surveys in relation to changes in the ...

Parasite communities are complicated systems believed to be affected by multiple ecological and environmental factors, both in time and space. These communities might be disrupted by anthropogenic host introductions which unfortunately appear to be a common practice e.g. in freshwater fish management. By addressing parasite occurrences in three of the most common freshwater fish species in subarctic ...

Detailed predictions of the downward particulate organic carbon (POC) flux in a future Arctic are challenging due to the poor understanding of potential drivers. Short-term sediment traps, partly modified with gel-containing jars, were deployed in the Barents Sea (BS) and in Adventfjorden, Svalbard, to determine the downward POC flux and the particle flux (≥ 0.05 mm equivalent spherical diameter ...

The coastal cod stock of the Porsangerfjord has drastically declined in the 80’s and never fully recovered since. A population of harbour seals, known to be resident in the fjord all year round, has been hypothesised to act as predator-pit for cod in the area, affecting its lack of recovery. In order to understand the role of these seals in this local marine ecosystem, their foraging behaviour ...

The diversity of the marine species inhabiting the oceans makes them highly interesting as potential sources of bioactive molecules for various applications. The extreme environment in the Barents Sea, in terms of temperature and light availability, have forced its organisms to adapt to their surroundings by developing unique biomolecules, and Arctic marine organisms are therefore an excellent ...