<ol> <li>Crowdsourced data can provide spatially explicit data on the contribution of nature to people. Spatial information is essential for effectively managing the diverse relationships that people have with nature, but the potential and limits of using crowdsourcing data to generate maps for conservation purposes need further research. </li><p> <p><li>Passive crowdsourcing tools include social ...

Triploid Atlantic salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i> L.) is seen as one of the best solutions to solve key issues in the salmon farming industry, such as the impact of escapees on wild stocks and pre-harvest sexual maturation. However, the effects of triploidy on salmon smoltification are poorly understood at the molecular level, even though smoltification is a very sensitive period that has a major influence ...

Up to 95% of the oceanic primary production is recycled within the upper few hundred meters of the water column. Marine snow and zooplankton fecal pellets in the upper water column are often recycled at rates exceeding those measured for microbial degradation, suggesting that zooplankton might be important for flux attenuation of particulate organic carbon in the upper ocean. However, direct evidence ...

Arctic hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) are monogastric carnivores that go through extreme fasting and re-feeding in early life. They are born isolated on sea ice; suckle high-fat milk for four days and may then fast for up to one month before they start hunting and feeding on small prey (fish and crustaceans). Previous studies of the gut microbiota in pinnipeds have focused on the large intestine, ...

Mercury (Hg) emissions to the atmosphere cause elevated Hg levels in fish, even in many remote regions of the world. Here we present an extensive database of more than 50 000 measurements of Hg in fish, including 2 775 individual water bodies in Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russian part of Kola Peninsula) sampled between 1965 and 2015. The data have been analysed for spatial patterns and ...

In June 2016,the Norwegian EnvironmentAgencyrequestedthe Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) to conducta literature reviewregardingdevelopment of bacterial resistance to biocides and heavy metals and cross-resistance to antimicrobial agents(e.g.,antibiotics)in bacteria, with the following mandate: <br><br>1.List chemical substancesthat may contribute to increased antimicrobial ...

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a common transmissible ocular disease in semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (<i>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</i>). In large outbreaks, IKC may affect tens of animals in a herd, with the most severe cases often requiring euthanasia due to the destruction of the affected eyes and permanent blindness. An experimental inoculation with cervid herpesvirus 2 ...

1. Animals employ various foraging strategies along their ontogeny to acquire energy, and with varying degree of efficiencies, to support growth, maturation and subsequent reproduction events. Individuals that can efficiently acquire energy early are more likely to mature at an earlier age, as a result of faster energy gain which can fuel maturation and reproduction.<p><p> 2. We aimed to test the ...

Cold seeps are characterized by high biomass, which is supported by the microbial oxidation of the available methane by capable microorganisms. The carbon is subsequently transferred to higher trophic levels. South of Svalbard, five geological mounds shaped by the formation of methane gas hydrates, have been recently located. Methane gas seeping activity has been observed on four of them, ...

<i>Aim</i> - Our ability to model species distributions and abundances is a valuable ecological tool in predicting future distributions of species. Effectively incorporating connectivity into these predictions is crucial; however, many connectivity measures utilize metrics which may not have a direct relation to the dispersal capacity of the species they are attempting to model. The identification ...