No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Selaginellaceae is a family within the lycophytes, and it comprises one genus, Selaginella. They are herbaceous seedless vascular plants found globally, with around 750 species. Selaginella is divided into several subgenera, but there is no classification that is agreed upon. This thesis is based on one of these classifications (Weststrand & Korall, 2016a,b). The subgenus Stachygynandrum is the most species rich from that study. Within the subgenus is an unresolved clade of South American species. The aim of this study is to contribute to resolve the phylogeny of that clade. A phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian inference was used on the chloroplast regions atpB, rbcL-atpB intergenic spacer and psbE-petL intergenic spacer. These have previously never been used for studies on the Selaginella phylogeny. New primers were constructed for these regions. The datasets from all three regions were also concatenated. This study’s data was also combined with data from Weststrand and Korall (2016b). There were successful amplifications of all new regions, but most specimens failed to be amplified. The phylogenies from the new three regions are mostly in agreement with the one presented by Weststrand & Korall (2016b). The clade splits into two larger groups. Some branch support differ between this study and the previous study. The position of S. huehuetenangensis was resolved in this study as a sister group to S. reflexa and S. apoda, with a posterior probability of 1. Two specimens identified as S. umbrosa are on different branches in the tree.

Sponges play an important role in many marine habitats and are crucial for maintaining the deep-sea marine ecosystems. However, there is a knowledge gap in the field of sponge biodiversity due to insufficient exploration of the deep-sea, and the probability of finding new species is fairly high. The deep waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans are particularly poorly explored, and their sponge diversity is barely known. During the KANADEEP 2 expedition in the south of New Caledonia a large collection of Demospongiae and Hexactinellida was gathered to assess the sponge biodiversity. In this project 110 Demosponges were investigated morphologically and identified to the order level. Twenty-one of these were selected for further identification and description in terms of shape and geometry of spicules using light microscopy. The DNA was extracted from eight specimens for the confirmation of new species. Amplification of CO1 Folmer fragment was conducted using PCR. The resulting PCR-products were analyzed using gel electrophoresis and DNA-sequencing. The twenty-one specimens were assigned to the genera Tethya, Stupenda and Geodia belonging to the order Tetractinellida, which was found to be the dominant order in the deep waters in the New Caledonia region. There are potentially six new species amongst the studied specimens. However, it has to be confirmed with molecular analysis of specific markers. The morphological analysis of 21 specimens collected during the KANADEEP 2 expedition demonstrated that 17 specimens belonged to Geodia, two specimens to Tethya, and two specimens to Stupenda.

With an increasing worldwide infrastructure more habitats are fragmented by roads and buildings, which can cause a reduction in biodiversity up to 75%. One way to counteract this is by predicting the outcome, with the help of theoretical models, before it happens. In this study I used a Bayesian network model on a fragmented landscape, to test how well trophic metacommunities are able to persist habitat loss, when increasing dispersal between the fragments in the landscapes by implementing corridors. By implementing just three corridors, the species with the highest trophic level went extinct at a considerable later stage, and by just implementing 10 corridors, the metapopulation capacity for all species in all trophic levels increased. Similar results were obtained when changing the way the species extinction probabilities react to their resources being extinct, which further strengthen the efficacy of corridors. The results from this study suggests that increasing connectivity between landscape fragments, and therefore promoting dispersal of organisms, would help the conservation of biodiversity.

The warbler Prinia inornata (Plain Prinia) is a common songbird found across large parts of southern Asia, and it is currently divided into ten geographically distinct subspecies. It has been suggested by some ornithologists to possibly be a complex of cryptic species, i.e. several species so similar to each other that they have been taxonomically misclassified as being conspecific. This study used audio recordings to compare songs between individuals from different regions in order to see if there are distinct geographical differences, and if so, how these correspond to the current taxonomy. The comparison was made using two methods: A qualitative auditory analysis, and statistical models (NMDS and PCA) based on measurements from spectrograms.  The results show that two main types of song exist that are highly distinct from each other, each taking up roughly half of the geographical range. The two main types can be further divided into a few subtypes, potentially as many as seven in total. The geographical distribution of these subtypes matches that of some of the current subspecies, but the results do not support the current taxonomy as a whole. It is therefore likely that P. inornata comprises at least two species (corresponding to the two main types), possibly more.

The Spok genes are a group of selfish genetic elements in the fungus Podespora anserina which kills spores lacking them. These Spoks function through a toxin and resistance domain. Homologues of these have been found across other species such as in the Fusarium genus. Nechadraft_82228 is a Spok homologue present in the species Fusarium vanettenii, with uncertain killer action. In this study the killer action is examined through site directed mutagenesis (SDM) of the resistance domain in Nechadraft_82228. The site directed mutagenesis was performed successfully and showed negative results regarding whether the Nechadraft_82228 had functioning killer action and resistance. Growth pattern for spot assays hinted at the existence of a different underlying reason for the lack of growth, opposed to a functional toxin/killer action. Namely respiratory dysfunction in the transformed Saccharomyces. Cerevisiae, potentially due to unfit heat shock temperature.

Denna studie utfördes för att identifiera en hittills okänd art för Sverige inom minerarflugsteklarna med hjälp av en genomgående artbeskrivning och gensekvensering av det svenska materialet som samlats in via Station Linnés malaisefälleprojekt.  Studien utfördes på 3 individer som hittats i två malaisefällor, i Pajala respektive Övertorneå, och bestod av två honor och en hane. Resultatet visade att studiens individer var den synonymiserade arten Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, som tidigare hittats i Iran, Skottland, Nederländerna, Sydkorea, Österrike och Finland. Att den är synonymiserad betyder, i detta fall, att det finns två namn för arten, då forskare inte riktigt håller med om vilket släkte den tillhör. De svenska individerna är svarta med gula ben, har en occipital carina som möter och går ihop i den hypoclypeal carinan samt obefintlig notauli. Andra karaktärer innefattar en elliptisk eller kilformad pterostigma, ett tydligt äggläggningsrör och 30 antennsegment.  Fortsatt forskning krävs för att med säkerhet kunna placera arten inom Apodesmia eller Opius, men genom att utföra studier som denna utökas kunskapen om den svenska insektsfaunan hos både forskare och allmänheten. En fullständig revidering är nödvändig inom minerarflugsteklarna för att förenkla framtida forskning och artbestämning, samt minska antalet synonymiseringar. / This study was carried out to identify a hitherto unknown species for Sweden within the Opiinae with the help of a thorough species description and gene sequencing of the Swedish material gathered in Station Linnés’ malaise trap project.  The study was carried out on 3 individuals, which were found in two malaise traps in Pajala and Övertorneå respectively and consisted of two females and one male. The results showed that the individuals of the study were the synonymized species Opius saevus/Apodesmia saeva, previously found in Iran, Scotland, South Korea, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland. That it is synonymized means, in this case, that there are two names for the species, as scientists do not quite agree on which genus it belongs to. The Swedish individuals are black with yellow legs, have an occipital carina that meets and merges into the hypoclypeal carina and a non-existent notauli. Other characters include an elliptical or wedge-shaped pterostigma, a distinct ovipositor tube, and 30 antennal segments.  Placing the species within Apodesmia or Opius cannot be done without further research. But by carrying out studies like this, the knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is expanded among both researchers and the public. A complete revision is necessary within the Opiinae taxa to simplify future research and species determination, and thereafter reduce the number of synonymizations.

Ekosystemens funktion och tjänster är ofta direkt beroende av biologisk mångfald. Arter som är extra skyddsvärda, indikerar att ett område har höga naturvärden eller i sig själva är av särskild betydelse för biologisk mångfald faller alla under samlingsnamnet naturvårdsarter. Lidköping kommuns ambition är att främja den biologiska mångfalden. Ett av deras ställningstaganden är att kvalitén på gröna ytor ska höjas genom att skapa fler multifunktionella ytor. Tätortsnära skogar är en viktig del i arbetet. För att ta välgrundade beslut om skogarnas förvaltning krävs kunskap om vilka ekosystemtjänster, kvaliteter och arter som återfinns där idag. Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga ekosystemtjänster i Filsbäckskogen samt att testa om det finns ett statistiskt samband mellan förekomsten av naturvårdsarter inom en yta och antalet ekosystemtjänster inom ytan. Metoden innefattar ekosystemtjänst-inventering i fält med hjälp av ESTER-verktyget, insamling av artfynd, statistikanalys och GIS-arbete. Totalt noterades 35 fynd av naturvårdsarter tillhörande tio olika arter. Resultatet påvisar att ett positivt samband föreligger hos elva av 15 ekosystemtjänster och för fem av dem är parametrarna signifikant skilda från noll. Fyra ekosystemtjänster påvisar negativ korrelation och en av dem är signifikant skild från noll. Flera bitopkvaliteter återfinns på studieområdet. Högt ekosystemtjänstvärde kan korrelera med förekomsten av naturvårdsarter på områden för att de liksom ekosystemtjänsterna är beroende av samma struktur i naturen. Arbetet breddar vägen för liknande men större och mer utvecklade studier i framtiden. / The function of ecosystem and their services is dependent on biodiversity. Nature conservation species includes species with high protection value, species that indicate areas with high natural values or species as in themselves is important for biodiversity. The municipality of Lidköping have the ambition to promote biodiversity and make more multifunctional areas. Urban forests play an important role for the purpose. Information about which ecosystemservices, qualities and species that exists today in the forests requires to take legitimate decisions about future management. The aim of the research is to map ecosystemservices in Filsbäckskogen and investigate if there is a statistical connection between presences of ecosystemservices within an area and number of species within the same area. A fieldinventory of ecosystemservices with a tool named ESTER, collection of speciesfinds, statistical analysis and work in GIS is all included in the methodology. In total there were 35 finds of nature conservation species and ten different species. The result shows that there is a positive correlation in eleven ecosystem services and for five of them the parameters are significantly different from zero. Four ecosystem services show negative correlation and one of them is significantly different from zero. Several biotope qualities can be found in the study area. High ecosystem service value can correlate with the presence of nature conservation species in areas because, like ecosystem services, they are dependent on the same structure in nature. The study has great development potential due to several sources of error. The work prepares the way for similar but larger and more developed studies in the future.