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Predators in low arctic tundra and their impact on community structure and dynamicsAunapuu, Maano January 2004 (has links)
The abundance of predators and their impact on ecosystem dynamics is a vividly discussed topic in current ecology. In my studies, incorporating field observations, field experiments and theoretical modeling, I explored the importance of predators and predation in a low arctic tundra ecosystem in northern Norway. This involved observing the abundance and spatial activity of predators (raptors and small mustelids); manipulating the abundance of predators (spiders and birds) in an arthropod community; and exploring the theoretical consequences of intraguild predation on the coexistence among predators. The results show that predation is important both in the arthropod assemblage and, depending on the productivity of the community, in the vertebrate assemblage. In arthropod communities predators are at least as abundant as their prey, whereas in the vertebrate part of ecosystem, predators are substantially less abundant than their prey. Still, in both cases predators had strong impact on their prey, influencing the abundance of prey and the species composition of prey assemblages. The impact of predation cascaded to the plant community both in the reticulate and complex arthropod food web and in the linear food chain-like vertebrate community. In the vertebrate-based community we could even observe the long time scale effect on plant community composition. Within the predator community, exploitation competition and intraguild predation were the structuring forces. As the arthropod communities consist of predators with different sizes, intraguild predation is an energetically important interaction for top predators. As a consequence, they reduce the abundance of intermediate predators and the impact of intermediate predators on other prey groups. Moreover, being supported by intermediate predators, top predators can have stronger impact themselves on other prey groups. In vertebrate communities, intraguild predation seems to be unimportant as energetic link, instead it manifests as an extreme version of interference competition. Therefore intraguild predation reduces the likelihood of coexistence, as it is due limited prey diversity and intense exploitative competition already precarious in the low arctic tundra. In conclusion, predators have strong impact on their prey, especially in the more productive parts of the low arctic tundra. This applies even to the food webs with complex and reticulate structure, and these effects carry through the community both in the short time scale of population growth and on the long time scale of population generations. Read more
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Population differentiation in Lythrum salicaria along a latitudinal gradientOlsson, Katarina January 2004 (has links)
In this thesis, quantitative genetic approaches, common-garden experiments, and field studies were combined to examine patterns of population differentiation and the genetic architecture of characters of putative adaptive significance in the widely distributed perennial herb Lythrum salicaria. In this work, I (1) documented patterns of population differentiation in phenology, life-history, and morphology along latitudinal gradients at different geographical scales, (2) investigated the genetic architecture of phenology, flower morphology, and inflorescence size, and (3) combined estimates of phenotypic selection in the field with information on the genetic variance-covariance matrix (G) to examine potential constraints to adaptive evolution. A common-garden experiment demonstrated latitudinal variation in life-history, and phenology of growth and reproduction among L. salicaria populations sampled across Sweden. Flower morphology varied significantly among populations, but was, with the exception of calyx length, not related to latitude of origin. A second experiment, which included two Swedish, two Dutch, and two Spanish populations, indicated that the latitudinal gradient in reproductive and vegetative phenology might extend throughout Europe. A quantitative-genetic study of two Swedish populations revealed significant additive genetic variation for all phenological and morphological traits investigated. The G matrices of the populations differed significantly according to common principal component analysis, and genetic correlations within the study populations did not strictly correspond to trait correlations observed among populations. In a field study, I detected directional selection through female function for larger inflorescences in two consecutive years. Relative fitness increased disproportionately with inflorescence size in the year when supplemental hand-pollination indicated that pollen limitation was severe. Genetic correlations with inflorescence size considerably influenced predicted response to selection in other characters. Taken together, the results suggest that among-population differences in phenology and life-history in L. salicaria have evolved in response to latitudinal variation in length of the growing season. They demonstrate that the evolutionary potential of local populations may be considerable. The genetic covariance structure substantially influences predicted short-term evolutionary trajectories. However, the weak correspondence between genetic correlations documented within populations and trait correlations among populations, suggest that the G matrix has not imposed strict constraints on patterns of among-population differentiation. Read more
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Macroalgae in the Baltic Sea : responses to low salinity and nutrient enrichment in Ceramium and FucusBergström, Lena January 2005 (has links)
The brackish Baltic Sea is a marginal environment for both marine and freshwater species. The rate of ecological differentiation is presumably high due to strong selection pressure from a gradient of decreasing salinity that has been present in its current state for only about 3 000 years. Even more recently, increased nutrient loading due to human activities has affected the growth rate of species, with potential effects on their competitive interactions and responses to other regulating factors. I have investigated the potential effects of low salinity and nutrient enrichment on the distributional ranges of two marine macroalgae with a wide distribution in the Baltic Sea, the red alga Ceramium tenuicorne (Kütz.) Wærn and the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus L. A field study in the northern Baltic Sea indicated a strong relationship between the community structure of macroalgae and abiotic factors even on a small, local scale. The abiotic factors are potentially modulated by eutrophication, which may have a strong effect on the depth distribution and abundance of macroalgae. On a regional scale, laboratory experiments suggested that nutrient enrichment is unlikely to affect the distribution of Ceramium and Fucus along the salinity gradient. Growth in Ceramium from the Baltic Proper was enhanced by nitrate and phosphate, but the response did not override growth constraints due to low salinity. Ceramium from the Gulf of Bothnia had an inherently lower growth rate that was not positively affected by nitrate and phosphate increase. In Fucus vesiculosus, reproductive performance was impaired by nitrate and phosphate levels corresponding to ambient levels in eutrophicated areas of the Baltic Sea, when measured by their effect on zygote attachment, germination, and rhizoid development. The wide distribution of Ceramium in the inner Baltic Sea is probably related to local adaptation, rather than a generalized tolerance of different salinity levels. Ecotypic differences were observed when comparing strains from the Baltic Proper (salinity 7 psu) and the Gulf of Bothnia (4 psu). A high rate of vegetative reproduction was evident, although sexual reproduction was occasionally observed in salinity 4. In Fucus vesiculosus, genetic and morphological analyses of sympatric and allopatric populations of the common, vesicular, morphotype and a dwarf morphotype, characteristic for the Gulf of Bothnia, showed that the dwarf morphotype represents a separate evolutionary lineage. Also, vegetative reproduction was observed in Fucus for the first time, as supported by genetic and experimental data. The results show that the biota of the inner Baltic Sea may have unique adaptive and genetic properties, and that it is highly relevant to consider subspecies diversity in Baltic Sea management. Read more
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Links Between Structure and Function of Heterotrophic Aquatic Bacterial CommunitiesLangenheder, Silke January 2005 (has links)
Heterotrophic bacteria utilize dissolved organic matter, and the carbon flow through an ecosystem depends on the fractions of the utilized carbon that is either respired or transferred to higher trophic levels. The major aim this thesis is to investigate 1) the relationship between composition and functioning in heterotrophic bacterioplankton communities and 2) the influence of environmental conditions on both parameters. I set up several batch culture experiments, where lake water filtrates containing bacteria but no grazers were inoculated into sterile freshwater medium to investigate the importance of the origin of the source community (the inoculum) versus the environmental conditions (the medium) for the composition and functional performance of bacterial communities. In some experiments the medium was manipulated to simulate changes in salinity, pH and dissolved organic matter quantity and quality. Functional parameters (biomass yield, respiration, growth efficiency and enzyme activities) and the genetic composition of the emerging bacterial communities were determined. When bacterial inocula obtained from different habitats were re-grown under identical conditions, differently composed communities emerged. This indicates that the history and distribution of taxa within the inoculum was an important regulating factor of community composition. The coupling between community composition and functioning was not very tight, and there was functional equivalency with respect to aggregated functions important at the ecosystem scale (e.g., biomass production and respiration). The functional performance of bacterial communities could to a large extent be predicted from the medium alone, except when it deviated strongly from the ambient settings. When bacterial communities were exposed to dilution, a strong change in pH or an increase in salinity, growth of structurally and functionally distinct communities occurred. I therefore suggest that it depends on the disturbance regime how bacterial community structure and function are related to each other. Read more
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Interactions between Bacteria and Fungi on Aquatic Detritus – Causes and ConsequencesMille-Lindblom, Cecilia January 2005 (has links)
Bacteria and fungi dominate the decomposition of aquatic plants, a major process in the carbon and nutrient cycling in many aquatic systems. Although phylogenetically distant, bacteria and fungi often live in close proximity with each other. Since these microorganisms also have similar ecological functions, interactions have developed between them. This thesis explores the nature of such interactions, and the potential effects on key components of the decomposition process. The thesis includes a critical assessment of the ergosterol method for determination of fungal biomass, a survey of the environmental factors determining the distribution and taxa numbers of litter-decomposing bacteria and fungi in lakes, and a number of experiments on the interactions between bacteria and fungi. In all the experiments performed, fungi responded to bacterial presence through antagonism, although different fungal strains, bacterial communities and substrates were used. The antagonism seemed to be caused by interference competition for substrate. The fungal effect on bacteria was less consistent. Bacterial growth was suppressed, unaffected, or even enhanced by the presence of fungi. Fungi contributed more to extracellular enzyme production than bacteria, and bacteria were probably able to assimilate intermediate decomposition products formed through the activity of extracellular enzymes of fungal origin. Thus, the effect on bacteria from interacting with fungi was determined by the balance between competition and benefit from excreted enzymes. Bacteria and fungi also used different size fractions of the organic matter, according to their different enzymatic capacities. Hence, bacteria appeared to assimilate low-molecular-weight compounds, while high-molecular-weight compounds were utilized primarily by fungi. In brief, the ecological interactions influenced the growth and hence also the biomass development of bacteria and fungi, which affected enzyme activity as well as utilization of dissolved organic matter. Therefore, I suggest that interactions between bacteria and fungi influence degradation of plant litter in aquatic systems. Read more
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Plant-animal interactions and seed output of two insectpollinated herbsWaites, Anna R. January 2005 (has links)
I combined comparative and experimental studies in the field and in the greenhouse to examine factors influencing reproductive success in two insect-pollinated herbs, the tristylous, selfincompatible perennial Lythrum salicaria and the self-compatible, biennial Pedicularis palustris. More specifically, I explored (i) the effects of plant population characteristics on the intensity and outcome of interactions with pollinators and seed predators, (ii) whether flower morphology affects duration of stigma receptivity, and (iii) whether damage-induced reduction in floral display reduces pollinator visitation and increases pollen limitation. As predicted, the rate of pollinator visitation tended to increase and the number of flowers probed per plant tended to decrease with increasing population size in L. salicaria, but these relationships only approached statistical significance. By taking advantage of the pollen size polymorphism that is typical of many heterostylous plants, I could show that the number of compatible pollen grains received increased with population size, and that this was associated with a reduction in pollen limitation and increased seed output per flower. The deposition of high numbers of incompatible conspecific and heterospecific pollen grains did not appear to reduce seed set. In P. palustris, fruit set and seed predation varied markedly among populations and years, but this variation could only partly be explained by variation in population size. Fruit set was positively related to population size, and seed predation was negatively related to population size, in one of three years. Similarly, the level of pollen limitation, which was quantified in two years, varied among populations, but was not related to population size, density or isolation. In L. salicaria, both the duration of stigma receptivity and the effect of prior self-pollination on seed output varied among style morphs. These differences may contribute to morph-specific differences in pollen limitation and seed production documented in the field. The results of a field experiment demonstrated that damage to the shoot apex may markedly reduce fruit production in L. salicaria, and suggested that this is mainly because damage reduces flower number. I found no evidence that a reduced floral display increased the severity of pollen limitation. Taken together, the results show that interactions with both pollinators and herbivores may markedly affect reproductive output in the two plant species, and that the intensity of both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions vary considerably in space and time. Moreover, they are consistent with the hypothesis that pollination success should depend less on population size in selfcompatible than in self-incompatible plants. Read more
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Climate Effects on Phytoplankton Biomass and Functional GroupsMarkensten, Hampus January 2005 (has links)
Future climate in temperate regions is projected to get warmer and in many cases wetter. This poses questions about how phytoplankton in our lakes will respond. A dynamic modeling approach based on an allometric description of phytoplankton characteristics was used to investigate how the biomass of different functional groups of phytoplankton will respond to a changed future climate. Simulations based on a warmer future climate scenario suggest that we will experience an increase in phytoplankton biomass in northern temperate lakes. Moreover, phytoplankton groups are projected to shift towards a dominance of cyanobacteria at the expense of diatoms. Climate may affect phytoplankton, either via in-lake changes in temperature and stratification, or due to altered processes at the watershed level, which influence rates of nutrient export and water discharge. This study found that changes in lake temperature and stratification are the major causes of the projected increase in phytoplankton biomass, but that changes in the timing of nutrient export did influence the succession of diatoms. Variation in SPIM (suspended particulate inorganic matter) can have an important role in influencing the depth of the euphotic zone in a turbid lake, and hence the light climate experienced by phytoplankton. Wind and river discharge were found to regulate SPIM in this study, not only wind as in many other studies. Variations in SPIM could be adequately described by a few governing equations. This thesis suggests that, as a result of climate change, lakes close to the limit of becoming eutrophied may be pushed past a threshold beyond which water quality problems will become more prevalent. Finally it is important to bear in mind that all models are simplifications of the reality as we understand it. Still, the use of models can often give a good indication as to what might be expected in the future. Read more
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Population Dynamics and Conservation of the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) on the Edge of its RangeBerglind, Sven-Åke January 2005 (has links)
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) reaches the northern periphery of its distribution in south-central Sweden, where small, isolated relict populations occur in pine heath forests on sandy sediments. Modern forestry and fire suppression have reduced the amount of suitable open habitat for the species in this area and seem to be important for its decline. Main objectives of this thesis were to evaluate the efficiency of different management strategies, and if the sand lizard can function as an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation. Over a 16-year period, the estimated annual numbers of adult females in each of two study populations fluctuated between 23 and 3. Simulations of stochastic future population growth showed that the risk of extinction was highly dependent on population growth rate, which in turn was strongly affected by juvenile survival as indicated by elasticity analysis. Simulations of population growth for 50 years showed that the quasi-extinction risk (threshold ≤ 10 females) was > 56% for patches ≤ 1 ha; which is the observed average size of suitable habitat for inhabited patches during a 10-year period. In managed metapopulation networks with highly co-fluctuating local populations, among-population dispersal was not important to reduce extinction risks over a 50-year horizon. In the field the preferred microhabitat of sand lizards was successfully restored using tree felling and patch-soil scarification. The lizards gradually colonized the restored patches, and 16 years after restoration, sand lizards where mainly found there. Pine-heath area, and patch area within individual pine heaths, were of major importance for long-term population persistence at regional and landscape scales, respectively. Analyses of nested species subsets and an umbrella index suggest that the sand lizard can be a useful cross-taxonomic umbrella species on both scales for other red-listed species. Read more
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Radionuclides in the Baltic Sea : Ecosystem models and experiments on transport and fateKumblad, Linda January 2004 (has links)
Manmade radionuclides have been introduced to the environment for almost a century. The main source has been the nuclear weapons testing programmes, but accidental releases from the nuclear power production industries have also contributed. The risk to humans from potential releases from nuclear facilities is evaluated in safety assessments. Essential components of these assessments are exposure models, which estimate the transport of radionuclides in the environment, the uptake in biota, and transfer to humans. Recently, there has been a growing concern for radiological protection of the whole environment, not only humans, and a first attempt has been to employ model approaches based on stylised environments and transfer functions to biota based exclusively on bioconcentration factors. They are generally of a non-mechanistic nature and involve no knowledge of the actual processes involved, which is a severe limitation when assessing real ecosystems. The research presented in this thesis attempts to introduce a methodology for modelling exposure of biota that is based on systems ecological theories and concepts. All presented papers concern bioaccumulation and circulation of radionuclides in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, which is a sea surrounded by several nuclear power plants, waste repositories and reprocessing facilities. Paper I illustrates how an ecosystem model can be used to predict the fate of C-14 in a bay, and to explore the influence of uptake route and water exchange on the concentrations in biota. Due to the longevity of many radionuclides, time spans of thousands of years need to be considered in assessments of nuclear waste facilities. In Paper II, the methodological problems associated with these long timescales are discussed and a new modelling approach is proposed. An extension and generalisation of the C-14 flow model into a generic model for other radionuclides is described and tested in Paper III. This paper also explores the importance of three radionuclide specific mechanisms (plant uptake, excretion and adsorption to organic surfaces) for the concentrations in biota. In Paper IV, the bioaccumulation kinetics of three radionuclides in three key benthic species of the Baltic Sea is studied experimentally. Paper V considers remobilisation and redistribution of sediment-associated radionuclides due to biological mixing, in a microcosm study. The findings in this thesis show both that it was possible to use an ecosystem approach to assess the exposure to biota, and that this approach can handle many of the problems identified in the use of traditional exposure models for radionuclides. To conclude, frameworks for the protection of the environment from ionising radiation would benefit from implementing methodologies based on ecologically sound principles and modelling techniques. Read more
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The Spider and the Sea : Effects of marine subsidies on the role of spiders in terrestrial food websMellbrand, Kajsa January 2009 (has links)
The purpose of this study was to identify if terrestrial arthropod predators on Baltic Sea shores vary in their use of marine versus terrestrial food items, and to construct a bottom-up food web for Baltic Sea shores. The inflow of marine nutrients in the area consists mainly of marine algal detritus and emerging aquatic insects (e.g. phantom midges, Chironomidae). Diets of coastal arthropods were examined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, and a two source mixing model was used to examine proportions of marine carbon to diets. The results suggest that spiders are the terrestrial predators mainly utilizing nutrients and energy of marine origin on Baltic Sea shores, while insect predators such as beetles and hemipterans mainly utilize nutrients and energy derived from terrestrial sources, possibly due to differences in hunting behaviour. That spiders are the predators that benefit the most from the marine inflow suggest that eventual effects of marine subsidies for the coastal ecosystem as a whole are likely mediated by spiders.
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