Studies have shown that air pollution, as well as bark fissure depth and sun exposure of a tree can have an effect on lichen growth as well as abundance of lichen species. The aim of this study was to find out the relative importance of these factors. 211 oaks in south eastern Sweden were surveyed for presence of 17 lichen species, as well as the total number of lichen species. Half of the trees were situated in urban areas and half in the countryside. For each tree the bark fissure depth was measured and the sun exposure of the trunk was estimated. The results showed a significant negative effect on a majority of lichens growing in an urban environment and a significant positive effect on a majority of lichens growing on trees with deep bark fissures. The sun exposure was a less important factor but could not be excluded as a factor affecting lichen occurrence. These results show the negative effect urbanization can have on rare lichen species, as well as be used in the development and maintenance for the nature reserves containing them

De ekologiskt betydelsefulla småbiotoperna blir allt färre i det moderna jordbruket på grund av intensifieringen av jordbrukslandskapet som resulterat i ett allt mer fragmenterat landskap. För att kunna ge småbiotoper, såsom åkerholmar, ett optimalt skydd behövs flera studier om organismerna på holmarna, deras diversitet och spridning. I denna undersökning studeras artrikedomen av mossor och lavar på busk- och trädbekädda samt öppna åkerholmar i ett öppet- och ett skogsdominerat landskap. Analysen av artrikedom i studien tyder på att de finns fler arter av mossor och lavar i det öppna landskapet i förhållande till det skogsdominerade landskapet samt på de åkerholmarna som saknade busk- och trädvegetation. Dessa miljöer består av torr och stenig mark och växer igen relativt långsamt, vilket är gynnsamt för vissa mossor och lavar. Det fanns ingen signifikant korrelation mellan diversitet och storleken på åkerholmarna eller mellan diversitet och holmarnas avstånd till skog. Antalet arter i ett habitat kan bero på regionala artpoolen samt antalet potentiella kolonisatörer men även lokala processer. Vidare är det viktigt att nämna att studien tyder på att diversitet av mossor och lavar påverkas av förhållandena på holmarna, såsom busk- och trädtäckningen. Detta i kombination med en variation inom dessa små biotoper kan skapa goda förutsättningar för ett landskap med hög diversitet. / The ecologically important small remnant habitats are becoming fewer in modern agriculture due to the intensification of agricultural landscapes that have resulted in an increasingly fragmented landscape. In order to provide an ideal conservation framework for small habitats, such as midfield islets, several studies about the organisms on the islets, their diversity and distribution are needed. In this study I investigated the diversity of mosses and lichens on open midfield islets with and without shrubs and trees in an open and a forest-dominated landscape. The analysis of species diversity in the study suggests that, overall; there are more species of mosses and lichens in the open landscape in relation to the forest-dominated landscape, and on the opened islets lacking shrub and tree vegetation. These environments consist of dry and rocky soils and overgrow relatively slowly, which is favourable for mosses and lichens. There was no significant correlation between diversity and size of the midfield islets or their distance to forest. The number of species in a habitat may depend on regional species pool and the number of potential colonizers but also local processes. Furthermore, it is important to mention that the study suggests that the diversity of mosses and lichens is influenced by the conditions on the midfield islands, such as shrub and tree cover. These conditions, combined with a variation within these small habitats can create good conditions for a landscape with high diversity.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:52:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6168.pdf: 5441066 bytes, checksum: 1fbcc2f25e02c22ea440b83bbd72289f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-03 / In the product development process, user-related issues have achieved increasingly more relevance as they are progressively being perceived as strategies for innovation and competitiveness. In defining product specifications, designers strive to meet user needs. However, in real-use situations, a number of variability factors will result in gaps between what was anticipated by designers and actual user activity (DANIELLOU, 2002). This research was deployed during a laundry machine development process. The aim was to understand the existing gap between the designer model and the user model with regard to laundry activity, as well as user strategies to circumvent these gaps. Starting from the assumptions in Situated Ergonomics, we applied the activity analysis method. The results presented multi-determinants of the design process, such as: market needs; user knowledge; deadlines; financial resources; and project team member expertise. These determinants influenced the drafting of usage requirements, which, in real-use situations, reflected some gaps between designer and user models. Field research uncovered user strategies, such as: resorting to other information sources; creating new ways of use in line with user habits or interaction conditioned by their environment; and ignoring product functions they did not understand. This study's contributions relate to the importance of activity analysis in the design process and the role of the ergonomist in product design. / No desenvolvimento de produtos, as questões relacionadas ao usuário tem tornado-se cada vez mais relevantes, pois são percebidas como estratégias de inovação e competitividade. Neste processo busca-se concretizar as necessidades dos usuários por meio das especificações elaboradas pelos projetistas. No entanto, a situação real apresenta diversos fatores de variabilidade que irão conduzir aos distanciamentos entre o que foi previsto pelos projetistas e a atividade desempenhada pelos usuários (DANIELLOU, 2002). Esta pesquisa ocorreu inserida no processo de desenvolvimento de uma lavadora de roupas. O objetivo do estudo foi compreender os distanciamentos existentes entre o modelo do projetista e o modelo do usuário em relação à atividade de lavar roupas. Bem como, conhecer as estratégias dos usuários para contornar estes distanciamentos. Partindo dos pressupostos da Ergonomia Situada, aplicou-se o método de análise da atividade. Os resultados apresentaram as multideterminações do processo de projeto, como: as necessidades do mercado; os conhecimentos sobre usuários; prazos; recursos financeiros; e, experiência dos membros da equipe de projeto. Tais determinantes influenciaram a elaboração das prescrições de uso, que em situação real, evidenciaram alguns distanciamentos entre o modelo do projetista e do usuário. Achados em campo demonstraram as estratégias dos usuários, que são: recorrer à outras fontes de informação; criar novas formas de uso de acordo com seus hábitos ou condições do ambiente de interação; e, não utilizar funções do produto que não compreendem. As contribuições deste estudo versam sobre a importância da análise da atividade para os processos de concepção e o papel do ergonomista no Design de produtos.

The aim of the study was to investigate natural values and the occurrence of pendulous lichens species in two areas located in subalpine coniferous woodland in Tärnaby, Västerbotten county in northern Sweden. The two areas have similar geology, hydrology and vegetation. Area A is affected by forestry, whilst area B isn’t. Forestry is one of the biggest threats to woodland species because it causes habitat fragmentation a loss of habitat. Pendulous lichens are most occurring in old growth forests where natural processes have been left undisturbed. Therefore, red-listed pendulous lichens are often used as a nature value indicator for identifying old-growth forests. In each study area, five sample areas was studied. In each sample area, a nature value assessment and an inventory of pendulous lichen species and red-listed pendulous lichen species was performed. In area A, three species of pendulous lichen where found, and five species were found in area B. In area B, two of the species found were Alectoria sarmentosa and Bryoria nadvornikiana, both listed as NT in the IUCN red list. In area A, no red listed species were found. Results also showed a higher natural value in the area not affected by forestry, area B, than in area A. The natural values and occurrence of pendulous lichen and red-listed pendulous lichen was higher in area B than in area A. The cause of the differences can’t be identified by this study, but the effect of forestry is probably one of the causes.

Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att ge en bild av det svenska skogsbruket och dess påverkan på den biologiska mångfalden. Idag är det trakthyggesbruket som mest påverkar den biologiska mångfalden i Sverige och har lett till att många skogslevande arter idag är hotade och rödlistade. I denna studie har vi tittat på hur en produktionsskog skiljer sig från en naturskog när det gäller trädsammansättning, förekomst av död ved, fragmentering, skogskontinuitet och störning i form av brand. Vi har tittat på hur organismgrupperna svampar, lavar, mossor, kärlväxter, insekter, fåglar och däggdjur påverkas av skogsbruket. I denna studie ger vi även ett förslag på hur lärare, genom en exkursion, kan lära ut om biologisk mångfald i skolan.

Nitrogen (N) deposition has increased globally over the last 150 years and further increase is predicted for the future. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for lichens, involved in many processes in both photobiont and mycobiont.  However, N can be a stressor, causing many lichens and lichen communities to disappear with increased deposition. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the response of epiphytic lichens to increased N load. This was done by simulating an increased N deposition to lichens in a boreal forest with low background N, including both short term studies with transplanted lichens and long term studies of naturally established lichens. Alectoria sarmentosa was used as a model species for a N-sensitive lichens and Platismatia glauca as a relatively more N-tolerant lichen. Nitrogen deposition was simulated by daily spraying during the growing season with water and isotopically labeled ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). In Paper I, I found that when N is supplied in realistic doses (equivalent to deposition of 0.6, 6, 12.5, 25 and 50 kg N ha-1), there were no significant differences in uptake of NO3- or NH4+ in either of the lichen species. The results in Paper II indicate that A. samentosa may be limited by phosphorous (P) and not N limited as expected. That study highlights the importance of P, when studying the effects of N deposition, since P can both mitigate and intensify the negative effects of N on epiphytic lichens. Paper III shows that four years of simulated N deposition caused an alteration of the epiphytic lichen community, since A. sarmentosa decreased in the highest N loads (25 and 50 kg ha-1 year-1), Bryoria spp. decreased to 12.5 kg N and higher loads and Hypogymnia physodes decreased over time for all treatments except in 12.5 kg ha-1, where it only decreased during the first treatment year and then increased after 2007.  The abundance of Platismatia glauca increased over time, independent of treatment. As hypothesized, responses to the treatments differed among species, reflecting their different N optima. In paper IV, the effects of N on carbon-based secondary compounds were studied. None of the studied species (P. glauca, A. sarmentosa, Lobaria scrobiculata and Xanthoria aureola) reduced their concentration of secondary compounds during the experimental period, but in P. glauca the concentration of all compounds were significantly lower in N treated thalli compared with control thalli. The results are consistent with a high degree of constitutive defence in three of the four studied lichens, and we conclude that all four studied lichens seem to have a robust chemical defence system despite considerable manipulation of the environmental conditions. However, we don't know if these lichens are able to keep up the high protection level over longer periods comprising a number of years when more new tissue is formed. In conclusion, long term experiments are necessary to understand lichen response to environmental changes.

Abstract Broadleaved forests are highly valuable biotopes with important recreational value and contain rich occurrences of species of conservation concern. To monitor the development of nature values in a forest ecosystem during an interval of approximately ten years, follow-up inventories were carried out, following the first inventories which took place ten years ago in two nature reserves (Karlsvik and Bohult) dominated by broadleaved trees in the county of Halland, Sweden. Indicator species of lichen and moss were searched for and compared to the first inventories. The results show that both reserves contain more indicator species today than approximately ten years ago, though a change in the species composition was observed. In Bohult fewer indicator lichens were observed, although more observations were made of indicator mosses - making the total number of indicator species higher than in the previous inventory. Potential explanations to the differing results of the two reserves were discussed and assessed to be for varied reasons. The observed increased occurrences of indicator species may be due to increased continuity leading to bigger and older trees which make way for more epiphytes. The observed decreased occurrences of indicator species may be due to human activity such as newly carried out clearcutting in close proximity to the reserve (which could lead to edge effects or other environmental stresses), nitrogen deposition or exploitation. An observed threat for both reserves is the increasing growth of norway spruce (Picea abies) which may outcompete broadleaved species and the potential indicator species they may inhabit. / Sammanfattning Ädellövskogar är mycket värdefulla naturtyper med höga rekreationsvärden och med rika förekomster av naturvårdsarter. För att utvärdera förändringen av skogliga naturvärden inom en tidsperiod av ca tio år utfördes uppföljningsinventeringar av två tidigare inventerade naturreservat som domineras av ädellövskog i Hallands län i Sverige. Signalarter av lavar och mossor eftersöktes och jämfördes med tidigare funna signalarter. Båda reservatens ursprungliga inventeringar utfördes för ca tio år sedan och resultaten visar att de båda reservaten nu har fler signalarter än tidigare, samtidigt som en förändring observerades i artsammansättningen då samtliga signalarter ej återfanns. I Bohult observerades färre signalartslavar, men fler signalartsmossor - vilket resulterade i ett större antal signalarter totalt för området. Potentiella förklaringar till de skilda förändringarna diskuterades och bedömdes bero på varierande orsaker. Det större antalet observerade signalarter skulle kunna förklaras av ökad tid för kontinuitet med fler grova och äldre träd som utgör lämpliga substrat för kolonisering av de eftersökta signalarterna. Det färre antalet observerade signalartslavar i Bohult skulle kunna bero på mänsklig påverkan i form av nyligen utförda kalavverkningar i angränsning till reservatet, vilket kan bidra till kanteffekter eller andra påfrestningar på miljön. Kvävenedfall, dikning av vattendrag eller annan exploatering föreslås också som möjlig orsak. Ett observerat hot för båda reservaten var igenväxningen av gran, vilken skulle kunna konkurrera med ädellövträden och de signalarter de kan husera.