En fortsatt ökning av koldioxidutsläppen leder ekosystemen på jorden mot snabba, farliga och irreversibla klimatförändringar. Den svenska skogsindustrin är en viktig aktör för att tillfredsställa framtidens efterfrågan på förnyelsebara bioprodukter. Produktionsökningen innebär ökad påtryckning på de svenska skogsmarkerna. Samhället, regeringen, företag och individer har ett ansvar att avverkningen av skog förblir hållbar. Reningsverken inom massa- och pappersindustrin producerar en stor andel biomassa i form av bio- och fiberslam. Bio- och fiberslamm innehåller näringsämnen som kan returneras till skogen. Uppgraderingen av biomassa till biokol har påvisade egenskaper som förbättrar skogsmarkens bördighet, främst genom att höja markens pH-värde. Biokol förbättrar hållningen av näringsämnen i marken genom katjonsadsorption, vilket påverkar träd och växters tillväxt. Markens sammansättning förändras när biokol tillförs, vilket påverkar den biologiska mångfalden i ekosystemen. Biobränsleaskan som utvinns från eldningspannorna inom pappersindustrin innehåller baskatjoner med alkaliskt pH-värde, vilket motverkar försurning i skogsmarker. Nackdelen med biomassa är den höga bulkdensiteten, vilket påverkar logistiken kring transport och lagring. Det finns metoder för att lösa problemen med logistiken, exempelvis genom sammanpressning. Sammanpressning är en väl beprövad metod för att uppgradera biomassan till pellets och förbättra biomassans egenskaper. Omvandlingen av biomassa till pellets ökar densiteten, mekaniska hållfastheten och gör att fuktupptagningsförmågan minskar. Pelletering medför att en homogen produkt kan produceras och levereras. Syftet med denna studie var att öka kunskaper om hur lignin som additiv, samt hur mekanisk kraft påverkar näringspelletsens egenskaper samt energianvändning.  För att producera pellets genomgicks två moment, en förundersökning och en försöksmatris. Målet med förundersökningens var att införskaffa riktvärden och ge ett underlag till försöksmatrisen. Försöksmatrisen är en fortsatt studie på hur ligninhalt och mekanisk kraft påverkar näringspellets egenskaper. Ligninhalten som analyserades var 5, 10, 15 och 20 % med mekanisk kraft på 5, 10 och 15 kN. Näringspelletsen har utvärderats utifrån egenskaperna densitet, hårdhet, pH, fuktupptagningsförmåga samt energianvändning. För att pelletera de olika blandningarna användes singel-pelletspressen som finns på Karlstad Universitet. Pelletsegenskaperna testades i labblokalerna på Karlstad Universitet.  Resultatet visar att testserien med mekanisk kraft på 15 kN och ligninhalten 20 % resulterade i högst densiteten, hårdhet, fuktupptagningsförmåga samt näst högst energianvändning. Studiens testserier varierade enligt följande: Densiteten i studien varierar mellan 843,5- 1 054 kg/m3 Hårdheten i studien varierade mellan <1–3,7 kg Fukthalten i pelleten varierade mellan 8,7 % och 9,2 % efter 96 timmar pH-värdet varierade mellan 8,7–9,58 efter 24 timmar och minskade mellan 2- 4,9 % efter 48 timmar Energianvändningen varierade mellan 105,5- 129,5 J / Continued increase in carbon dioxide emissions lead the ecosystems towards rapid, dangerous and irreversible climate change. The Swedish forest industry is an important operator to satisfy the future demand of renewable bio products to reduce the use of fossil fuels. The increase in production means increased pressure on the Swedish forests. Society, government, companies and individuals have a responsibility to secure that the harvesting of forests remains sustainable. The wastewater treatment plants in the pulp and paper industry produce a large proportion of biomass, in form of bio and fiber sludge. Bio and fiber sludge contains nutrients that can be returned to the forest. The upgrade of biomass to pyro-char has proven properties that improve the fertility of the forest, primarily by increasing the soil's pH value. Pyro-char improves the retention of nutrients in the soil by cation adsorption, which affects the trees and plant growth. The composition of the soil changes as pyro-char is added, and the change in composition affects the biodiversity in ecosystems. The biofuel ash extracted from the heating boilers in the paper industry contains basic cations and alkaline pH, which counteracts acidification in forest land. The disadvantage of biomass is the high bulk density, which affects the logistics of transport and storage. There are methods for solving the problems in logistics, for example compression. Compression is a well-proven method for upgrading the biomass to pellets and improving the physical properties of the biomass. The conversion of biomass into pellets increases the density, mechanical strength and the moisture absorption capacity decreases. Pelletizing biomass results in a homogeneous product can be created and delivered as pellets. The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge on how lignin as an additive, and how mechanical force affects the physical properties of the nutritional pellets. The production of nutrition pellets consists of two stages, a preliminary investigation and a test matrix. The purpose of the preliminary study is to acquire guideline values ​​and provide a basis for the experimental matrix. The experimental matrix is ​​a continued study of how lignin content and pressure affect the physical properties of the nutrition pellet. The lignin content that was analyzed was 5-20 % with mechanical force that varied between 5, 10 and 15 kN. The nutritional pellets are evaluated based on the properties density, hardness, pH, moisture absorption capacity and energy use. The single-pelletizer press, located at Karlstad University, was used to pelletize the different mixtures. The pellet properties were evaluated at the laboratory at Karlstad University. The result shows that the test series with a pressure of 15 kN and the lignin content of 20% resulted in the highest density, hardness, moisture absorption capacity and the second highest energy consumption. Depending on the mechanical force and lignin content used, the parameters varied as follows. The density varies between 843.5 – 1,054 kg/m3 The hardness ranged between <1 and 3.7 kg The moisture content of the pellets varied between 8.7% and 9.2% after 96 hours The pH-value varied between 8.7-9.58 after 24 hours and decreased between 2- 4.9 % after 48 hours The energy consumption varies between 105.5-129.5 J

Um injetor de pastilhas (pellets) de impurezas foi projetado, construído e instalado junto ao tokamak TCABR do Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo - USP. O injetor é basicamente constituído por uma câmara com gás a alta pressão cuja vazão é controlada por uma bobina de acionamento rápido. Uma fonte de alta tensão (7kV) e alta corrente (6kA) foi construída para alimentar a bobina. Ao ser disparada, o gás propulsor (N2 ou He) acelera a pastilha para o interior do vaso do tokamak, sem que gás penetre no mesmo. Pastilhas de grafite cilíndricas com diâmetro de 0,4mm a 0,9mm, e comprimento de 0,5mm a 1mm, foram utilizadas para investigar a possibilidade de se mitigar os e*feitos de uma disrupção maior O processo de ablação da pastilha no TCABR foi investigado através de simulações que consideraram, de uma maneira simplificada, o resfriamento sofrido pelo plasma devido à propagação da pastilha no seu interior. O modelo, ao ser aplicado aos dados experimentais do tokamak T-10, por exemplo, apresentou resultados bastante encorajadores. Na maioria dos casos em que houve a injeção das pastilhas no TCABR, o plasma terminou devido ao surgimento de uma disrupção maior. Analisando a taxa de queda da corrente de plasma em dois instantes próximos ao fim da descarga, tanto para pulsos que sofreram uma disrupção natural quanto aos que sofreram um disrupção induzida (devido à injeção de pastilhas de grafite), constatou-se que a corrente de plasma decresce mais lentamente nos casos em que houve o disparo do injetor. Isto significa uma menor sobrecarga nos sistemas eletro-mecânicos do tokamak, em resultado à ocorrência da disrupção. A análise da atividade MHD foi realizada no entorno da disrupção causada pela injeção de pastilha. Observou-se, em conseqüência, uma redução da velocidade de rotação das ilhas magnéticas após o início da interação da pastilha com o plasma. Também constatou-se, em todos os disparos analisados, um aumento significativo da atividade MHD. Um outro resultado interessante foi a constatação de que a emissão de raios-X de altas energias decresce significativamente no final das descargas nas quais ocorre a injeção de pastilhas. / An impurity pellet injector has been projected, built and installed in the TCABR tokamak, at the Physics Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo - USP. Basically, the injector is composed of a high pressure gas chamber, in which the gas flow (N2 or He) is controlled by a fast switch valve. An high voltage (7kA) and high electric current (6kA) power supply has been built to provide energy for the valve. When fired, the propellant gas move the pellet into the interior of the tokamak vessel. During this process, the gas is properly collected before reaching the tokamak vacuum chamber. For this work, cylindrical carbon pellets with 0,4mm to 0,9mm in diameter and 0,5mm to 1mm in length were chosen as to investigate how the hazardous effects of a major disruption could be mitigated. The pellet ablation process in TCABR was studied trough running simulations that take into account, in a simplified way, the cooling of the plasma by the propagating pellet. The model, when applied to the T-10 tokamak experimental data, for example, exhibited very encouraging results. For the TCABR tokamak, in most of the cases in which pellets were injected, the plasma was terminated because of the advent of a major disruption. By analyzing the plasma current decay rate in two time intervals - within the end of plasma discharges, with and without the injection of pellets, it was observed that the plasma current decays significantly slower when pellets are injected. Consequently the load on the tokamak\'s electromechanical systems is reduced. Fourier analysis has been carried out to investigate the MHD activity near the disruption time, caused by the pellet injection. It could be noticed a reduction on the magnetic island\'s velocity rotation, after the pellet-plasma interaction initiates. Also, for all discharges analyzed, the MHD activities increased in amplitude after the pellet-plasma interaction. Another interesting result refers to the fact that the hard X-ray emission was observed to decrease significantly within the end of discharges in which pellets were injected

Owing to the increasing demand for alternative fuel additives, the Canadian ethanol industry has grown tremendously. In Western Canada, wheat has been the dominant feedstock for ethanol production because of steadily increasing domestic production and higher ethanol yields. Low protein and high starch wheat varieties have further increased the potential of grain-based ethanol production. As a consequence, the increased ethanol production has demonstrated an exponential increase in the availability of its co-products. Depending on the processes used, several co-products are produced, such as bran, condensed distillers solubles (CDS), and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Wheat bran is obtained as the co-product when debranning is incorporated in ethanol production. Debranning of wheat feedstock may be integrated into the ethanol production process to improve ethanol quality and yield. Debranning follows the principles of abrasion and friction. It improves the starch content of the feedstock and the fermentation efficiency of the ethanol plants. Several abrasive equipment that generate products having good quality and desirable ethanol yield are being used commercially. Among these, the Satake mill and the tangential abrasive dehulling device (TADD) are prominent, having high debranning efficiency, levels of sanitation, and improved production rates. In this thesis, the laboratory debranning process using these two equipment was optimized by varying the process variables in order to improve the ethanol production process. In the Satake mill, the sample size (30 and 200 g), rotational speed (1215, 1412, and 1515 rpm), grit size (30, 36, and 40), and retention time (30, 60, and 90 s) were varied. In the TADD mill, the sample size (30 and 200 g), grit size (30, 36, 50, and 80), and retention time (120, 180, 240, and 300 s) were varied while maintaining a constant rotational speed of 900 rpm. The experimental results indicated that in the Satake mill, 200 g sample size, 1515 rpm rotational speed, 30 grit size, and 60 s retention time provided optimal debranning and starch separation efficiency. For the TADD mill, 200 g sample size, 900 rpm rotational speed, 50 grit size, and 240 s retention time provided optimal results. Increased availability of ethanol co-products from the pretreatments and other processes brings forth the need for broadening the areas of application of these co-products. Among the various applications, the usage of the co-products as animal feed is predominant. Ethanol co-products have been traditionally incorporated as ingredients for animal feed. This thesis is aimed at combining the wheat bran and CDS in varying proportions (70:30, 80:20, and 90:10) and producing high quality animal feed pellets. Laboratory-scale pelleting was done at varying pelleting temperatures, 60, 75, and 90°C, to optimize the pelleting process. The results of laboratory-scale single pelleting indicated that 90:10 bran-CDS ratio and 90°C pelleting temperature produced pellets having good physical properties. Pilot-scale pelleting was done to verify the optimized variables, and to produce dimensionally stable and highly durable feed pellets. The results showed that 70:30 bran-CDS mixture produced pellets with high nutrient content and physical properties (760.88±2.04 kg/m3 bulk density and 97.79±0.76% durability). Similar to the single pelleting results, high pelleting temperatures (75°C) produced pellets with desirable physical properties. However, on cooling, the bulk density and durability change was the highest for 70:30 bran-CDS pellets, indicating an improvement in the physical characteristics. In conclusion, the bran and CDS, the two co-products of the ethanol industry, could be combined to produce feed pellets having good physical and nutritional properties.

In Sweden, there are about 0.5 million single-family houses that are heated by electricity alone, and rising electricity costs force the conversion to other heating sources such as heat pumps and wood pellet heating systems. Pellet heating systems for single-family houses are currently a strongly growing market. Future lack of wood fuels is possible even in Sweden, and combining wood pellet heating with solar heating will help to save the bio-fuel resources. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate how the electrically heated single-family houses can be converted to pellet and solar heating systems, and how the annual efficiency and solar gains can be increased in such systems. The possible reduction of CO-emissions by combining pellet heating with solar heating has also been investigated. Systems with pellet stoves (both with and without a water jacket), pellet boilers and solar heating have been simulated. Different system concepts have been compared in order to investigate the most promising solutions. Modifications in system design and control strategies have been carried out in order to increase the system efficiency and the solar gains. Possibilities for increasing the solar gains have been limited to investigation of DHW-units for hot water production and the use of hot water for heating of dishwashers and washing machines via a heat exchanger instead of electricity (heat-fed appliances). Computer models of pellet stoves, boilers, DHW-units and heat-fed appliances have been developed and the parameters for the models have been identified from measurements on real components. The conformity between the models and the measurements has been checked. The systems with wood pellet stoves have been simulated in three different multi-zone buildings, simulated in detail with heat distribution through door openings between the zones. For the other simulations, either a single-zone house model or a load file has been used. Simulations were carried out for Stockholm, Sweden, but for the simulations with heat-fed machines also for Miami, USA. The foremost result of this thesis is the increased understanding of the dynamic operation of combined pellet and solar heating systems for single-family houses. The results show that electricity savings and annual system efficiency is strongly affected by the system design and the control strategy. Large reductions in pellet consumption are possible by combining pellet boilers with solar heating (a reduction larger than the solar gains if the system is properly designed). In addition, large reductions in carbon monoxide emissions are possible. To achieve these reductions it is required that the hot water production and the connection of the radiator circuit is moved to a well insulated, solar heated buffer store so that the boiler can be turned off during the periods when the solar collectors cover the heating demand. The amount of electricity replaced using systems with pellet stoves is very dependant on the house plan, the system design, if internal doors are open or closed and the comfort requirements. Proper system design and control strategies are crucial to obtain high electricity savings and high comfort with pellet stove systems. The investigated technologies for increasing the solar gains (DHW-units and heat-fed appliances) significantly increase the solar gains, but for the heat-fed appliances the market introduction is difficult due to the limited financial savings and the need for a new heat distribution system. The applications closest to market introduction could be for communal laundries and for use in sunny climates where the dominating part of the heat can be covered by solar heating. The DHW-unit is economical but competes with the internal finned-tube heat exchanger which is the totally dominating technology for hot water preparation in solar combisystems for single-family houses.

The land around Herrevad Abbey consists mostly of pastures with a lot of old coarse oaks, a touch of broad-leaved decidous forest andmixed deciduous and coniferous forest. In the year 2010 the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency became owner of the area around Herrevad Abbey, previously owned by the Swedish National Fortification Administration. A high pressure from hunting occurred during the Swedish National Fortification Administration ownership. This resulted in a decrease of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) population. A pellet-group count is a reliable, indirect inventory method that is used with high frequence within wildlife management since the 1930s. Pellet-group count is used in Swedish Wildlife research since the 1977 at Grimsö Research Station and today an increasing interest for this method is seen both in nature management, among hunters and  in the Swedish Association for Hunters. Through a pellet-group count of a roe deer population, an underestimated index of the total density is shown, which means that the investigated population can be larger than the survey shows. The pellet-group count in this study covered 3,20 km-2 with a total of 315 plots. The plot had a circular shape and covered 10m2, which is recommended for roe deer surveys. Each plot was investigated twice, one round clockwise and one round counter clock-wise to increase the precision of the survey. The calculation showed 10,76 roe deer per 1,00 km-2 in winter population during 2010; with a 10% set-off for winter mortality and 8,22 roe deer per 1,00 km-2 in winter population with a 30% set-off. The density with 10,76 roe deer /km-2 is low compared to experimental plots at Bogesund, Ekenäs, where the population is estimated to around 17-23 roe deer/ 1,00 km-2. A calculation for carrying capacity shows that the population will reach the density limit within four years at Herrevad Abbey.

Titel: Träpellets: en växande affärsmöjlighet Produktion av träpellets i Brasilien för export till Europa Nivå:        D-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare:             Susanna Tosterud Handledare:                      Jonas Kågström Datum:                           2012 – Juni Syfte:                                                    Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka de ekonomiska förutsättningarna som finns att tillverka pellets i Brasilien för export till Europa. Metod:       Studien har använt en kvalitativ metodansats där datainsamlingen för empiriavsnittet består främst av semistrukturerade öppna intervjufrågor, som skickades till respondenterna via mejl. Sedan skedde kontakt via telefonsamtal för att säkerställa att informationen var korrekt uppfattad. Respondenternas svar redovisas i empirikapitlet och har analyserats och bearbetats med hjälp av två teorier inom marknadsföring, nämligen marknadsföringsmix (de 4 P: na) och SWOT-analys. Resultat & slutsats:                               Resultatet visar att i nuläget är det inte lönsamt att exportera pellets från Brasilien till Europa. Priserna för pellets på den europeiska marknaden är för låga, en höjning med cirka USD 50/ton är nödvändig för en godtagbar lönsamhet. Den brasilianska pelletsproduktionen behöver vidareutvecklas med avseende på kostnadseffektivitet och kvalitetskrav. Detta för att vara konkurrenskraftig på den europeiska marknaden. Förslag till vidare forskning:            Den empiriska delen av studien har baserats enbart på kvalitativa intervjuer. Det vore intressant att följa upp studien med en kvantitativ ansats för att öka trovärdigheten i svaren. Endast två marknadsföringsteorier har använts i studien och det vore betydelsefullt att ta med en PESTLE analys (politiska, ekonomiska, sociologiska, tekniska, juridiska och miljöaspekter). Uppsatsens bidrag:                               Det diskuteras mycket kring klimatfrågor och de olika alternativ som finns för att ersätta fossila bränslen. Studien bidrar till en ökad förståelse av de förutsättningar som krävs för en lönsam pelletsexport från Brasilien till Europa. Nyckelord:                                         Pelletsmarknad, Brasilien, export, marknadsundersökning och bioenergi. / Title:                      Wood pellets: A growing business opportunity Production of Brazilian wood pellets for export to Europe Level: Final assignment for Master in Business Administration Author:                  Susanna Tosterud Supervisor:                Jonas Kågström Date:                      2012 - June Aim:                                The purpose of this study is to examine the existing economic conditions to produce pellets in Brazil for export to Europe. Method:             The study used a qualitative method where data collection for the empirical section consists mainly of semi-structured open interview questions that were sent to the respondents via e-mail. Then they were contacted by phone to make sure that the information had been correctly perceived. The respondent’s answers are reported in the empirical chapter and have been analyzed and processed with the help of two marketing theories: the marketing mix (the 4 Ps) and SWOT analysis. Result & Conclusions:                        The result shows that at present time it is not profitable to export pellets from Brazil to Europe. Prices for pellets in the European market are too low, an increase of approximately USD 50/ton is necessary for an acceptable profit. The Brazilian pellet production needs to be further developed with regards to cost and quality requirements. This is needed in order to become competitive in the European market. Suggestions for future research:      The empirical part of the study was based solely on qualitative interviews. It would be interesting to follow-up this study with a quantitative approach to improve reliability in the answers. Only two marketing theories have been used in this study and it would be important to also make a PESTLE analysis (political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental aspects). Contribution of the thesis:       There are many discussions about climate change and the various options available to replace fossil fuels. This study contributes to a better understanding of the prerequisites for profitable pellet production in Brazil based on exports to Europe. Key words:                                  Pellet market, Brazil, exports, market research and bioenergy.

Application of ontologies in the environmental science will allow experts in this field to model their domain knowledge for more efficient exchange and reuse. This thesis presents a modular approach in reengineering existing upper-level ontologies to conceptualize specific domain knowledge. The aim of extending these upper-level ontologies is to tailor and transform the existing conceptual models into new ones designed for the use in a specific domain in the earth sciences. This thesis extends the upper-level Semantic Web for Earth and Environmental Terminology (SWEET)ontologies to develop ontologies for part of the hydrogeology domain. The existing SWEET ontologies are developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion lab for Earth system science (http://sweet.jpl.nasa.gov/ontology/). In the new model, presented in this thesis, the architecture and orthogonal design of the SWEET ontologies is not disturbed but restructured at certain levels. New concepts are added to the old structure and the consistency is maintained for use by other domains. This thesis discusses the useful steps,necessary tools and other procedures involved in ontological reengineering of existing upper-level ontologies. The hydrogeology domain modeled in this thesis by means of reengineering, exemplifies the reusability methodology for the Earth system science knowledge base.

Energy crops may present an opportunity to reduce Nova Scotia’s Greenhouse Gas emissions by offsetting fossil fuel use and provide economic benefits for farmers. They have also received government policy support. To investigate this opportunity, I conduct a partial social cost-benefit analysis using non-equity weighted monetary valuation of growing switchgrass on inactive and underused farmland in Nova Scotia for local residential heating. The private net benefit for farmers, processors and consumers is estimated between $24.9 million and $209.9 million. I estimate that the external net benefit to society from the potential reduction in GHG emissions (at $50/tonne CO2E) ranges from $11.3 million to $72.2 million. This must be taken with caution as the analysis does not account for the entire ecological footprint of the project. While a net benefit to society is suggested, the paper also points to a need for more research surrounding the life-cycle emissions of energy crops.

Approaches for the evaluation of plant protein ingredients for salmonid feeds were investigated in a series of four trials. The first trial compared the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AAs) of two novel products - Indian mustard protein concentrate (IMC, 62% CP) and Indian mustard protein meal (IMM, 42% CP), to a commercially available soy protein concentrate (SPC, 57% CP) for two salmonid species, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. The second trial involved assessment of relative bioavailability of arginine (Arg) from IMC, IMM and SPC compared to that of a crystalline Arg (L-Arg) in rainbow trout using slope-ratio assay. In the third trial, the effects of phytic acid (PA) and lignin on nutrient utilization and partitioning in rainbow trout were assessed. Finally, a series of experiments was conducted in the final trial to establish the evaluation criteria for pellet quality assessment. The ADC of CP and most AAs in IMC and IMM were high (>90%). Differences in the ADCs of some AAs can be attributed to the high PA intake by fish fed 30%-IMC diet. The significantly higher (P<0.05) bioavailability of Arg from IMC (123 to 187%) and IMM (116 to 211%) relative to that of L-Arg, as determined by various regression approaches, reaffirmed the findings of the first trial that these ingredients are of excellent protein quality and can readily be used in compounded fish feeds. It can be inferred from the lack of effects of PA, lignin or PA plus lignin on most indices of physiology, performance, and nutrient utilization in the pair-fed fish, that like any other animal, controls feed intake when in the presence of one or more dietary ANF. It was also shown in the pellet quality assessment trial that minor changes in dietary composition can significantly alter physical properties of aquaculture feed. This study highlighted the importance of a comprehensive assessment for the effective evaluation of the nutritive value of plant protein ingredients for use in aquaculture feeds. / Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; BIOEXX Specialty Proteins Ltd.; Martin Mills Inc.; MITACS

Naminės pelėdos mitybos tyrimai yra atliekami siekiant nustatyti sugaunamas grobio rūšis. Šilutės rajone iki šiol tokio pobūdžio tyrimai nebuvo atlikti. Šie tyrimai svarbūs aiškinantis pelėdos mitybą ir vienas iš geriausių būdų nustatyti smulkiųjų žinduolių rūšinę įvairovę. Darbo tikslas – atlikti naminės pelėdos mitybos tyrimus Šilutės rajone, remiantis atrajose rastomis grobio liekanomis. Darbo tikslui įvykdyti buvo iškelti uždaviniai: pagaminti ir įkelti inkilus naminei pelėdai. Surinkti pakraikus iš inkilų ir atrajas šalia inkilų, drevių ir dienojimo vietų. Ištirti atrajų fizinius parametrus, išskirti iš atrajų grobio skeleto fragmentus, įvertinti grobio kiekį. Atrajose rastas grobio liekanas apibūdinti iki šeimos/rūšies remiantis kraniometriniais skirtumais. Atlikti rūšinės įvairovės ir biomasės skaičiavimus. Šilutės rajone buvo iškelti 3 inkilai, viename iš jų perėjo naminė pelėda. Iš šio inkilo buvo surinkti pakraikai, bei 66 atrajos iš įvairių dienojimo vietų. Surinktų atrajų vidutinis ilgis 3,9±0,93 cm, svoris 2,4±0,88 g, bei vidutinis grobio kiekis vienoje atrajoje 2,1±0,82 vnt. (max. 4). Atrajose identifikuotas 141 individas. Iš visų surinktų mitybos liekanų buvo identifikuoti 166 individai. Priklausantys 11 smulkiųjų žinduolių rūšių. Naminės pelėdos mityboje didžiausią dalį sudarė smulkieji žinduoliai 89,2%, o mažiausiai mitybą įtakojo paukščiai 6%, vabzdžiai 4,2%, ir varliagyviai 0,6%. Pelėdos mityboje dominuojanti rūšis buvo paprastasis pelėnas 28,3%, o... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Nutrition studies of the towny owl are carried out to ascertain the kinds of prey of the towny owl in Silute region. Such studies have not been done in this region so far. They are important to clear out the nutrition pecularities of the towny owl and one of the best ways to find out the variety of species of small mammals. The aim of the research is to carry out the nutrition studies of the towny owl in Silute region on the ground of the remains of the prey in the owls pellet. There were tasks for the work: to make and put up the bird houses for the towny owl, to collect the litter from the bird houses and the rumination near the bird houses, tree holes and dawn places, to investigate the physical parametres of the rumination, to separate fragments of the prey skeleton from the rumination, to estimate the amount of the prey, to describe the remains of the prey on the basis of the cranometric differences, to make the calculations of the variety of the species. Three bird houses were put up in Silute region. The towny owl was hatching in one of them. The litter from the bird house and 66 rumination parts from the dawn places were collected. The averrage length of the rumination is 3,9±0,93 cm and the weight is 2,4±0,88 g. The averrage amount of the prey in one pellet is 2,1±0,82 units ( max. 4). 141 individuals were identified in the rumination. 166 individuals which belong to small mammals were identified from all nutrition remains. The biggest part in the towny owls... [to full text]