| 1. |
- Hjältén, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Increased Resistance of Bt Aspens to Phratora vitellinae (Coleoptera) Leads to Increased Plant Growth under Experimental Conditions
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One main aim with genetic modification (GM) of trees is to produce plants that are resistant to various types of pests. The effectiveness of GM-introduced toxins against specific pest species on trees has been shown in the laboratory. However, few attempts have been made to determine if the production of these toxins and reduced herbivory will translate into increased tree productivity. We established an experiment with two lines of potted aspens (Populus tremulaxPopulus tremuloides) which express Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins and the isogenic wildtype (Wt) in the lab. The goal was to explore how experimentally controlled levels of a targeted leaf beetle Phratora vitellinae (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) influenced leaf damage severity, leaf beetle performance and the growth of aspen. Four patterns emerged. Firstly, we found clear evidence that Bt toxins reduce leaf damage. The damage on the Bt lines was significantly lower than for the Wt line in high and low herbivory treatment, respectively. Secondly, Bt toxins had a significant negative effect on leaf beetle survival. Thirdly, the significant decrease in height of the Wt line with increasing herbivory and the relative increase in height of one of the Bt lines compared with the Wt line in the presence of herbivores suggest that this also might translate into increased biomass production of Bt trees. This realized benefit was context-dependent and is likely to be manifested only if herbivore pressure is sufficiently high. However, these herbivore induced patterns did not translate into significant affect on biomass, instead one Bt line overall produced less biomass than the Wt. Fourthly, compiled results suggest that the growth reduction in one Bt line as indicated here is likely due to events in the transformation process and that a hypothesized cost of producing Bt toxins is of subordinate significance.
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| 2. |
- Lundberg, Thomas, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Indikatorer för Trafikverkets uppföljning av underhåll på belagda vägar : leveranskvaliteter för de transportpolitiska målen
- 2022
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ett sätt för Trafikverket att följa upp effekterna av underhållet på de statliga vägarna är genom att använda sig av indikatorer. De indikatorer som beskrivs i denna rapport benämns som andra ordningens indikatorer och byggs upp av underliggande data. Indikatorerna som vi valt att arbeta med ska på ett allsidigt och transparent sätt beskriva hur Trafikverket uppfyller leveranskvaliteten för punktlighet, kapacitet, robusthet, användarbarhet, säkerhet samt miljö och hälsa. I denna förstudie sammanfattar vi en kunskapsöversikt för valda indikatorer och förslag på hur de kan implementeras i Trafikverkets pavement management system. De indikatorer som vi arbetar med är Säkerhet, Komfort, Strukturellt tillstånd, Rullmotstånd, Buller, Luftkvalitet, Godsskador, Ytskador, Fordonsslitage och slutligen en indikator för Hälsa. Det finns många aspekter att ta hänsyn till då en indikator introduceras. Den absolut viktigaste är, bortsett från att den är validerad, att den får acceptans och används. Det finns många sätt att använda en indikator och att enbart titta på absoluta värden är svårt för en sammansatt indikator. Relativa skillnader vid årliga uppföljningar är att föredra för att avgöra om strategier får avsedd effekt.
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| 3. |
- Wennström, Anders, 1960-
(författare)
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Systemic fungal diseases in natural plant populations
- 1993
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis was to study interactions between systemic fungal diseases and perennial plants. Using the systemic rust Puccinia minussensis on the host plant Lactuca sibirica, and the rust Puccinia pulsatillae on the host plant Pulsatilla pratensis, this thesis focused on: (i) the effects of systemic diseases on their hosts (ii) host and pathogen responses to abiotic factors, (iii) the importance of life history strategies for understanding host-pathogen interactions, and (iv) the evolutionary consequences of living in close associations.Results of greenhouse experiments showed that Lactuca sibirica had a high plasticity in growth, since it produced significantly more shoots in favourable than in unfavourable growth conditions. Both the disease levels and the number of healthy shoots (i.e. escape) were significantly higher under favourable conditions. Disease spread within the rhizome was found to be incomplete, and the risk of aecidial- infection decreased with distance from the parent. Furthermore, one isolate of the fungus had highest success and reduced the host plant biomass and shoot production more on the clone it was collected on compared to four other clones .In the field, disease levels were found to fluctuate more at localities subjected to disturbance, the host and pathogen abundances were found to be in phase and the pathogen showed no delayed response to increasing host densities. The rust Puccinia pulsatillae on Pulsatilla pratensis showed no fluctuations between years, low infection rates, and disease levels were higher in ungrazed compared to grazed sites. There was no escape from the disease in this system.A comparison of characteristics of different systemic fungi and hosts with different growth patterns indicated that the life history strategies of both host plants and pathogens need to be studied if the long-term consequences of host-pathogen interactions are to be predicted.
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