| 1. |
- Jönsson, K. Ingemar, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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Sexual patterns of prebreeding energy reserves in the common frog Rana temporaria along a latitudinal gradient
- 2009
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Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 32:5, s. 831-839
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to store energy is an important life history trait for organisms facing long periods without energy income, and in particular for capital breeders such as temperate zone amphibians, which rely on stored energy during reproduction. However, large scale comparative studies of energy stores in populations with different environmental constraints on energy allocation are scarce. We investigated energy storage patterns in spring (after hibernation and before reproduction) in eight common frog (Rana temporaria) populations exposed to different environmental conditions along a 1600 km latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia (range of annual activity period 3-7 months). Analyses of lean body weight (eviscerated body mass), weight of fat bodies, liver weight, and liver fat content, showed that (i) post-hibernation/pre-breeding energy stores increased with increasing latitude in both sexes, (ii) males generally had larger energy reserves than females and (iii) the difference in energy stores between sexes decreased towards the north. Larger energy reserves towards the north can serve as a buffer against less predictable and/or less benign weather conditions during the short activity period, and may also represent a risk-averse tactic connected with a more pronounced iteroparous life history. In females, the continuous and overlapping vitellogenic activity in the north may also demand more reserves in early spring. The general sexual difference could be a consequence of the fact that, at the time of our sampling, females had already invested their energy into reproduction in the given year (i.e. their eggs were already ovulated), while the males' main reproductive activities (e.g. calling, mate searching, sexual competition) occurred later in the season.
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| 2. |
- Alho, Jussi S., et al.
(författare)
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Increasing melanism along a latitudinal gradient in a widespread amphibian : local adaptation, ontogenic or environmental plasticity?
- 2010
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Ingår i: BMC Evolutionary Biology. - 1471-2148 .- 1471-2148. ; 10, s. 317-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe thermal benefits of melanism in ectothermic animals are widely recognized, but relatively little is known about population differentiation in the degree of melanism along thermal gradients, and the relative contributions of genetic vs. environmental components into the level of melanism expressed. We investigated variation in the degree of melanism in the common frog (Rana temporaria; an active heliotherm thermoregulator) by comparing the degree of melanism (i) among twelve populations spanning over 1500 km long latitudinal gradient across the Scandinavian Peninsula and (ii) between two populations from latitudinal extremes subjected to larval temperature treatments in a common garden experiment.ResultsWe found that the degree of melanism increased steeply in the wild as a function of latitude. Comparison of the degree of population differentiation in melanism (PST) and neutral marker loci (FST) revealed that the PST > FST, indicating that the differences cannot be explained by random genetic drift alone. However, the latitudinal trend observed in the wild was not present in the common garden data, suggesting that the cline in nature is not attributable to direct genetic differences.ConclusionsAs straightforward local adaptation can be ruled out, the observed trend is likely to result from environment-driven phenotypic plasticity or ontogenetic plasticity coupled with population differences in age structure. In general, our results provide an example how phenotypic plasticity or even plain ontogeny can drive latitudinal clines and result in patterns perfectly matching the genetic differences expected under adaptive hypotheses.
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| 3. |
- Alho, Jussi S., et al.
(författare)
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Increasing melanism along a latitudinal gradient in a widespread amphibian : local adaptation, ontogenic or environmental plasticity?
- 2010
-
Ingår i: BMC Evolutionary Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2148. ; 10:1, s. 317-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The thermal benefits of melanism in ectothermic animals are widely recognized, but relatively little is known about population differentiation in the degree of melanism along thermal gradients, and the relative contributions of genetic vs. environmental components into the level of melanism expressed. We investigated variation in the degree of melanism in the common frog (Rana temporaria; an active heliotherm thermoregulator) by comparing the degree of melanism (i) among twelve populations spanning over 1500 km long latitudinal gradient across the Scandinavian Peninsula and (ii) between two populations from latitudinal extremes subjected to larval temperature treatments in a common garden experiment. Results: We found that the degree of melanism increased steeply in the wild as a function of latitude. Comparison of the degree of population differentiation in melanism (P-ST) and neutral marker loci (F-ST) revealed that the P-ST >F-ST, indicating that the differences cannot be explained by random genetic drift alone. However, the latitudinal trend observed in the wild was not present in the common garden data, suggesting that the cline in nature is not attributable to direct genetic differences. Conclusions: As straightforward local adaptation can be ruled out, the observed trend is likely to result from environment-driven phenotypic plasticity or ontogenetic plasticity coupled with population differences in age structure. In general, our results provide an example how phenotypic plasticity or even plain ontogeny can drive latitudinal clines and result in patterns perfectly matching the genetic differences expected under adaptive hypotheses.
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| 4. |
- Alm, Fredrik, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Adherence to Swedish Guidelines for Pain Treatment in Tonsil Surgery in Pediatric Patients
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: As shown by data from the National Tonsil Surgery Register in Sweden, tonsil surgery often causes severe pain that lasts for many days. The register data demonstrate the necessity for better evidence-based pain treatment guidelines for tonsil surgery. The guidelines, introduced in 2013, consist of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological recommendations. In the guidelines, a multimodal analgesic approach and combination of analgesics are recommended to provide effective pain treatment with limited side effects. Two national multi-professional education days on pain, pharmacology and the guidelines were offered. Web-based information about pharmacological treatment (www.tonsililloperation.se) was designed for patients and next-of-kin. The current aims were to describe adherence to the Swedish guidelines for pain treatment in tonsil surgery in pediatric patients < 18 yearsMethod: An inter-professional questionnaire was developed, including questions linked to the relevant guidelines. The questions came from a national mapping before the guidelines were designed. The items were discussed by an expert group, and content validity was evaluated using the content validity index.ENT-and anesthesia physicians and nurses from all 50 ENT clinics in Sweden were enrolled.Results: Most clinics had received the guidelines, but there was a discrepancy between the professions. More than half had perused the literature review performed before the guidelines were designed, and attended themulti-professional education day. Pre- and perioperative treatment usually included paracetamol, clonidine and betamethasone. A multimodal pain approach after discharge from hospital (tonsillectomy and tonsillotomy) was used, combining paracetamol with cox-inhibitors. Most clinics used paracetamol, with a higher dose for the first 3 days (healthy children and acceptable nutrition), and a reduced dose from day 4.In case of inadequate analgesia after tonsillectomy, oral clonidine or opioids were used. Several clinics followed the recommendation to use clonidine as first choice and secondly an opioid. No respondents prescribed codeine compared to 80% at the mapping before the guidelines were designed. The guidelines were experienced as clear, safe and sufficient. The web-based information was used by most of the clinics to improve quality of care and provide facilitating tools for patients, relatives and caregivers.Conclusion: Swedish guidelines for tonsil surgery provide practical evidence-based pain treatment recommendations. To achieve a change, multi-professional education is necessary. This needs to be repeated for a wider spread.Future research should include evaluation through pain diaries and questionnaires to next-of-kin and children. There should be matching of data from the quality registers at each clinic, with pain variables such as unplanned health care contacts due to pain, number of days with analgesics, and return to normal diet
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Arvidsson, Jonathan, et al.
(författare)
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Image Fusion of Reconstructed Digital Tomosynthesis Volumes From a Frontal and a Lateral Acquisition
- 2016
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Ingår i: Radiation protection dosimetry. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1742-3406 .- 0144-8420. ; 169:1-4, s. 410-415
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Digital tomosynthesis (DTS) has been used in chest imaging as a low radiation dose alternative to computed tomography (CT). Traditional DTS shows limitations in the spatial resolution in the out-of-plane dimension. As a first indication of whether a dual-plane dual-view (DPDV) DTS data acquisition can yield a fair resolution in all three spatial dimensions, a manual registration between a frontal and a lateral image volume was performed. An anthropomorphic chest phantom was scanned frontally and laterally using a linear DTS acquisition, at 120 kVp. The reconstructed image volumes were resampled and manually co-registered. Expert radiologist delineations of the mediastinal soft tissues enabled calculation of similarity metrics in regard to delineations in a reference CT volume. The fused volume produced the highest total overlap, implying that the fused volume was a more isotropic 3D representation of the examined object than the traditional chest DTS volumes.
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| 7. |
- Enström, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Five Years with Kattis – Using an Automated Assessment System in Teaching
- 2011
-
Ingår i: 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). - New York : IEEE. - 9781612844695
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Automated assessment systems have been employed in computer science (CS) courses at a number of different universities. Such systems are especially applicable in teaching algorithmic problem solving since they can automatically test if an algorithm has been correctly implemented, i.e., that it performs its specified function on a set of inputs. Being able to implement algorithms that work correctly is a crucial skill for CS students in their professional role, but it can be difficult to convey the importance of this in a classroom situation. Programming and problem solving education supported by automated grading has been used since 2002 at our department. We study, using action research methodology, different strategies for deploying automated assessment systems in CS courses. Towards this end, we have developed an automated assessment system and both introduced it into existing courses and constructed new courses structured around it. Our primary data sources for evaluation consists of course evaluations, statistics on students' submitted solutions, and experience teaching the courses. Authors of this paper have been participating in teaching all of the courses mentioned here.
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| 8. |
- Forss, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Prospective observational study on Stelara (ustekinumab) assessing effectiveness in Crohn's disease (PROSE) : a 16-week follow-up
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 56:6, s. 680-686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Prospectively and systematically collected real-world data on the effectiveness of ustekinumab (anti-interleukin-12/23) for treating Crohn's disease (CD) are still limited.AIM: To assess the short-term real-world effectiveness of ustekinumab in Swedish patients with active CD.METHODS: Prospective multicentre study of adult CD patients initiating ustekinumab according to recommended doses at 20 hospitals, between January 2017 and November 2018. Data were collected through an electronic case report form (eCRF) linked to the Swedish Inflammatory Bowel Disease Registry (SWIBREG). The primary outcomes were clinical response (≥3-point-decrease of Harvey-Bradshaw index (HBI)) and remission (HBI ≤4 points) at week 16. Secondary outcomes included C-reactive protein (CRP) and haemoglobin (Hb) at baseline compared to week 16.RESULTS: Of 114 included patients, 107 (94%) had failed >= 1 and 58 (51%) >= 2 biological agents (anti-tumour necrosis factor [aTNF] agents or vedolizumab). The 16-week ustekinumab retention rate was 105 (92%). Data on HBI at baseline were available for 96 patients. At week 16, response or remission was achieved in 38/96 (40%) patients (25/96 (26%) achieving clinical remission and 23/96 (24%) showing a clinical response). The median CRP concentration (N = 65) decreased from 6 to 4 mg/l (p = .006). No significant changes in Hb were observed. No incident malignancies or infections, requiring antibiotic treatment, were reported. CONCLUSIONS: In this nation-wide prospective real-world study of adult patients with CD, ustekinumab was associated with clinical effectiveness when administered according to clinical practice and seemed to represent a safe treatment option.
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| 9. |
- Forss, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Ustekinumab Is Associated with Real-World Long-Term Effectiveness and Improved Health-Related Quality of Life in Crohn's Disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: Digestive Diseases and Sciences. - : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 0163-2116 .- 1573-2568. ; 68:1, s. 65-76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Prospectively and systematically collected long-term real-world clinical data on ustekinumab (anti-interleukin-12/23) are still scarce.AIMS: To assess the long-term effectiveness of ustekinumab in patients with active Crohn's disease (CD).METHODS: This is a prospective multicenter study of adult patients with CD initiating ustekinumab according to recommended doses at 20 Swedish hospitals. The primary outcome was clinical remission (Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI) ≤ 4 points) at weeks 52 and 104. Secondary outcomes included clinical response (≥ 3-point-decrease in HBI among patients with initial HBI ≥ 5 points), treatment retention, and biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin, fecal-calprotectin) at weeks 52 and 104 compared to baseline. We also reported Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measures.RESULTS: Of 114 included patients, 107 (94%) had previously failed ≥ 1 and 58 (51%) ≥ 2 anti-tumor necrosis factor agents. Forty (35%) had failed anti-integrin agents. Ustekinumab retention rates at weeks 52 and 104 were 70% (n = 80/114) and 61% (n = 69/114), respectively. Clinical response was seen in 36% (n = 25/69) and 29% (n = 20/69) of the patients, and remission was achieved in 32% (n = 31/96) and 29% (n = 28/96) at weeks 52 and 104, respectively. Median HBI and CRP levels decreased significantly at both timepoints as compared to baseline. Significant improvements were also observed in HRQoL. Adverse events were reported in 11% (n = 13/114) of the patients, including five cases of severe adverse events. No malignancies were observed.CONCLUSIONS: In this nationwide prospective real-world 104-week-follow-up study of adult patients with active CD, ustekinumab was associated with long-term clinical effectiveness and improvement in HRQoL measures when used in routine clinical care.
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| 10. |
- Hjernquist, Mårten B., et al.
(författare)
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Seasonality determines patterns of growth and age structure over a geographic gradient in an ectothermic vertebrate
- 2012
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 170:3, s. 641-649
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental variation connected with seasonality is likely to affect the evolution of life-history strategies in ectotherms, but there is no consensus as to how important life-history traits like body size are influenced by environmental variation along seasonal gradients. We compared adult body size, skeletal growth, mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity among 11 common frog ( Rana temporaria ) populations sampled along a 1,600-km-long latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia. Mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity increased linearly with decreasing growth season length. Lifetime activity (i.e. the estimated number of active days during life-time) was highest at mid-latitudes and females had on average more active days throughout their lives than males. Variation in body size was due to differences in lifetime activity among populations—individuals (especially females) were largest where they had the longest cumulative activity period—as well as to differences between populations in skeletal growth rate as determined by skeletochronological analyses. Especially, males grew faster at intermediate latitudes. While life-history trait variation was strongly associated with latitude, the direction and shape of these relationships were sex- and trait-specific. These context-dependent relationships may be the result of life-history trade-offs enforced by differences in future reproductive opportunities and time constraints among the populations. Thus, seasonality appears to be an important environmental factor shaping life-history trait variation in common frogs.
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| 11. |
- Hjernquist, Mårten B., et al.
(författare)
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Seasonality determines patterns of growth and age structure over a geographic gradient in an ectothermic vertebrate
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 170:3, s. 641-649
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental variation connected with seasonality is likely to affect the evolution of life-history strategies in ectotherms, but there is no consensus as to how important life-history traits like body size are influenced by environmental variation along seasonal gradients. We compared adult body size, skeletal growth, mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity among 11 common frog (Rana temporaria) populations sampled along a 1,600-km-long latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia. Mean age, age at first reproduction and longevity increased linearly with decreasing growth season length. Lifetime activity (i.e. the estimated number of active days during life-time) was highest at mid-latitudes and females had on average more active days throughout their lives than males. Variation in body size was due to differences in lifetime activity among populations-individuals (especially females) were largest where they had the longest cumulative activity period-as well as to differences between populations in skeletal growth rate as determined by skeletochronological analyses. Especially, males grew faster at intermediate latitudes. While life-history trait variation was strongly associated with latitude, the direction and shape of these relationships were sex- and trait-specific. These context-dependent relationships may be the result of life-history trade-offs enforced by differences in future reproductive opportunities and time constraints among the populations. Thus, seasonality appears to be an important environmental factor shaping life-history trait variation in common frogs.
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| 12. |
- Jönsson, K. Ingemar, et al.
(författare)
-
Sexual patterns of prebreeding energy reserves in the common frog Rana temporaria along a latitudinal gradient
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 32:5, s. 831-839
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to store energy is an important life history trait for organisms facing long periods without energy income, and in particular for capital breeders such as temperate zone amphibians, which rely on stored energy during reproduction. However, large scale comparative studies of energy stores in populations with different environmental constraints on energy allocation are scarce. We investigated energy storage patterns in spring (after hibernation and before reproduction) in eight common frog Rana temporaria populations exposed to different environmental conditions along a 1600 km latitudinal gradient across Scandinavia (range of annual activity period is 3-7 months). Analyses of lean body weight (eviscerated body mass), weight of fat bodies, liver weight, and liver fat content, showed that 1) post-hibernation/pre-breeding energy stores increased with increasing latitude in both sexes, 2) males generally had larger energy reserves than females and 3) the difference in energy stores between sexes decreased towards the north. Larger energy reserves towards the north can serve as a buffer against less predictable and/or less benign weather conditions during the short activity period, and may also represent a risk-averse tactic connected with a more pronounced iteroparous life history. In females, the continuous and overlapping vitellogenic activity in the north may also demand more reserves in early spring. The general sexual difference could be a consequence of the fact that, at the time of our sampling, females had already invested their energy into reproduction in the given year (i.e. their eggs were already ovulated), while the males' main reproductive activities (e.g. calling, mate searching, sexual competition) occurred later in the season.
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| 13. |
- Laugen, Ane T., et al.
(författare)
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Do common frogs (Rana temporaria) follow Bergmann’s rule?
- 2005
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Ingår i: Evolutionary Ecology Research. - 1522-0613 .- 1937-3791. ; 7:5, s. 717-731
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Questions: Does intraspecific extension of Bergmanns rule – larger size within a species incooler areas – hold true for ectotherms in general, and for the common frog (Rana temporaria)in particular? What is the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors (i.e. directenvironmental induction) in determining latitudinal patterns of body size variation in commonfrogs?Methods: We tested for a positive association between mean body size and latitude incommon frogs (Rana temporaria) across a 1600 km long latitudinal gradient in Scandinaviaboth for wild-collected adults and laboratory-reared metamorphs.Results: In adults, the mean body size increased from south to mid-latitudes, and declinedthereafter. This occurred despite the fact that the mean age of adult frogs increased withincreasing latitude, and age and body size were positively correlated. The latitudinal pattern ofbody size variation in metamorphs reared in a common garden experiment was similar to thatobserved among wild-caught adults.Conclusions: The results suggest that the concave pattern of body size variation across thelatitudinal cline may be at least partly genetically determined, and that although there isconsiderable geographic variation in mean body size of R. temporaria, this variation does notconform with Bergmann’s rule.
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| 14. |
- Merilä, Juha, et al.
(författare)
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Local adaptation and genetics of acid-stress tolerance in the moor frog, Rana arvalis
- 2004
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Ingår i: Conservation Genetics. - 1566-0621 .- 1572-9737. ; 5:4, s. 513-527
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As potential to adapt to environmental stress can be essential for population persistence, knowledge on the genetic architecture of local adaptation is important for conservation genetics. We investigated the relative importance of additive genetic, dominance and maternal effects contributions to acid stress tolerance in two moor frog (Rana arvalis) populations originating from low and neutral pH habitats. Experiments with crosses obtained from artificial matings revealed that embryos from the acid origin population were more tolerant to low pH than embryos from the neutral origin population in embryonic survival rates, but not in terms of developmental stability, developmental and growth rates. Strong maternal effect and small additive genetic contributions to variation were detected in all traits in both populations. In general, dominance contributions to variance in different traits were of similar magnitude to the additive genetic effects, but dominance effects outweighed the additive genetic and maternal effects contributions to early growth in both populations. Furthermore, the expression of additive genetic variance was independent of pH treatment, suggesting little additive genetic variation in acid stress tolerance. The results suggest that although local genetic adaptation to acid stress has taken place, the current variation in acid stress tolerance in acidified populations may owe largely to non-genetic effects. However, low but significant heritabilities ( h(2) approximate to 0.07 - 0.22) in all traits - including viability itself - under a wide range of pH conditions suggests that environmental stress created by low pH is unlikely to lower moor frog populations' ability to respond to selection in the traits studied. Nevertheless, acid conditions could lower populations' ability to respond to selection in the long run through reduction in effective population size.
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| 15. |
- Räsänen, Katja, et al.
(författare)
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Geographic variation in maternal investment : Acidity affects egg size and fecundity in Rana arvalis
- 2008
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 89:9, s. 2553-2562
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental-stress-mediated geographic variation in reproductive parameters has been little studied in natural vertebrate populations outside the context of climatic variation. Based on life-history theory, an increase in the degree of environmental stress experienced by a population should lead to (1) a shift in reproductive allocation from fecundity to offspring quality, (2) stronger trade-offs between reproductive parameters, and (3) changes in the relationship between female phenotype and maternal investment. To test these predictions, we investigated geographic variation in maternal investment of moor frogs (Rana arvalis) in relation to breeding site acidity (pH 4-8). We found that mean egg size increased and clutch size and total reproductive output (TRO) decreased with increasing acidity among 19 Swedish moor frog populations. Tests for variation and co-variation in maternal investment and female size and age in 233 females from a subset of four acid origin (AO) and four neutral origin (NO) populations revealed that clutch size and TRO increased with female size in both acid and neutral environments. However, in AO populations, egg size also increased with female size, and clutch size and TRO with female age, whereas in NO populations, egg size increased with female age. The strength of the egg-size-clutch-size trade-off tended to be stronger in AO than in NO females as expected if the former experience stronger environmental constraints. All in all, these results suggest that environmental acidfication selects for investment in larger eggs at a cost to fecundity, imposes negative effects on reproductive output, and alters the relationship between female phenotype and maternal investment.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Söderman, Fredrik, 1968-
(författare)
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Comparative Population Ecology in Moor Frogs with Particular Reference to Acidity
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is an attempt to describe how different environmental factors influence life history traits in different populations, sexes and developmental stages in the moor frog, Rana arvalis. The studied populations are located along 1100 km latitudinal gradient, with pH varying between 4.0 and 8.5. I have used data from both natural populations and common garden experiments. Reproducing moor frogs were larger and older at high latitudes, indicating a selective advantage of large size at high latitudes and/or earlier reproduction at low latitudes. When controlling for age I found that frogs were older and smaller at low pH, which may be a result of a reduced growth rate due to acid stress. The both sexes respond differently to different environments, with the lowest sexual dimorphism in body size found in the acid environments. This is possibly caused by a trade-off between growth and reproduction. Being large is considered to be advantageous, in females due to increased fecundity, and in males due to higher ability to compete for mates, while the cost of high growth is a reduced possibility to survive until the next mating season. Moor frog embryos originating from an acid population survived better under acid stress than embryos from a neutral population. Using quantitative genetic techniques I found strong maternal effects and small additive genetic variation for the traits in acid and non acid populations. The variation in acid stress tolerance owed largely to non-genetic effects. Females from acid localities lay larger eggs, which probably improves the performance of tadpoles under acid conditions. The trade-off between egg size and fecundity was stronger in acid populations indicating that females in acid populations reduced fecundity to increase offspring size. Finally, frogs from acidified environments were more asymmetric in skeletal traits further indicating the developmental stress created by acidification.
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| 19. |
- Söderman, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental stress increases skeletal fluctuating asymmetry in the moor frog Rana arvalis
- 2007
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 151:4, s. 593-604
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Whether fluctuating asymmetry (FA) provides a useful metric indicator of the degree of environmental stress experienced by populations is still a contentious issue. We investigated whether the degree of FA in skeletal elements is useful in elucidating the degree of environmental stress experienced by frog populations, and further, tested the proposition that a trait’s sensitivity to stress—as reflected in the degree of FA—is related to the degree of directional selection experienced by the given trait. We compared the degree of FA in four bilateral skeletal elements of male and female moor frogs (Rana arvalis) originating from low (acidified) and neutral pH populations. While the degree of uncorrected FA was unrelated to the degree of acidity, the growth rate and age of the individuals, the size-corrected FA was significantly higher in low than in neutral pH populations and decreased with individual ages and growth rates. In addition, both measures of FA were significantly higher in males and in particular in traits presumably under high sexual selection as indicated by the degree of sexual size dimorphism. All in all, the results indicate that individuals from acidified localities are smaller, younger and exhibit a significantly higher degree of FA than individuals from neutral pH populations. These results constitute the first assessment of FA in amphibians and suggest that the degree of FA in skeletal traits can be a useful indicator of the degree of environmental stress experienced by amphibian populations.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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