| 1. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(författare)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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| 2. |
- Braganca, F. M. Serra, et al.
(författare)
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Improving gait classification in horses by using inertial measurement unit (IMU) generated data and machine learning
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For centuries humans have been fascinated by the natural beauty of horses in motion and their different gaits. Gait classification (GC) is commonly performed through visual assessment and reliable, automated methods for real-time objective GC in horses are warranted. In this study, we used a full body network of wireless, high sampling-rate sensors combined with machine learning to fully automatically classify gait. Using data from 120 horses of four different domestic breeds, equipped with seven motion sensors, we included 7576 strides from eight different gaits. GC was trained using several machine-learning approaches, both from feature-extracted data and from raw sensor data. Our best GC model achieved 97% accuracy. Our technique facilitated accurate, GC that enables in-depth biomechanical studies and allows for highly accurate phenotyping of gait for genetic research and breeding. Our approach lends itself for potential use in other quadrupedal species without the need for developing gait/animal specific algorithms.
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| 3. |
- Hyvonen, R., et al.
(författare)
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The likely impact of elevated [CO2], nitrogen deposition, increased temperature and management on carbon sequestration in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems: a literature review
- 2007
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Ingår i: New Phytologist. - Cambridge : Wiley. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 173:3, s. 463-480
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Temperate and boreal forest ecosystems contain a large part of the carbon stored on land, in the form of both biomass and soil organic matter. Increasing atmospheric [CO2], increasing temperature, elevated nitrogen deposition and intensified management will change this C store. Well documented single-factor responses of net primary production are: higher photosynthetic rate (the main [CO2] response); increasing length of growing season (the main temperature response); and higher leaf-area index (the main N deposition and partly [CO2] response). Soil organic matter will increase with increasing litter input, although priming may decrease the soil C stock initially, but litter quality effects should be minimal (response to [CO2], N deposition, and temperature); will decrease because of increasing temperature; and will increase because of retardation of decomposition with N deposition, although the rate of decomposition of high-quality litter can be increased and that of low-quality litter decreased. Single-factor responses can be misleading because of interactions between factors, in particular those between N and other factors, and indirect effects such as increased N availability from temperature-induced decomposition. In the long term the strength of feedbacks, for example the increasing demand for N from increased growth, will dominate over short-term responses to single factors. However, management has considerable potential for controlling the C store.
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| 4. |
- Britt-Marie, Bäcklin, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal and Geographical Variation of Intestinal Ulcers in Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) and Environmental Contaminants in Baltic Biota during Four Decades
- 2021
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Ingår i: Animals. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2615. ; 11:10, s. 2968-2968
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The prevalence of intestinal ulcers and parasites was investigated in 2172 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) collected in the Baltic Sea and 49 grey seals collected outside the Baltic Sea (i.e., the Atlantic). An increase in frequency of ileocaeco-colonic ulcers was observed in the early 1980s, followed by a decrease in the mid-1990s. At the same time, there was an increase followed by a decrease in brominated flame retardants, Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and cadmium levels in herring (Clupea harengus), the most common prey item in Baltic grey seal diet, as well as in another top predator in the Baltic, the common guillemot (Uria aalge). The frequency of intestinal ulcers was significantly related to the intensity of acanthocephalan parasites, the age of the seal and the region of the Baltic Sea. Perforation of the intestinal wall was the cause of death in 26 of the investigated Baltic grey seals. In contrast, none of the investigated Atlantic grey seals had intestinal ulcers. They showed a thin colonic wall and very few acanthocephalan parasites. The high prevalence of intestinal ulcers and the high parasite intensity appear to be unique to the Baltic population of grey seals.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Persson, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the interplay between within-stand variation and thinning practices in southern Sweden
- 2024
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 561
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The state of within-stand variation (WSV) in boreal, coniferous production forests and how it is dealt with in thinning operations is a scarcely researched topic. In the autumn of 2018, we surveyed a series of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) or Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) dominated production stands scheduled for first commercial thinning from below. Here, we evaluate the potential causes of WSV in basal area, how WSV was addressed in the thinning operations, and finally how the stands and subsequent thinning practice conformed with the basal area target specified in the thinning guidelines. WSV in the yield attributes was defined as the dispersion in a stand attribute within a stand and quantified using the Qn scale estimator (a robust measure of dispersion). First, WSV in basal area at the time of first thinning was evaluated as a function of WSV in stem number and WSV in site index. Next, yield attributes before and after thinning were compared using paired ttests, and the future development of WSV in basal area was evaluated using linear mixed-effects models. Finally, the thinning practice was evaluated before and after thinning by modelling the compliance with the basal area target as a function of stem number and dominant height, also using linear mixed-effects models. WSV in basal area appeared to be influenced by WSV in site index and WSV in stem number for Norway spruce, but not for Scots pine. Thinning reduced the WSV in basal area, standing volume, and stem number, while dominant height, quadratic mean diameter and basal area weighted mean height remained unaffected. At first thinning, compliance with the thinning guideline increased with increasing stem density and dominant height. However, moderate to high compliance with the basal area target in the thinning guidelines was only reached for plots with elevated dominant height (>15 m) in combination with high stem number (>2250 N ha-1). Thus, the recommended range in dominant height (12-14 m) for first thinning was generally exceeded, which may be attributed to the generally low stem number at the time of thinning. This study suggests that sub-optimal regeneration efforts and management of young forests can lead to WSV across a wide range of stand attributes, and likely also reductions in yield. Thinning decreased WSV in basal area, standing volume and stem number, however, the plots were heavily thinned to such a degree that it could potentially cause production losses.
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