| 1. |
- Malmsten, Anna, et al.
(author)
-
Serological testing of Schmallenberg virus in Swedish wild cervids from 2012 to 2016
- 2017
-
In: BMC Veterinary Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1746-6148. ; 13
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Schmallenberg virus (SBV) first emerged in Europe in 2011, and in Sweden in late 2012. The virus was still circulating in parts of Europe in 2015. In recent testing, the virus has not been detected in Swedish domestic animals, indicating that it is no longer circulating in Sweden. It is not known if the virus has circulated and is still circulating in Swedish wild cervid populations and whether wildlife can act as virus reservoirs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SBV has circulated, and is still circulating among wild cervids in Sweden.Results: Ninety-two sera from moose (Alces alces, n = 22), red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 15), fallow deer (Dama dama, n = 44), and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 11) were collected and analyzed for antibodies against SBV. The sampling occurred in the southern and middle part of Sweden during three time periods: 1) before the vector season in 2012, 2) after the vector season in 2012, and 3) after the vector season in 2015. Animals from periods 1 and 2 were of varying ages, whereas animals collected in period 3 were born after the vector season 2013. Animals from period 1 (n = 15) and 3 (n = 47) were seronegative, but, 53% (16 of 30) of animals from period 2 were seropositive, determined by SBV competitive ELISA. Samples from period 2 were additionally analyzed for SBV-neutralizing antibodies. Such antibodies were detected in 16/16 SBV-N-antibody-positive, 3/12 negative and 2/2 doubtful sera. The two tests were in accordance at SBV-neutralizing antibody titers of 1:32 or higher.Conclusion: Our results show that SBV circulated among wild cervids during the vector season of 2012. Three years later, no SBV-antibodies were detected in animals born after the vector season 2013. The likely absence of SBV circulation in Sweden, in contrast to other parts of Europe, might be explained by the annual occurrence of a vector-free season due to climate conditions. Interpretations are limited by the small sample-size, but the results suggest that the SBV competitive ELISA has high specificity but might have slightly lower sensitivity compared to a seroneutralization assay, when using samples from wild cervids.
|
|
| 2. |
- Allen, Andrew, et al.
(author)
-
Habitat-performance relationships of a large mammal on a predator-free island dominated by humans
- 2017
-
In: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 7, s. 305-319
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The demographic consequences of changes in habitat use driven by human modification of landscape, and/or changes in climate, are important for any species. We investigated habitat-performance relationships in a declining island population of a large mammal, the moose (Alces alces), in an environment that is predator-free but dominated by humans. We used a combination of demographic data, knowledge of habitat selection, and multiannual movement data of female moose (n = 17) to understand how space use patterns affect fecundity and calf survival. The calving rate was 0.64 and was similar to calving rates reported in other populations. Calf survival was 0.22 (annually) and 0.32 (postsummer), which are particularly low compared to other populations where postsummer survival is typically above 0.7. Home ranges were mainly composed of arable land (>40%), and selection for arable land was higher in winter than in summer, which contrasts with previous studies. Females that spent more time in broadleaf forest in the summer prior to the rut had higher fecundity rates, while more time spent in arable land resulted in lower fecundity rates. Females that spent more time in thicket/scrubland habitats during winter had lower calf survival, while females that had higher use of mixed forests tended to have higher calf survival. The dominance, and subsequent use, of suboptimal foraging habitats may lead to poor body condition of females at parturition, which may lower calf body weights and affect the mother's ability to lactate. In addition, our results indicated that the growing season has advanced significantly in recent decades, which may be causing a mismatch between parturition and optimal resource availability. These effects may exacerbate the female's ability to meet the energetic demands of lactation. Therefore, the observed low calf survival appears to be caused by a combination of factors related to current land use and may also be due to changing vegetation phenology. These results have important implications for the management of species in human-dominated landscapes in the face of climate change, and for an increased understanding of how species may adapt to future land use and climate change.
|
|
| 3. |
- Allen, Andrew, et al.
(author)
-
Scaling up movements: from individual space use to population patterns
- 2016
-
In: Ecosphere. - : Wiley. - 2150-8925. ; 7, s. 1-16
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studying multiple individuals from multiple populations would add knowledge about the proportion of different movement strategies (migratory vs. resident) and how space use patterns vary within and across populations. This allows for effective conservation or management of partially migratory animal populations by identifying the appropriate size of management units and temporal interventions. However, this knowledge is often lacking as only a few individuals from a single population are tracked in space and time. To understand the drivers of intraspecific variation in movement patterns across a broad scale, we analyzed the multiannual space use of 307 moose (Alces alces), containing 544 single-year trajectories, from 10 study areas that are spread over a 1500-km latitudinal gradient. Using a novel approach, we quantified within-and among-population variation in movement and space use patterns. We identified the movement strategy (migratory, sedentary, nomadic, or dispersal) of moose and computed annual and seasonal home ranges. Individuals demonstrated variable movement strategies from migration to year-round residence. Summer home ranges were larger in northern study areas, whereas no geographical trends were detected among populations in winter home ranges. Individual-level traits, such as sex and age, along with factors related to the landscape, such as land use and habitat, explained variation within populations, whereas climatic factors such as temperature and vegetative productivity explained variation among populations. Importantly, the variables that explained individual-level variation in space use within populations were different for all our populations. We demonstrate the intricate interplay between individual life history and landscape scale variables and how they may determine the observed movement patterns and influence the scale of management.
|
|
| 4. |
- Andersson, Jonas, et al.
(author)
-
Hello human, can you read my mind?
- 2017
-
In: ERCIM News. - Sophia Antipolis Cedex : European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM). - 0926-4981 .- 1564-0094. ; :109, s. 36-37
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For safety reasons, autonomous vehicles should communicate their intent rather than explicitly invite people to act. At RISE Viktoria in Sweden, we believe this simple design principle will impact how autonomous vehicles are experienced in the future.
|
|
| 5. |
- Arnemo, Jon, et al.
(author)
-
Long-Term Safety of Intraperitoneal Radio Transmitter Implants in Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)
- 2018
-
In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2297-1769. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Intraperitoneal radio transmitters have been widely used in free-ranging wild mammals, but there are no long-term studies on their biocompatibility or technical stability within the abdominal cavity of animals. Possible negative health effects may bias results from ecological studies on instrumented animals and raise concerns over animal welfare issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term technical stability and pathological effects of Telonics intraperitoneal very high frequency (VHF) radio transmitters in brown bears (Ursus arctos). We instrumented 305 individual bears with intraperitoneal VHF radio transmitters during a 19-year period. We surgically removed devices that had been in bears for 1-9 years and collected transmitters from animals that died 1-13 years after implantation. We took biopsies for histopathology from tissue encapsulating implants in live bears. Retrieved transmitters underwent a technical inspection. Of the 125 transmitters removed from live bears, 66 were free-floating in the peritoneal cavity [a mean (SD) of 3.8 (1.5) years after implantation], whereas 59 were encapsulated in the greater omentum [4.0 (1.8) years after implantation]. Histopathology of biopsies of the 1-15mm thick capsules in 33 individuals showed that it consisted of organized layers of connective tissue. In one third of the bears, the inner part of the capsule was characterized by a foreign body reaction. We inspected 68 implants that had been in bears for 3.9 (2.4) years. The batteries had short-circuited four (5.9%) of these devices. This resulted in the death of two animals 10 and 13 years after implantation. In two other bears that underwent surgery, we found the short-circuited devices to be fully encapsulated within the peritoneal cavity 5 and 6 years after implantation. A significant proportion of the other 64 inspected implants showed serious technical problems, such as corrosion of metal parts or the batteries (50%), detachment of the end cap (11.8%), and erosion (7.4%) or melting (5.9%) of the wax coating. We conclude that the wax coating of the transmitters was not biocompatible, that the technical quality of the devices was poor, and that these implants should not be used in brown bears.
|
|
| 6. |
- Augustsson, Evelina, et al.
(author)
-
Density-dependent dinner: Wild boar overuse agricultural land at high densities
- 2024
-
In: European Journal of Wildlife Research. - 1612-4642 .- 1439-0574. ; 70
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Swedish wild boar (Sus scrofa) population has increased rapidly over the last decades, resulting in conflicts with human activities. Particularly, the increase has been challenging for agriculture as wild boar cause damage on crops and grasslands. To predict under what conditions to expect damage and where to prioritize management actions, basic knowledge about wild boar habitat and space use is needed. In this study, we used data from 99 wild boar equipped with GPS-collars, collected over a large temporal scale and throughout their distributional range in southern Sweden. We investigated wild boar home range size and habitat use across gradients of habitat availability and population density. Functional response in habitat use was assessed by estimating the use and availability of agricultural land on individual level and then, on population-level evaluating how use changed with changing availability. Finally, a potential response in habitat use was evaluated in relation to population density, i.e., the interaction between availability and population density. Home range size was negatively related to population density for both male and female wild boar. Wild boar used agricultural land more intensively with increasing population density and when other habitat types were less available. Our findings show that wild boar spatial behavior is highly context dependent and may vary considerably due to landscape characteristics and local conditions. Wild boars tend to overuse agricultural land at high densities which has strong implications for wildlife management. It is therefore important to consider local conditions when predicting space and habitat use by wild boar. Overall, this study provided a better understanding of the drivers of wild boar distribution and space use in agro-forested mosaic landscapes and how this knowledge can improve management practices.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Dalin, Anne-Marie, et al.
(author)
-
Livmodern avslöjar fruktsamheten
- 2013
-
In: Svensk jakt. - 0039-6583. ; 151, s. 70-71
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)
|
|
| 9. |
- Dey, Debargha, et al.
(author)
-
Workshop on Methodology : Evaluating Interactions Between Automated Vehicles and Other Road Users—What Works in Practice?
- 2018
-
In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications. - New York, NY, USA : ACM. - 9781450359474 ; , s. 17-22
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Methods and metrics for studying interactions between automated vehicles and other road users in their vicinity, such as pedestrians, cyclists and non-automated vehicles, are not established yet. This workshop focuses on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies that could potentially be used to study such interactions. The objective lies in determining the proper experimental design, sensitivity of metrics for measuring user behavior, ecological validity, generalizability of findings, extraction of insights regarding how findings can be translated into actionable requirements, and the alternatives for conducting longitudinal field studies. It will be of an interactive nature and involve hands-on activities. The workshop will consolidate existing knowledge, identify recurring issues, and explore the path towards resolving these issues. The outcome will be compiled into a paper to share this valuable knowledge with a broader research community.
|
|
| 10. |
- Ecke, Frauke, et al.
(author)
-
Per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) i mark och biota på Frösön
- 2023
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) omfattar högfluorerade ämnen och representerar industriellt framställda svårnedbrytningsbara kemikalier med påvisade hälsoeffekter. I studien som genomfördes på Frösön och ett referensområde nära Umeå har vi samlat in prover från olika matriser som ingår i den terrestra näringskedjan. Proverna har analyserats för totalt 24 PFAS. Halterna av Summa PFAS visade stora variationer mellan arterna där halterna på Frösön fördelade sig enligt följande för markprover, svamp och bär: lingon < hallon < blåbär < blek taggsvamp << jord. Lingon hade de lägsta halterna bland biota (1,8±1,2 ng/g torrvikt) och blek taggsvamp de högsta (54,7±20,6 ng/g torrvikt). För viltproverna fördelade sig halterna enligt följande: lunga-älg ≈ muskel-älg < muskel[1]rådjur < lunga-rådjur < lever-älg < lever-rådjur << muskel-skogssork << hjärta-skogssork << mjälte[1]skogssork <<< njure-skogssork <<< lever-skogssork där halterna i lever hos skogssork var 4787,8±1229,2 ng/g våtvikt. EU:s gränsvärden för summa (PFAS4) i viltkött (muskel) överskreds inte i något av de undersökta proverna. Ett muskelprov från ett rådjur låg dock nära gränsvärdet för PFOS på 5 ng/g våtvikt (uppmätt halt 4,3 ng/g våtvikt). Gränsvärdet för PFOS i slaktbiprodukter (50 ng/g våtvikt) överskreds i leverprover från två rådjur. De uppmätta PFAS koncentrationerna i jord, blek taggsvamp och viltet – framför allt skogssork – är bekymmersamma ur ett ekosystemhälsa- och One Health perspektiv.
|
|
