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- Carlsson, Fredrik, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Increased heat resistance in mycelia from wood fungi prevalent in forests characterized by fire : a possible adaptation to forest fire.
- 2012
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In: Fungal Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-6146 .- 1878-6162. ; 116:10, s. 1025-1031
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AbstractForest fire has for a long time been the major stand replacing/modifying disturbance in boreal forests. For organisms to adopt to this phenomenon different strategies for protective measurements has evolved. This study focuses on the organism group of wood fungi, and one of several possibilities for adaptation to forest fire - increased heat resistance in the mycelia. 16 species of wood fungi where selected and sorted a priori according to their prevalence for fire affected substrate. These were isolated and re-inoculated on pine wood before testing. Experiments where done in a series where the mycelia was exposed to 100, 140, 180, 220°C for 5, 10, 15, 20, 15 min. A very clear difference was found, the group containing species with a prevalence for a fire affected substrate had a much higher survival rate over all combinations of time and temperature compared to species with a more general ecology. This data suggests that increased heat resistance in mycelia could be a possible adaptation to forest fire. This in turn has major impacts on the ecology and population dynamics of wood fungi. An increase in temperature could shift the population structure in a log, allowing minor non fruiting mycelia content to expand on the expense of earlier dominant colonizers. Furthermore this study has implications on how to control prescribed restoration burning events. When burning areas where the dead wood content is dominated by early decay stages, loss of species can be avoided by proper management.
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- Dåderman, Anna Maria, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Flunitrazepam intake in male offenders
- 2012
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In: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 66:2, s. 131-140
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The abuse of flunitrazepam (FZ) compounds is worldwide, and several studies have reflected on the consequences with regard to violence, aggression and criminal lifestyle of FZ users. Criminals take high doses of FZ or some other benzodiazepines to "calm down" before the planned crime. There is support from earlier studies that most likely, all benzodiazepines may increase aggression in vulnerable males. Chronic intake of high doses of FZ increases aggression in male rats. Because psychopathy involves aggression, we have examined whether psychopathy as well as any of the four facets of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle and Antisocial) are related to different substance use disorders, with the focus on FZ. We have also examined the relationship between each PCL-R item and FZ use. Participants were 114 male offenders aged 14-35 years, all of whom were convicted for severe, predominantly violent, offences. Substance use, including FZ, was not more common in those who scored high in psychopathy. Use of FZ was more common in offenders who scored high in Facet 4 (Antisocial) of the PCL-R (odds ratio = 4.30, 95% CI 1.86-9.94). Only one of the PCL-R items, "Criminal versatility", was significantly associated with FZ use (odds ratio = 3.7). It may be concluded that intake of FZ has a specific relationship to only one of the facets and not to psychopathy per se. ; The findings have also important theoretical implications because Facet 4 is not a key factor of the construct of psychopathy. Clinical implications of the article: We have used the new two-factor and four-facet theoretical model of psychopathy in the young offender population, many of them with one or more substance use disorders. The present results suggest that antisocial behavior defined by Facet 4 (poor behavioral control, early behavior problems, juvenile delinquency, revocation of conditional release and criminal versatility) in the studied subjects is more typical for FZ users than it is for non-FZ users. This may have implications for assessment and treatment. Clinicians should be aware that criminals with high scores on Facet 4 have a more than fourfold odds of being a FZ user. This conclusion has an important clinical implication because FZ abuse is very common and is not always the focus of a forensic psychiatric assessment. ;
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- Olsson, Jörgen, et al.
(author)
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Landscape and substrate properties affect species richness and community composition of saproxylic beetles
- 2012
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In: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 286, s. 108-120
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Intensive forest management has dramatically reduced the area of old-growth forest in Fennoscandia. We examined if the proportion of old forest in a landscape affects species composition, richness and abundance of saproxylic beetles. We used tube-shaped window traps in five pairs of sites, selected so that the sites within each pair differed with respect to the proportion of old forest (>125 years) in the surrounding landscape. A landscape level inventory of the wood fungi Fomitopsis rosea, as a proxy for forest with high conservation values, was used to complement the data on old forests. In addition, to testing whether mycelia-colonised wood may attract saproxylic beetles, the tube-shaped window traps were baited with wood colonised by Fomitopsis pinicola or F. rosea. Old-forest-rich landscapes supported significantly more species and a higher abundance of saproxylic beetles than old-forest-poor landscapes. The analysis revealed a clear connection between the community composition of saproxylic beetles and the proportion of old forest and number of F. rosea fruiting bodies in the surrounding landscape (radius 3 km). The local landscape species pool thus appears to be important for the beetle species that are trapped since the composition of saproxylic beetles differed between the two landscape types. The effects of the different baits were less pronounced than the effect of landscape type, although species-specific responses to the two mycelia baits were observed. This indicates that volatiles from mycelia of wood-decaying fungi and the mycelial community may affect colonisation patterns of saproxylic beetles. Our results suggest that forest fragmentation and habitat loss have resulted in depauperate beetle faunas in old-forest-poor landscapes. Our results highlight the need to invoke a landscape scale approach for preserving biodiversity, in this case the need to maintain a sufficient proportion of forest with old growth characteristics in the managed landscape.
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