Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2019
Abstract
Accurately positioned single-tree data obtained from a cut-to-length harvester were used as training harvester plot data for k-nearest neighbor (k-nn) stem diameter distribution modelling applying airborne laser scanning (ALS) information as predictor variables. Part of the same harvester data were also used for stand-level validation where the validation units were stands including all the harvester plots on a systematic grid located within each individual stand. In the validation all harvester plots within a stand and also the neighboring stands located closer than 200 m were excluded from the training data when predicting for plots of a particular stand. We further compared different training harvester plot sizes, namely 200 m2, 400 m2, 900 m2 and 1600 m2. Due to this setup the number of considered stands and the areas within the stands varied between the different harvester plot sizes. Our data were from final fellings in Akershus County in Norway and consisted of altogether 47 stands dominated by Norway spruce. We also had ALS data from the area. We concentrated on estimating characteristics of Norway spruce but due to the k-nn approach, species-wise estimates and stand totals as a sum over species were considered as well. The results showed that in the most accurate cases stand-level merchantable total volume could be estimated with RMSE values smaller than 9% of the mean. This value can be considered as highly accurate. Also the fit of the stem diameter distribution assessed by a variant of Reynold’s error index showed values smaller than 0.2 which are superior to those found in the previous studies. The differences between harvester plot sizes were generally small, showing most accurate results for the training harvester plot sizes 200 m2 and 400 m2.
Authors
Alexander Kopatz Oddmund Kleven Jonas Kindberg Ilpo Kojola Jouni Aspi Göran Spong Niclas Gyllenstrand Love Dalén Ida Marie Luna Fløystad Snorre Hagen Øystein FlagstadAbstract
Background The populations of brown bear (Ursus arctos) in northern Europe have been recovering or are in the process of recovery from a severe demographic bottleneck. Especially in the main popula- tions of Scandinavia and Finland, the number of individuals has been increasing substantially, compared to the population sizes estimated 20 years ago. Also, the populations have spatially expanded, putatively restoring connectivity and gene flow between these two, formerly separated populations. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) assigned a pro- ject to assess the connectivity and gene flow between the eastern and western parts of Fen- noscandia, Finland and Scandinavia. Objective Our objective was to detect possible immigration of brown bears from eastern Fennoscandia, specifically Finland, into Scandinavia. Material and Methods For the first time with continuous sampling of brown bears, we assessed the population genetic structure and gene flow between the brown bear populations of Scandinavia and Finland. We based our analyses on the dispersing sex, male brown bears, as females tend to be philopatric. Our target area was the county of Norrbotten in northern Sweden, at the border to Finland and Norway, representing the most likely area for potential eastern immigrants into Sweden. Previous research did not reveal any influx from Finland into Sweden. However, brown bear samples from Norrbotten have to a very limited degree been included in earlier studies on genetic connectivity in the area. In addition to a large number of samples from Norrbotten and northern Finland, we included genotypes sampled in regions surrounding the target area: Västerbotten in Sweden, Troms and Finnmark in Norway and southern Finland. We utilized all samples and genotypes from male bears available, and, also, genotyped recently collected samples of male brown bears from the study area. Analyses on population genetic structure and gene flow among regions were based on 924 individual male brown bear STR-genotypes (12 short tandem repeats or microsatellite markers). In order to reveal patterns of male dispersal and the distribution of male linages we used brown bear samples genotyped with nine Y-chromosomal STRs from 826 males. KEY WORDS : connectivity, european brown bear, Fennoscandia, Finland, male gene flow, migration, population genetic structure, Scandinavia, Ursus arctos NØKKELORD : europeisk brunbjørn, Fennoskandia, Finland, genflyt, konnektivitet, migrasjon, populasjons genetisk struktur, Skandinavia, Ursus arctos
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Jihong Liu ClarkeAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Franz-Sebastian Krah Ulf Büntgen Hanno Schaefer Jörg Müller Carrie Andrew Lynne Boddy Jeffrey Diez Simon Egli Robert Freckleton Alan C. Gange Rune Halvorsen Einar Heegaard Antje Heideroth Christoph Heibl Jacob Heilmann-Clausen Klaus Høiland Ritwika Kar Håvard Kauserud Paul M. Kirk Thomas W. Kuyper Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber Jenni Nordén Phillip Papastefanou Beatrice Senn-Irlet Claus BässlerAbstract
Thermal melanism theory states that dark-colored ectotherm organisms are at an advantage at low temperature due to increased warming. This theory is generally supported for ectotherm animals, however, the function of colors in the fungal kingdom is largely unknown. Here, we test whether the color lightness of mushroom assemblages is related to climate using a dataset of 3.2 million observations of 3,054 species across Europe. Consistent with the thermal melanism theory, mushroom assemblages are significantly darker in areas with cold climates. We further show differences in color phenotype between fungal lifestyles and a lifestyle differentiated response to seasonality. These results indicate a more complex ecological role of mushroom colors and suggest functions beyond thermal adaption. Because fungi play a crucial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycles, understanding the links between the thermal environment, functional coloration and species’ geographical distributions will be critical in predicting ecosystem responses to global warming.
Authors
Jie Zhang Shaoqiang Ni Wenjun Wu Xiao Huang Hongqiang Jiang Qingquan Li Jinnan Wang Guofeng Wu Conrad Zorn Chaoqing YuAbstract
China is continually seeking to improve river water quality. Implemented in 1996, the total pollutant load control system (TPLCS) is a regulatory strategy to reduce total pollutant loads, under which a Pollutant Discharge Permit (PDP) program tracks and regulates nutrient inputs from point source polluters. While this has been promising, the input-response relationship between discharge permits and water quality targets is largely unclear – especially in China's large and complex river basins. In response, this study involved a quantitative analysis method to combine the water quality targets of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–2015) with allocated PDPs in the Nenjiang River Basin, China. We demonstrated our approach by applying the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to the Nenjiang River Basin for hydrological and water quality simulation. Ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) was used as the primary water quality indicator. Modelling indicated that only one control section in the wider river basin did not achieve the water quality target, suggesting that the TPLCS is largely effective. The framework should be applied in other basins to study the effectiveness of PDP policies, advise further updates to the TPLCS, and ultimately aim to achieve freshwater quality targets nationally.
Abstract
The Balaton lake is the focal area of implementing the WFD in Hungary. At present, nutrient loads are primary threat to surface and subsurface water quality in the Balaton watershed. With increasing anthropogenic pressure and increased occurrence of extreme precipitation events in the future the nitrate loads might increase. The goal of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of climate, land use and soil management changes on nitrogen loads in Tetves Creek, which is the tributary of the Balaton lake. We applied the INCA-N (INtegrated CAtchment Model) water quality model to simulate the hydrological processes and nitrate transport for two periods: the current situation (baseline, 2006 to 2015) and for a future period (2046-2055). We calibrated the model against measured discharge and nitrate concentration data. The inorganic nitrogen sub-model was further validated using data of an independent period. The modelling chain was able to reproduce 59% of the variability of average nitrate concentrations in the Tetves Creek for the validation period. After validation, we examined several climate change, land use and nitrogen supply scenarios and their combined effects on runoff and nitrogen loads. Our main conclusions are summarised below.
Authors
Isabella BørjaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Vegetation optical properties have a direct impact on canopy absorption and scattering and are thus needed for modeling surface fluxes. Although plant functional type (PFT) classification varies between different land surface models (LSMs), their optical properties must be specified. The aim of this study is to revisit the “time-invariant optical properties table” of the Simple Biosphere (SiB) model (later referred to as the “SiB table”) presented 30 years ago by Dorman and Sellers (1989), which has since been adopted by many LSMs. This revisit was needed as many of the data underlying the SiB table were not formally reviewed or published or were based on older papers or on personal communications (i.e., the validity of the optical property source data cannot be inspected due to missing data sources, outdated citation practices, and varied estimation methods). As many of today's LSMs (e.g., the Community Land Model (CLM), the Jena Scheme of Atmosphere Biosphere Coupling in Hamburg (JSBACH), and the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES)) either rely on the optical properties of the SiB table or lack references altogether for those they do employ, there is a clear need to assess (and confirm or correct) the appropriateness of those being used in today's LSMs. Here, we use various spectral databases to synthesize and harmonize the key optical property information of PFT classification shared by many leading LSMs. For forests, such classifications typically differentiate PFTs by broad geo-climatic zones (i.e., tropical, boreal, temperate) and phenology (i.e., deciduous vs. evergreen). For short-statured vegetation, such classifications typically differentiate between crops, grasses, and photosynthetic pathway. Using the PFT classification of the CLM (version 5) as an example, we found the optical properties of the visible band (VIS; 400–700 nm) to fall within the range of measured values. However, in the near-infrared and shortwave infrared bands (NIR and SWIR; e.g., 701–2500 nm, referred to as “NIR”) notable differences between CLM default and measured values were observed, thus suggesting that NIR optical properties are in need of an update. For example, for conifer PFTs, the measured mean needle single scattering albedo (SSA, i.e., the sum of reflectance and transmittance) estimates in NIR were 62 % and 78 % larger than the CLM default parameters, and for PFTs with flat leaves, the measured mean leaf SSA values in NIR were 20 %, 14 %, and 19 % larger than the CLM defaults. We also found that while the CLM5 PFT-dependent leaf angle values were sufficient for forested PFTs and grasses, for crop PFTs the default parameterization appeared too vertically oriented, thus warranting an update. In addition, we propose using separate bark reflectance values for conifer and deciduous PFTs and demonstrate how shoot-level clumping correction can be incorporated into LSMs to mitigate violations of turbid media assumption and Beer's law caused by the nonrandomness of finite-sized foliage elements.
Authors
Rodrigo B. Onofre G. A. Ortiz P. P. de Mello Neto David M. Gadoury Arne Stensvand Mark Rea Andrew Bierman Natalia A. PeresAbstract
No abstract has been registered