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.
2018
Abstract
We describe Arge bella Wei & Du sp. nov., a large and beautiful species of Argidae from south China, and report its mitochondrial genome based on high-throughput sequencing data. We present the gene order, nucleotide composition of proteincoding genes (PCGs), and the secondary structures of RNA genes. The nearly complete mitochondrial genome of A. bella has a length of 15,576 bp and a typical set of 37 genes (22 tRNAs, 13 PCGs, and 2 rRNAs). Three tRNAs are rearranged in the A. bella mitochondrial genome as compared to the ancestral type in insects: trnM and trnQ are shuffled, while trnW is translocated from the trnW -trnC-trnY cluster to a location downstream of trnI. All PCGs are initiated by ATN codons, and terminated with TAA, TA or T as stop codons. All tRNAs have a typical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for trnS1. H821 of rrnS and H976 of rrnL are redundant. A phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial genome sequences of A. bella, 21 other symphytan species, two apocritan representatives, and four outgroup taxa supports the placement of Argidae as sister to the Pergidae within the symphytan superfamily Tenthredinoidea.
Authors
Merethe Kleiven Lisa Magdalena Rossbach Julian Alberto Gallego-Urrea Dag Anders Brede Deborah H Oughton Claire CoutrisAbstract
Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, this study addresses the potential linkage between toxicity of NM300K Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), their particle size distribution and the presence of dissolved Ag in the test media. Of the three endpoints assessed (growth, fertility and reproduction), reproduction was the most sensitive, with 50% effect concentration (EC50) ranging from 0.26-0.84 mg Ag L-1 and 0.08-0.11 mg Ag L-1 for NM300K and AgNO3, respectively. Silver uptake by C. elegans was similar for both forms of Ag, while bioaccumulation was higher in AgNO3 exposure. The observed differences in toxicity between NM300K and AgNO3 did not correlate to bioaccumulated Ag, which suggests the toxicity to be a function of the type of exposing agent (AgNPs vs AgNO3) and their mode of action. Before addition of the food source, E. coli, size fractionation revealed that dissolved Ag comprised 13-90 % and 4-8 % of total Ag in the AgNO3 and NM300K treatments, respectively. No dissolved Ag was detectable in the actual test media, due to immediate Ag adsorption to bacteria. Results from the current study highlight that information on behavior and characterization of exposure conditions is essential for nanotoxicity studies.
Authors
Irene Biancarosa Ikram Belghit Christian Guido Bruckner Nina Sylvia Liland Rune Waagbø Heidi Amlund Svenja Heesch Erik-Jan LockAbstract
BACKGROUND: In the past few years, much effort has been invested into developing a new blue economy based on harvesting, cultivating and processing marine macroalgae in Norway. Macroalgae have high potential for a wide range of applications, e.g. as source of pharmaceuticals, production of biofuels or as food and feed. However, data on the chemical composition of macroalgae from Norwegian waters are scant. This study was designed to characterize the chemical composition of 21 algal species. Both macro- and micronutrients were analysed. Concentrations of heavy metals and the metalloid arsenic in the algae were also quantified. RESULTS: The results confirm that marine macroalgae contain nutrients which are relevant for both human and animal nutrition, the concentrations whereof are highly dependent on species. Although heavy metals and arsenic were detected in the algae studied, concentrations were mostly below maximum allowed levels set by food and feed legislation in the EU. CONCLUSION: This study provides chemical data on a wide range of algal species covering the three taxonomic groups (brown, red and green algae) and discusses both benefits of and potential limitations to their use for food and feed purposes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Liv Østrem Marcin Rapacz Arild Larsen Petter Marum Odd Arne RognliAbstract
In a ×Festulolium population (FuRs0357) of parental origin Lolium perenne × Festuca pratensis, selection of freezing tolerance by freezing tests on whole plants (FT) and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) fluorimetry on frozen detached leaves (CF) was assessed in high and low directions during two cycles of selection. The original population went through two cycles of random mating. All selections and non-selected intercrossed generations of the original population were established in field trials at a coastal site and a continental site in Norway. At the coastal site, analyses of Chl-a fluorimetry parameters and leaf growth on individual plants in autumn and winter hardiness observed in field plots in spring showed that the first-generation selections for high freezing tolerance were associated with winter hardiness and early growth cessation. The second-generation FT-selections for high freezing tolerance were also associated with winter hardiness, whereas the CF-high selections diverged toward high photosynthetic activity. Both low selections were correlated with high photosynthetic activity. There were smaller variations between generations in unselected generations of the original population. Low accumulated leaf growth and early growth cessation were observed in the secondgeneration FT-selection for high freezing tolerance, whereas high normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were seen in Chl-a selections. Both selection methods distinguished diverging selections with significantly different high and low freezing tolerance, but selection efficiency was comparable only for the first selection cycle. Moreover, due to mixed ploidy level in the original population, selection by FT and CF generated diploid and tetraploid plants, respectively, which intensified the response of selection, particularly in the diploid selections. Total dry matter yield (DMY) (mean of three annual cuts for 3 years) of the FT-high selections was lower than for the CF-selections. At coastal sites, selection intensity using freezing tests on whole plants should be adapted to actual climate conditions, to obtain genotypes that balance photosynthetic activity during autumn and good winter hardiness, making them persistent and high yielding.
Authors
Lampros LamprinakisAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tuomas Toivanen Olli-Pekka Smolander Carl Gunnar Fossdal Paal Krokene Lars Paulin Petri Auvinen Etienne Bucher Timo HytönenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Bernardo Duarte Irene Martins Rui Rosa Ana R. Matos Michael Roleda Thorsten B. H. Reusch Aschwin H. Engelen Ester A. Serrão Gareth A. Pearson João C. Marques Isabel Caçador Carlos M. Duarte Alexander Oliver JüterbockAbstract
Marine macrophytes are the foundation of algal forests and seagrass meadows–some of the most productive and diverse coastal marine ecosystems on the planet. These ecosystems provide nursery grounds and food for fish and invertebrates, coastline protection from erosion, carbon sequestration, and nutrient fixation. For marine macrophytes, temperature is generally the most important range limiting factor, and ocean warming is considered the most severe threat among global climate change factors. Ocean warming induced losses of dominant macrophytes along their equatorial range edges, as well as range extensions into polar regions, are predicted and already documented. While adaptive evolution based on genetic change is considered too slow to keep pace with the increasing rate of anthropogenic environmental changes, rapid adaptation may come about through a set of non-genetic mechanisms involving the functional composition of the associated microbiome, as well as epigenetic modification of the genome and its regulatory effect on gene expression and the activity of transposable elements. While research in terrestrial plants demonstrates that the integration of non-genetic mechanisms provide a more holistic picture of a species’ evolutionary potential, research in marine systems is lagging behind. Here, we aim to review the potential of marine macrophytes to acclimatize and adapt to major climate change effects via intraspecific variation at the genetic, epigenetic, and microbiome levels. All three levels create phenotypic variation that may either enhance fitness within individuals (plasticity) or be subject to selection and ultimately, adaptation. We review three of the most important phenotypic variations in a climate change context, including physiological variation, variation in propagation success, and in herbivore resistance. Integrating different levels of plasticity, and adaptability into ecological models will allow to obtain a more holistic understanding of trait variation and a realistic assessment of the future performance and distribution of marine macrophytes. Such multi-disciplinary approach that integrates various levels of intraspecific variation, and their effect on phenotypic and physiological variation, is of crucial importance for the effective management and conservation of seagrasses and macroalgae under climate change.
Authors
Arne BardalenAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Ivan N. Bolotov Alexander A. Makhrov Mikhail Yu. Gofarov Olga V. Aksenova Paul Eric Aspholm Yulia V. Bespalaya Mikhail B. Kabakov Yulia S. Kolosova Alexander V. Kondakov Thomas Ofenböck Andrew N. Ostrovsky Igor Yu. Popov Ted von Proschwitz Mudite Rudzite Maris Rudzitis Svetlana E. Sokolova Ilmari Valovirta Ilya V. Vikhrev Maxim V. Vinarski Alexey A. ZotinAbstract
The effects of climate change on oligotrophic rivers and their communities are almost unknown, albeit these ecosystems are the primary habitat of the critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel and its host fishes, salmonids. The distribution and abundance of pearl mussels have drastically decreased throughout Europe over the last century, particularly within the southern part of the range, but causes of this wide-scale extinction process are unclear. Here we estimate the effects of climate change on pearl mussels based on historical and recent samples from 50 rivers and 6 countries across Europe. We found that the shell convexity may be considered an indicator of the thermal effects on pearl mussel populations under warming climate because it reflects shifts in summer temperatures and is significantly different in viable and declining populations. Spatial and temporal modeling of the relationship between shell convexity and population status show that global climate change could have accelerated the population decline of pearl mussels over the last 100 years through rapidly decreasing suitable distribution areas. Simulation predicts future warming-induced range reduction, particularly in southern regions. These results highlight the importance of large-scale studies of keystone species, which can underscore the hidden effects of climate warming on freshwater ecosystems.