Genetic diversity, gene flow, and landscape resistance in a pond-breeding amphibian in agricultural and natural forested landscapes in Norway.

Genetic diversity is a key part of biodiversity, threatened by human activities that lead to loss of gene flow and reduction of effective population sizes. Gene flow is a result of both landscape connectivity and demographic processes determining the number of dispersing individuals in space and time. Thus, the effect of human impact on processes determining the level of genetic diversity must be interpreted in the context of basic ecological conditions affecting survival and recruitment.

Optimal foraging by a large ungulate in an extreme environment: Wild mountain reindeer select snow-free feeding habitats in winter.

Optimal foraging models predict that individual animals will optimize net energy gain by intensifying forage activity and/or reducing forage energy cost. Then, the free distribution model predicts an animal's distribution in a patchy landscape will match the distribution of the resources. If not modified by other factors, such patterns may be expected to be particularly explicit in variable and extreme, forage-limited, and patchy environments, notably alpine and Arctic environments during winter.

Life histories and ecotype conservation in an adaptive vertebrate: Genetic constitution of piscivorous brown trout covaries with habitat stability.

Ecotype variation in species exhibiting different life history strategies may reflect heritable adaptations to optimize reproductive success, and potential for speciation. Traditionally, ecotypes have, however, been defined by morphometrics and life history characteristics, which may be confounded with individual plasticity. Here, we use the widely distributed and polytypic freshwater fish species brown trout () as a model to study piscivorous life history and its genetic characteristics in environmentally contrasting habitats; a large lake ecosystem with one major large and stable tributary, and several small tributaries.

Herbivore grazing-or trampling? Trampling effects by a large ungulate in cold high-latitude ecosystems.

Mammalian herbivores have important top-down effects on ecological processes and landscapes by generating vegetation changes through grazing and trampling. For free-ranging herbivores on large landscapes, trampling is an important ecological factor. However, whereas grazing is widely studied, low-intensity trampling is rarely studied and quantified.

Colonizing the High Arctic: Mitochondrial DNA Reveals Common Origin of Eurasian Archipelagic Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

In light of current debates on global climate change it has become important to know more on how large, roaming species have responded to environmental change in the past. Using the highly variable mitochondrial control region, we revisit theories of Rangifer colonization and propose that the High Arctic archipelagos of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaia Zemlia were colonized by reindeer from the Eurasian mainland after the last glacial maximum. Comparing mtDNA control region sequences from the three Arctic archipelagos showed a strong genetic connection between the populations, supporting a common origin in the past.

Merging and comparing three mitochondrial markers for phylogenetic studies of Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

Phylogenetic analyses provide information that can be useful in the conservation of genetic variation by identifying intraspecific genetic structure. Reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships requires the use of markers with the appropriate amount of variation relative to the timeframe and purpose of the study. Here, genetic structure and clustering are inferred from comparative analyses of three widely used mitochondrial markers, the CR, cytb and the COI region, merged and separately, using Eurasian reindeer as a model.

Molecular responses to toxicological stressors: profiling microRNAs in wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) exposed to acidic aluminum-rich water.

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is among the most sensitive organisms toward acidic, aluminum exposure. Main documented responses to this type of stress are a combination of hypoxia and loss of blood plasma ions. Physiological responses to stress in fish are often grouped into primary, secondary and tertiary responses, where the above mentioned effects are secondary responses, while primary responses include endocrine changes as measurable levels of catecholamines and corticosteroids.

Little impact of hatchery supplementation that uses native broodstock on the genetic structure and diversity of steelhead trout revealed by a large-scale spatio-temporal microsatellite survey.

Artificial breeding programs initiated to enhance the size of animal populations are often motivated by the desire to increase harvest opportunities. The introduction of non-native genotypes, however, can have negative evolutionary impacts. These may be direct, such as introgressive hybridization, or indirect via competition.

Population connectivity: dam migration mitigations and contemporary site fidelity in arctic char.

Background: Animal feeding and spawning migrations may be limited by physical barriers and behavioral interactions. Dam constructions (e.g.

Dynamic micro-geographic and temporal genetic diversity in vertebrates: the case of lake-spawning populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta).

Conservation of species should be based on knowledge of effective population sizes and understanding of how breeding tactics and selection of recruitment habitats lead to genetic structuring. In the stream-spawning and genetically diverse brown trout, spawning and rearing areas may be restricted source habitats. Spatio-temporal genetic variability patterns were studied in brown trout occupying three lakes characterized by restricted stream habitat but high recruitment levels.

Improved work ability and return to work following vocational multidisciplinary rehabilitation of subjects on long-term sick leave.

Objective: To evaluate a vocational multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme for patients on long-term sick leave with respect to their work ability and return to work.

Methods: A multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme was administered to an intervention group of 183 patients on long-term sick leave (mean 12.2 months).