Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marianne Stoessel, Jon Moen, Regina Lindborg
Summary: Traditional grazing areas in Europe, especially in northern Fennoscandia, have significantly decreased due to cumulative land-use pressures. Research shows that the majority of grazing land in the region is affected by multiple land-use pressures, predator presence, and climate change, which could irreversibly alter the vegetation and landscape.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Morten Lukacs, Ingebjorg H. Nymo, Knut Madslien, Jorn Vage, Vebjorn Veiberg, Christer Moe Rolandsen, Cathrine Arnason Boe, Arvind Y. M. Sundaram, Unni Grimholt
Summary: Climate change alters the geographic distribution of species and pathogens, potentially increasing vulnerability in populations or species with limited genetic diversity. High throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies allow for the assessment of functional expressed genetic diversity in wild species, aiding in the identification of at-risk populations. This study used reindeer genomes to identify candidate genes and establish an HTS approach to evaluate expressed major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II diversity. The findings revealed medium MHC diversity in semi-domesticated and wild Norwegian reindeer, but low MHC diversity in Svalbard reindeer.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Matthew Jenkins, Aiguo Dai
Summary: Arctic amplification, the enhanced Arctic warming, is mainly attributed to intensified winter oceanic heating associated with sea-ice loss, aided by positive surface albedo feedback in summer and positive cloud feedback in winter.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography
Sirpa Rasmus, Henri Wallen, Minna Turunen, Mia Landauer, Juho Tahkola, Mikko Jokinen, Sauli Laaksonen
Summary: The drivers of change in the reindeer management system are well-known, but it is crucial to also consider practitioner perceptions when developing governance to support traditional livelihoods. Our research analyzed land-use and climate related drivers within the reindeer management area in Finland, and studied herder perceptions towards these through on-site questionnaire surveys. Factors directly affecting the welfare of reindeer were perceived as crucial by herders, with regional heterogeneities in perceptions towards land-use related factors explained by spatial differences in land-use and herding traditions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicolas Dussex, Ole K. Torresen, Tom van der Valk, Mathilde Le Moullec, Vebjorn Veiberg, Ave Tooming-Klunderud, Morten Skage, Benedicte Garmann-Aarhus, Jonathan Wood, Jacob A. Rasmussen, Ashild O. Pedersen, Sarah L. F. Martin, Knut H. Roed, Kjetill S. Jakobsen, Love Dalen, Brage B. Hansen, Michael D. Martin
Summary: This study investigates the genomic consequences of long-term isolation and small population size in the Svalbard reindeer, an endemic subspecies that has adapted to the High Arctic. The results show that long-term isolation and high inbreeding levels have led to a reduction in deleterious variation. However, the study also suggests that severely bottlenecked populations can still retain evolutionary potential.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangjin Shen, Yiwen Liu, Liyuan Wu, Rong Ma, Yanji Wang, Jiaqi Zhang, Lei Wang, Binhui Liu, Xianguo Lu, Ming Jiang
Summary: This study shows that global grassland greening has significant effects on surface temperatures, with cooling effects in areas south of 50 degrees N and warming effects in areas north of 50 degrees N.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marcus P. Spiegel, Alexander Volkovitskiy, Alexandra Terekhina, Bruce C. Forbes, Taejin Park, Marc Macias-Fauria
Summary: The growth of tall woody vegetation in the Arctic, driven by warming, can accelerate climate change through positive feedbacks. Despite local evidence suggesting that large herbivores limit this vegetation shift, it remains uncertain whether herbivory pressure is a significant control on ecosystem structure and functioning at larger, regional scales. Our study on the Yamal Peninsula in West Siberia, using satellite remote sensing and data on reindeer migrations, reveals that higher reindeer herbivory pressure is consistently associated with lower coverage of tall woody vegetation. This suggests that, at current population densities, large herbivores counteract Arctic vegetation responses to climate change over large spatial scales.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nitin Chaudhary, Wenxin Zhang, Shubhangi Lamba, Sebastian Westermann
Summary: In this study, the peatland-vegetation model (LPJ-GUESS) was used to simulate peatland carbon dynamics under different future climate conditions. It was found that under less pronounced warming, peatlands may enhance their carbon sink capacity and buffer the effects of climate change. However, in a warmer world, higher respiration rates will dominate the carbon dynamics and reduce the carbon sink capacity.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zheng Chen, Jieyu Liu, Zhonghua Qian, Li Li, Zhiseng Zhang, Guolin Feng, Shigui Ruan, Guiquan Sun
Summary: This study analyzed the vegetation dynamics under the effects of climate change in arid ecosystems using a mathematical model. They found that the ecosystem might experience a catastrophic shift with the climatic deterioration and that recent climate changes were the main reason for land degradation. The results suggest that vegetation patterns can provide clues to whether the ecosystem is approaching desertification, which can help map vulnerable arid areas globally through model simulation and satellite images.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jie Chen, Qiong Zhang, Erik Kjellstrom, Zhengyao Lu, Fahu Chen
Summary: Understanding the influence of vegetation on temperature changes in the Arctic region is important for understanding the climate system, paleoclimate reconstructions, and future climate change. The study shows that increased vegetation in the Arctic amplifies warming and contributes to sea ice loss, highlighting the significant role of vegetation-climate feedback.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xiangjin Shen, Binhui Liu, Mark Henderson, Lei Wang, Ming Jiang, Xianguo Lu
Summary: Changes in vegetation activity and phenology have significant impacts on climate, especially in temperate grasslands. The increasing vegetation activity and extended growing seasons in the temperate grasslands of China contribute to regional warming, highlighting the importance of considering these factors in climate models.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chen Chen, Tiejian Li, Bellie Sivakumar, Ashish Sharma, John D. Albertson, Li Zhang, Guangqian Wang
Summary: Research shows that grazing on the grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has positive effects on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at the beginning and end of the growing season, but negative effects in the middle. The seasonality of grazing effects alters the NDVI-biomass relationship, impacting the assessment of climate change impacts. Furthermore, the seasonality of grazing effects should be considered an important factor in analyzing grassland response to warming climates.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Torben Windirsch, Guido Grosse, Mathias Ulrich, Bruce C. Forbes, Mathias Goeckede, Juliane Wolter, Marc Macias-Fauria, Johan Olofsson, Nikita Zimov, Jens Strauss
Summary: This study examines the potential impact of large herbivore presence on soil carbon storage in a thermokarst landscape. The findings suggest that intensive grazing can slow permafrost thaw and increase carbon storage. However, further research is needed to determine whether this effect is solely due to increased carbon input.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yihan Zhang, Yunqi Kong, Song Yang, Xiaoming Hu
Summary: Under the background of global warming, the Arctic region has experienced faster warming than the Antarctic, known as asymmetric Arctic and Antarctic warming. This study finds that a seasonal energy transfer mechanism (SETM) dominates in both polar warmings. The increase in effective heat capacity of the ocean surface layer due to declining sea ice leads to stronger winter warming in the Arctic. However, the background oceanic circulation in the Southern Ocean suppresses SETM, resulting in surface cooling in the Antarctic.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ashild Onvik Pedersen, Larissa T. Beumer, Ronny Aanes, Brage B. Hansen
Summary: This study examines the winter-foraging strategies of high-arctic wild Svalbard reindeer using ten years of data, finding that the effects of winter severity on habitat use are density-dependent and that snowpack depth and hardness have a stronger influence on foraging behavior.
Article
Pediatrics
Sofia Ainonen, Mysore Tejesvi, Md. Rayhan Mahmud, Niko Paalanne, Tytti Pokka, Weizhong Li, Karen E. Nelson, Jarmo Salo, Marjo Renko, Petri Vanni, Anna Maria Pirttila, Terhi Tapiainen
Summary: Perinatal antibiotic exposure had a significant impact on the gut microbiota of 1-year-old infants, with a greater effect than exposure to later courses of antibiotics. The composition of the gut microbiota was found to be influenced by the timing of antibiotic exposure.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Silvia Nitschke, Mitchell A. Sullivan, Sharmistha Mitra, Charlotte R. Marchioni, Jennifer P. Y. Lee, Brandon H. Smith, Saija Ahonen, Jun Wu, Erin E. Chown, Peixiang Wang, Sara Petkovic, Xiaochu Zhao, Laura F. DiGiovanni, Ami M. Perri, Lori Israelian, Tamar R. Grossman, Holly Kordasiewicz, Francisco Vilaplana, Kazuhiro Iwai, Felix Nitschke, Berge A. Minassian
Summary: This study investigates the influence of glucan chain length on precipitation and the disease caused by abnormal glycogen structure. The authors found that the glycogen pathology of RBCK1 deficiency is similar to malin-deficient Lafora disease and can be rescued by downregulating glycogen synthase.
Article
Allergy
Katja Kielenniva, Sofia Ainonen, Petri Vanni, Niko Paalanne, Marjo Renko, Jarmo Salo, Mysore Tejesvi, Tytti Pokka, Anna Maria Pirttila, Terhi Tapiainen
Summary: Results from a prospective birth cohort study showed no association between the bacterial composition of the first-pass meconium and the development of allergic diseases before 4 years of age. However, larger studies are needed to fully exclude a relationship.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Anna L. Ruotsalainen, Miia Kauppinen, Piippa R. Wali, Kari Saikkonen, Marjo Helander, Juha Tuomi
Summary: Plant roots are colonized by dark septate endophytic fungi in various ecosystems. These fungi have different relationships with plants, ranging from antagonistic to mutualistic. This study examines the role of by-product benefits in DSE and other root-fungal symbioses, categorizing the benefits as either by-products or benefits requiring reciprocal investment from the host. The research suggests that DSE could be considered a transitional phase in the evolution of cooperative mycorrhizal symbionts.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hjalte M. R. Mann, Alexandros Iosifidis, Jane U. Jepsen, Jeffrey M. Welker, Maarten J. J. E. Loonen, Toke T. Hoye
Summary: This study presents a method for automated monitoring of flowering phenology, which uses near-surface time-lapse cameras and a convolutional neural network to detect and count flowers in high-resolution images. The method has been successfully applied in the Arctic region, surpassing the temporal resolution of traditional observation methods.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ole Petter Laksforsmo Vindstad, Jane Uhd Jepsen, Helge Molvig, Rolf Anker Ims
Summary: Climate warming enables generalist boreal consumers to extend their range into Arctic ecosystems. Experimental and observational data show that the winter moth, a generalist boreal insect pest, is expanding its outbreak range from the northern boreal birch forest into the Low Arctic shrub tundra. This expansion is accompanied by an advancing trend in the hatching date of moth eggs. The winter moth can develop on Low Arctic willows, and the larval densities decline regionally when moving from the birch forest to the shrub tundra.
Article
Immunology
A. L. Ruotsalainen, M. Tejesvi, P. Vanni, M. Suokas, P. Tossavainen, A. M. Pirttila, A. Talvensaari-Mattila, R. Nissi
Summary: This study found that mother vaginal microbiome contributes to the microbiome of vaginally delivered neonates. Mothers with a diabetic child had increased alpha-diversity of bacteriome and decreased alpha-diversity of mycobiome compared to control mothers. The study also suggests an association between certain fungal genera and bacterial metabolic pathways of the mother vaginal microbiome and child T1D.
MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Jenni Turunen, Mysore Tejesvi, Marko Suokas, Nikke Virtanen, Niko Paalanne, Anna Kaisanlahti, Justus Reunanen, Terhi Tapiainen
Summary: This study discovered the presence of bacterial extracellular vesicles in the first-pass meconium of newborn infants, indicating a novel feature of the gut microbiome. Bacterial extracellular vesicles may potentially interact with the host by crossing biological barriers.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Jorgen A. Agersborg, Luigi T. Luppino, Stian Normann Anfinsen, Jane Uhd Jepsen
Summary: This study proposes a method based on image-to-image translation and one-class classification for detecting forest mortality in ecological systems. By using multisource satellite images and computing difference images in different domains, a credible map of forest mortality is generated using a one-class classifier.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Mikael Hakkola, Pekka Vehvilaeinen, Janita Muotka, Mysore V. Tejesvi, Tytti Pokka, Paeivi Vaehaesarja, Anna-Maija Hanni, Marjo Renko, Matti Uhari, Jarmo Salo, Terhi Tapiainen
Summary: The mechanism by which cranberry-lingonberry juice (CLJ) prevents urinary tract infections (UTI) in children remains unknown. This study found that children who consumed CLJ had a lower abundance of Proteobacteria and a higher abundance of Firmicutes phylum in their urinary microbiome at 3 months than those in the placebo group. In the gut microbiome, the abundance of Actinobacteria was higher in children receiving CLJ. A healthy urinary microbiome may be important in preventing UTIs in children.
Article
Pediatrics
Jenni Turunen, Niko Paalanne, Justus Reunanen, Terhi Tapiainen, Mysore V. Tejesvi
Summary: This study found that the composition of the gut mycobiome in infants is influenced by the mode of delivery and exposure to intrapartum antibiotics.
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jane U. Jepsen, Ole Petter L. Vindstad, Rolf A. Ims
Summary: This article discusses recent developments and advancements in understanding the causes of changes in the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest Geometridea moth species (geometrids). Certain biological traits of forest geometrids make them vulnerable to outbreak range expansions and host shifts due to climate change. The observed changes in geometrid spatiotemporal dynamics present new research opportunities and challenges for testing the drivers of intra-and interspecific spatial synchrony, including trophic interactions and biological traits (e.g. dispersal ability). The emerging field of near-term ecological forecasting holds promise for studying the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest geometrids, providing accurate predictions and insights into the underlying mechanisms.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronny Rotbarth, Egbert H. Van Nes, Marten Scheffer, Jane Uhd Jepsen, Ole Petter Laksforsmo Vindstad, Chi Xu, Milena Holmgren
Summary: Climate change is causing a northward shift of the boreal biome, but evidence of this shift is rare. Using satellite data, researchers found that tree cover change in the North American boreal biome has a strong north-south asymmetry, with no expansion at the northern boundary but a marked increase in the core range. However, tree cover declined at the southern boundary due to wildfires and logging, indicating a possible contraction of the biome that could lead to long-term carbon declines.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Juha Lemmetyinen, Jorge Jorge Ruiz, Juval Cohen, Jouko Haapamaa, Anna Kontu, Jouni Pulliainen, J. Praks
Summary: This study investigated the attenuation of radar signals in boreal forests during winter using a multifrequency ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR). The results showed that the ambient temperature had a significant impact on the attenuation, with the maximum attenuation observed at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. The presence of snow on the canopy also increased the attenuation, but had negligible effects on vegetation backscatter.
IEEE GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ladina Steiner, Fran Fabra, Kimmo Rautiainen, Juha Lemmetyinen, Juval Cohen, Estel Cardellach
Summary: In this study, a tower-based GNSS-R experiment was conducted in an Arctic wetland to investigate the monitoring of wetland inundation and freeze/thaw dynamics. The effects of inundation, snow cover, and soil freeze/thaw state on the GNSS-R signal-to-noise ratios were analyzed, and a simple classification approach was suggested to detect the soil state. The findings have implications for the upcoming ESA HydroGNSS mission.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING
(2022)