Hydroacoustic assessment of mono‐ and polymorphic Coregonus density and biomass in subarctic lakes

Density and biomass estimates of pelagic fish are essential to understand food web interactions and ecosystem functioning. We conducted surveys of six subarctic lakes for assessing both mono‐ and polymorphic whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.) populations. Monomorphic whitefish lakes were inhabited by a habitat and diet generalist, large sparsely rakered (LSR) morph, whereas polymorphic whitefish lakes had a littoral benthivorous LSR morph, a pelagic planktivorous densely rakered (DR) morph and in two cases a benthivorous small sparsely rakered (SSR) morph inhabiting the profundal zone. In addition, an introduced specialist zooplanktivore, vendace Coregonus albula (L.), inhabited one of the monomorphic lakes. Hydroacoustics was found to be an appropriate method for estimating coregonid densities and biomasses in large and deep polymorphic lakes occupied by the planktivorous DR morph or vendace, but only during dark nights in autumn. The suitability of hydroacoustic assessment for benthivorous LSR and SSR morphs was low, especially in polymorphic whitefish lakes due to their preference for near‐bottom habitat or shallow areas not sampled with hydroacoustics. The pelagic density of DR morph varied from 330 to 1780 fish·ha^?1 and biomass from 1.4 to 13.3 kg·ha^?1 in polymorphic whitefish lakes, whereas corresponding estimates for LSR morph were 10–320 fish·ha^?1 and 0.5–8.4 kg·ha^?1 in monomorphic whitefish lakes. In general, polymorphism tended to increase the density and biomass of whitefish in the pelagic area compared with monomorphic systems.     

Effect of emulsion characteristics on the release of aroma as detected by sensory evaluation,static headspace gas chromatography,and electronic nose

The effects of emulsion structure and composition of the matrix on the release of linalool (nonpolar) and diacetyl (polar) were studied using sensory evaluation, static headspace gas chromatography, and an electronic nose. The matrices used were water, rapeseed oil, and eight oil-in-water emulsions differing in oil volume fraction (0.05/0.5), emulsifier type (sucrose stearate/modified potato starch), and homogenization pressure (100/300 bar). Fat content strongly affected the release of linalool, but it was not as critical a factor in the release of the more polar compound, diacetyl. A slight effect of the emulsifier type on the release of aromas was observed with sensory and gas chromatographic methods. The reduced droplet size, resulting from higher homogenization pressure, enhanced the release of linalool but had no effect on diacetyl. Sensory and gas chromatographic methods detected aroma changes quite similarly. The electronic nose was capable of detecting only the effect of fat on linalool.     

Electroencephalography findings in healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy: visual and background quantitative analysis

BACKGROUND: Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) parameters of healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy have not been determined. OBJECTIVE: To determine if EEG can provide specific characteristics to distinguish between healthy dogs and dogs with epilepsy. ANIMALS: Sixteen healthy and 15 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy. METHODS: A prospective clinical EEG study performed under medetomidine sedation. Blinded visual and quantitative EEG analyses were performed and results were compared between study groups. RESULTS: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep and sleep spindles were a frequent finding in a majority of animals from both groups. The EEG analysis detected epileptiform activity in 3 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy and in 1 healthy Finnish Spitz dog. Epileptiform activity was characterized by spikes, polyspikes, and spike slow wave complexes in posterior-occipital derivation in dogs with epilepsy and with midline spikes in control dog. The healthy dogs showed significantly less theta and beta activity than did the dogs with epilepsy (P < .01), but the only significant difference between healthy dogs and dogs with untreated epilepsy was in the alpha band (P < .001). Phenobarbital treatment increased alpha, beta (P < .001), and theta (P < .01), and decreased delta (P < .001) frequency bands compared with dogs with untreated epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep could be easily misinterpreted as epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity in Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy seems to originate from a posterior-occipital location. The EEG of dogs with epilepsy exhibited a significant difference in background frequency bands compared with the control dogs. Phenobarbital treatment markedly influenced all background activity bands. Quantitative EEG analysis, in addition to visual analysis, seems to be a useful tool in the examination of patients with epilepsy.     

The effects of winter ice cover on the trophic ecology of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus L.) in subarctic lakes

Lakes in Arctic and subarctic regions display extreme levels of seasonal variation in light, temperature and ice cover. Comparatively little is known regarding the effects of such seasonal variation on the diet and resource use of fish species inhabiting these systems. Variation in the diet of European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.) during periods of ice cover in this region is often regarded as ‘common knowledge’; however, this aspect of the species' ecology has not been examined empirically. Here, we outline the differences in invertebrate community structure, fish activity, and resource use of monomorphic whitefish populations between summer (August–September) and winter (February–March) in three subarctic lakes in Finnish Lapland. Benthic macroinvertebrate densities did not exhibit measurable differences between summer and winter. Zooplankton diversity and abundance, and activity levels of all fish species (measured as catch per unit effort) were lower in winter. The summer diet of C. lavaretus was typical of a generalist utilising a variety of prey sources. In winter, its dietary niche was significantly reduced, and the diet was dominated by chironomid larvae in all study sites. Pelagic productivity decreases during winter, and fish species inhabiting these systems are therefore restricted to feeding on benthic prey. Sampling time has strong effect on our understanding of resource utilisation by whitefish in subarctic lakes and should be taken into account in future studies of these systems.     

Substrate selection by subyearling European river lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) and older larvae (Lampetra spp)

More information on the habitat requirements of lamprey is needed to improve measures aiming at rehabilitation of lamprey populations. Knowledge on habitat requirements of subyearling lampreys is especially scarce. We studied substrate selection by subyearling lamprey during the first three months after hatching using aquarium experiments. Differences in substrate selection by different‐sized larvae older than one year and the substrate depth selection by large larvae were also studied. Prolarvae of an average total length (TL) of 6.9 mm actively selected substrates with existing holes. When lampreys reached TL of over 8.0 mm, they started to select substrates which enabled them to construct a burrow. Lampreys of that size avoided coarse sand and gravel without fine material. Natural gravel with fine material was a frequently selected burrowing substrate during the 10‐week experiment suggesting its importance for subyearling lampreys. Substrates where very fine sand prevailed were the most selected soft sediments by subyearling larvae. Larvae older than one year did not select clay as a burrowing substrate. Medium (TL 70–98 mm) and large (TL 110–146 mm) larvae preferred coarse organic matter to fine sand. Larvae older than one year (TL 80–110 mm) preferred the thickest layer of soft substrate (10 cm) available to thinner layers.     

Ice fishing reveals size structure but not abundance of Eurasian perch in small boreal lakes

Management of inland recreational fisheries would benefit from stock abundance and size structure data. Feasibly standardised angling methods such as ice fishing could produce representative catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) information on the abundance of different-sized fish in small lakes. Here, we first used standard Nordic multimesh gillnets to obtain number-per-unit-effort (NPUE), biomass-per-unit-effort (BPUE) and size structure data on Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) stocks in 11 small boreal lakes in summer. Second, the same lakes were ice-fished by voluntary anglers using a pre-defined, loosely standardised protocol to obtain angling-based NPUE, BPUE, and length frequency distributions. Effects of environmental variables such as water oxygen concentration and light penetration on angling catch rates were controlled statistically. Neither perch Nordic gillnet NPUE nor BPUE corresponded to ice-fishing CPUEs. However, the length distribution of the catch did not differ between methods. Our results imply that traditional ice fishing applying natural baits is relatively unselective for fish size and could produce valid length-based indicators for management purposes while angling CPUE was poorly related to Nordic gillnet CPUE.     

Forest stand age classification using time series of photogrammetrically derived digital surface models

In this research, we developed and tested a remote sensing-based approach for stand age estimation. The approach is based on changes in the forest canopy height measured from a time series of photo-based digital surface models that were normalized to canopy height models using an airborne laser scanning derived digital terrain model (DTM). Representing the Karelian countryside, Finland, CHMs from 1944, 1959, 1965, 1977, 1983, 1991, 2003, and 2012 were generated and allow for characterization of forest structure over a 68-year period. To validate our method, we measured stand age from 90 plots (1256?m²) in 2014, whereby producer's accuracy ranged from 25.0% to 100.0% and user's accuracy from 16.7% to 100.0%. The wide range of accuracy found is largely attributable to the quality and characteristics of archival images and intrastand variation in stand age. The lowest classification accuracies were obtained for the images representing the earliest dates. For forest managers and agencies that have access to long-term photo archives and a detailed DTM, the estimation of stand age can be performed, improving the quality and completeness of forest inventory databases.     

Carbon stock changes of forest land in Finland under different levels of wood use and climate change

Context

Prediction of the effect of harvests and climate change (CC) on the changes in carbon stock of forests is necessary both for CC mitigation and adaptation purposes.

Aims

We assessed the impact of roundwood and fuelwood removals and climate change (CC) on the changes in carbon stock of Finnish forests during 2007–2042. We considered three harvest scenarios: two based on the recent projections of roundwood and fuelwood demand, and the third reflecting the maximum sustainable cutting level. We applied two climate scenarios: the climate was in the state that prevailed around year 2006, or it changed according to the IPCC SRES A1B scenario.

Methods

We combined the large-scale forestry model MELA with the soil carbon model Yasso07 for mineral soils. For soils of drained, forested peatlands, we used a method based on emission factors.

Results

The stock change of trees accounted for approximately 80 % of the total stock change. Trees and mineral soils acted as carbon sinks and the drained peatland soils as a carbon source. The forest carbon sink increased clearly in both of the demand-based scenarios, reaching the level of 13–20 Tg C/year (without CC). The planned increase in the use of bioenergy reduced the forest sink by 2.6 Tg C/year. CC increased the forest carbon sink in 2042 by 38 %–58 % depending on the scenario. CC decreased the sink of mineral soils in the initial years of the simulations; after 2030, the effect was slightly positive. CC increased the emissions from the drained peatland soils.

Conclusions

It is likely that forest land in Finland acts as a carbon sink in the future. The changes in carbon stocks of trees, mineral soils, and peatland soils respond differently to CC and fuelwood and roundwood harvests.     

Structural and chemical changes in pyrogenic organic matter aged in a boreal forest soil

biochar;charcoal;chronosequence;porosity;prescribed burning;soil amendment;X-ray microtomography     

Butterflies and diurnal moths along road verges: Does road type affect diversity and abundance?

Roadsides form potential habitats for several grassland species adapted to regular mowing management. We studied the communities of butterflies and day-active moths in 51 sites along the verges of the three road types, i.e., highways, urban roads and rural roads. Despite different traffic densities and widths of the road and verge, the groups were rather similar with regard to soil properties, vegetation structure and mowing intensity. The species richness and total abundance of butterflies (53 species, 5964 individuals) and diurnal moths (46 species, 4626 individuals) were also rather similar in each road type, although a preference for wider verges was observed. Butterfly diversity increased (but not significantly) from the verges of narrow rural roads to wider highways. The highest numbers of meadow species were recorded along highways and the total abundance, especially of diurnal moths, decreased in accordance with the road size. High nectar abundance was the most important factor increasing the numbers of meadow butterflies along road verges, while meadow moths were mostly favoured by shelter provided by tall vegetation. Verges surrounded by cultivated fields were generally related to low numbers of both Lepidoptera groups, whereas adjacent forests increased the total number of all species and favoured several butterflies inhabiting forest edges. The adjacent environment inflicted compositional differences on the Lepidoptera fauna of the three road types. The results indicate that road verges should be considered an important reserve for species dependent on semi-natural grasslands in Finland. A growing interest in accommodating current roadside management for conserving biodiversity is likely to benefit Lepidoptera communities in the verge habitats.