Implication of Lake Water Residence Time on the Classification of Norwegian Surface Water Sites into Progressive Stages of Nitrogen Saturation

Seasonal behaviour of NO₃ ^- in surfacewater is often used as an indicator on a catchment's ability toretain N from atmospheric deposition. In this paper, weclassify 12 pristine sites (five streams and seven lakes) insouthernmost Norway according to the N saturation stageconcept. All examined sites were acid-sensitive and had annualmean NO₃ ^- concentrations in the range 6–36 μeqL^-1. At lake sites with relatively long water residencetimes, hydrology will have a damping effect on the seasonalNO₃ ^- oscillations in the outlet streams. Under givenrunoff conditions (1.0–2.2 m yr^-1), the seasonalNO₃ ^- pattern was clearly affected when lake:catchmentarea ratios exceeded 0.15 and the total residence time of lakesin the catchments exceeded 0.3 yr. In such cases, annualmean NO₃ ^- concentration rather than seasonalvariations may be the better indicator of N saturation. Toaccount for this we propose a set of supplementary criteria forsuch lake systems, defining limit values for annual meanNO₃ ^- concentrations within each stage class. Beforebeing applied on a broader scale, however, we recommend anexamination of additional lake-dominated catchmentsrepresenting a larger gradient in ecosystem types, N depositionlevels and hydrologic regimes. When applying the supplementarycriteria on the Norwegian sites, two were classified as stage 0(no saturation), five as stage 1 (early stage of saturation)and five as stage 2 (saturated – moderate N loss). No siteswere showing symptoms of stage 3, which characteriseswatersheds that are net sources of N, rather than sinks. Theresults indicate a great variability in N retention capacity inthe study region, despite the fact that many of the catchmentsexperience relatively uniform N deposition amounts and climaticconditions. This suggests that much of this variability must bedue to specific catchment characteristics as e.g. soil type,soil depth, and vegetation cover.     

Navicular bone disease: Results of treatment using egg-bar shoeing technique

Although the diagnostic criteria of navicular disease are generally accepted in practice, their limitations are recognised. However, the authors believe that navicular disease per se is reversible and that only secondary changes like adhesions to the deep flexor tendon or spur formations are irreversible. This hypothesis is supported by the results presented of the effect of the application of an egg-bar shoe, which caused permanent cessation of signs of navicular disease in more than 50 per cent of treated cases. The egg-bar shoeing technique can be usefully applied in practice.     

Characterization of hemiacetal forms of anthocyanidin 3-O-beta-glycopyranosides

The 3-O-beta-glucopyranosides of delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin (1-3) and cyanidin 3-O-beta-galactopyranoside (4) dissolved in deuterated methanolic solutions without and with acid (5%, CF3COOD) were identified by homo- and heteronuclear NMR techniques. The hemiacetal forms of all the four anthocyanins were characterized as two epimeric 2-hydroxy-hemiacetals on the basis of assignments of both proton and carbon NMR signals together with chemical shift considerations. This is the first report of 13C NMR assignments of two epimeric anthocyanin hemiacetal forms. No 4-hydroxy-hemiacetal form was detected for any of the pigments. For each anthocyanin dissolved in deuterated methanol, the equilibrium between each of the two epimeric hemiacetals and the corresponding flavylium cation was confirmed by the observed positive exchange cross-peaks in the 2D 1H NOESY spectra. The molar proportions of the flavylium cation and the two hemiacetals of 1-4 in deuterated methanol were very similar for all pigments, even during storage for weeks. The majority of the anthocyanins reported to occur in fruits have the same or similar structures as 1-4. These pigments have been proposed to exist predominantly as hemiacetals in slightly acidic to neutral solvents, which is a relevant pH range in plants and in the human gastrointestinal tract.     

Genetic differentiation among Atlantic salmon reared in sea‐cages reveals a non‐random distribution of genetic material from a breeding programme to commercial production

Seven samples, each consisting of approximately 50 Atlantic salmon, were collected from five marine farms in Norway. These farms reported to rear fish originating from the same commercial breed; however, all samples followed a unique route of production from breeder to marine farm via egg, fry and smolt producers. A group of farmed escapees (n=50) were also captured. Following genotyping with 18 microsatellite loci, the global F_ST was 0.083, and pair‐wise values were as high as 0.158. Four clusters, with varying degrees of genetic differentiation, were identified among samples from the farms, and the source of the escapees was identified successfully. It is suggested that the genetic differences observed among samples from the farms were created through the process of genetic drift, facilitated by parallel sub‐strains, extensive within‐strain selection and low to moderate numbers of adults contributing to batches of eggs. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that genetic identification of escaped Atlantic salmon, back to the farm of origin, may be possible even when farms rear fish reported to originate from a single breeder.