Migration strategies of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a subarctic river system as revealed by stable isotope analysis

We estimated the proportions of anadromous and freshwater‐resident brown trout (Salmo trutta) in different parts of the subarctic River Näätämöjoki/Neidenelva system (Finland and Norway) using carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen stable isotope analyses of archived scales as identifiers of migration strategy. Our results showed that carbon stable isotope values were the best predictor of migration strategy. Most individuals fell into two clearly distinct groups representing anadromous (47%) or freshwater‐resident (42%) individuals, but some fish had intermediate carbon values suggesting repeated movement between freshwater and the sea. The proportion of anadromous individuals decreased steadily with distance from the sea forming a spatial continuum in migration strategies which is probably maintained by the combination of several factors such as divergent availability of food resources, variable migration costs and genetic differences. These within‐catchment differences in migration strategies should be taken into account in fisheries management practices.     

The influence of the hemoglobin concentration in growing mink kits on certain skin characteristics

The relationship between some skin characteristics and hemoglobin values during the growth period were statistically examined in standard male minks. Significant correlations) (P < 0.05–0.001) were found between the hemoglobin concentrations determined at 3 points during the growth period (in July, August and November) and the density and colour of underfur, and skin length, respectively. According to the study even the early hemoglobin values in July and August have a significant influence on the size and quality of the pelt. Mink kits with low hemoglobin values are liable to develop a winter fur coat with defective pigmentation and hair structure of the underfur. Anemic minks develop the most extreme stage of the pigmentation defect and these so-called cotton fur skins have little value in the fur garment industry. When these abnormal hemoglobin values are recognized at an early stage, cotton fur skins may be avoided, and larger skins of better quality may be produced.     

Survival of Atlantic salmon captured in and released from a commercial trap-net: Potential for selective harvesting of stocked salmon

The major wild Atlantic salmon stocks in the Baltic Sea began to recover in the late 1990s. This recovery has been partly due to strict regulations in the Gulf of Bothnia that effectively prevent salmon fisheries during the peak migration. About half of the migrating salmon, however, are reared fish that could be harvested. We simulated a limited trap-net fishery that selectively harvested reared salmon and released wild fish, and studied the survival and migration of the released salmon. We tagged and released 1970 salmon caught in the trap-nets along the coast in 2001 and 2002. The mean maximum capture and release induced mortality of salmon was 11%, ranging between 4% and 21% in different release groups by year, sea age and number of releases. The cumulative mortality for the total salmon population on their spawning migration in the Gulf of Bothnia was below 5%, and it would not increase considerably after the first capture and release events, provided fishing effort is not excessive and fish are handled properly. Survival of trap-net captured and released Baltic salmon appears high and their migration behavior is not altered due to this handling. Several preconditions, however, should be considered before selective fishing is introduced in the Gulf of Bothnia salmon fishery.     

Status of Zoobenthos and Fish Populations in Subarctic Rivers of the Northernmost Finland: Possible Effects of Acid Emissions from Russian Kola Peninsula

In 1990, a monitoring programme was initiated to survey the status of benthic invertebrate communities and fish populations over a wide range of subarctic rivers in northernmost Finnish Lapland (68°15′–70°N). A special emphasis was placed on detecting possible effects of acidification through sulfur emissions from Russian Kola Peninsula. Sampling in 13 rivers within four major river systems covered watercourses from small brooks to large 7th order rivers, and watersheds with different distances from the emission sources. The community structure of zoobenthos and the occurrence of acid-sensitive indicator species were assessed in 90 sampling sites. Sensitive fluvial fish species, including Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), brown trout (Salmo trutta), European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) and burbot (Lota lota), were monitored by studying their occurrence, abundance and juvenile recruitment. No signs of acid-induced failure in juvenile recruitment were detected in salmonid populations. The occurrence of minnow and burbot covered all the systems studied. In parallell, the structure of benthic communities with relatively high species diversity and wide distribution of a highly acid-sensitive caddisfly indicated no effects of acidification.     

Genetic transformation of silver birch (Betula pendula) by particle bombardment

We used in vitro callus and shoot cultures as target material for genetic transformation of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) by particle bombardment. Cultivation of in vitro shoot cultures before particle bombardment and a long selection period, combined with a high concentration of selective agent after bombardment, led to the production of transformed plantlets that were stable, and no escapes were found among the tree lines produced. Clonal variation in transformation efficiency was found in transient expression of the beta-glucuronidase gene in callus cultures and in plantlets transformed by stable integration of the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit (RbcS) and neomycin phosphotransferase (npt2) genes.     

Dissolution of wood in ionic liquids

The present paper demonstrates that both hardwoods and softwoods are readily soluble in various imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) under gentle conditions. More specifically, a variety of ionic liquids can only partially dissolve wood chips, whereas ionic liquids such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride have good solvating power for Norway spruce sawdust and Norway spruce and Southern pine thermomechanical pulp (TMP) fibers. Despite the fact that the obtained solutions were not fully clear, these ionic liquids provided solutions which permitted the complete acetylation of the wood. Alternatively, transparent amber solutions of wood could be obtained when the dissolution of the same lignocellulosic samples was attempted in 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. This realization was based on a designed augmented interaction of the aromatic character of the cation of the ionic liquid with the lignin in the wood. After dissolution, wood can be regenerated as an amorphous mixture of its original components. The cellulose of the regenerated wood can be efficiently digested to glucose by a cellulase enzymatic hydrolysis treatment. Furthermore, completely acetylated wood was found to be readily soluble in chloroform, allowing, for the first time, detailed proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and NMR diffusion measurements to be made. It was thus demonstrated that the dissolution of wood in ionic liquids now offers a variety of new possibilities for its structural and macromolecular characterization, without the prior isolation of its individual components. Furthermore, considering the relatively wide solubility and compatibility of ionic liquids with many organic or inorganic functional chemicals or polymers, it is envisaged that this research could create a variety of new strategies for converting abundant woody biomass to valuable biofuels, chemicals, and novel functional composite biomaterials.     

Intrapopulation variation in flowering phenology and fecundity of silver birch, implications for adaptability to changing climate

Earlier modeling has suggested that long distance gene flow is of importance in increasing the adaptability of tree populations in a changing climate. In times of warming temperatures, early flowering phenotypes may be favored, because early flowering may be connected to early onset of growth. Long term direct measurements of flowering, pollen cloud and intrapopulation fecundity variations are needed to test this hypothesis. Having one of the furthest transported types of pollen grains, birch may have good potential for long distance gene flow. Our daily observations over eight years, of 30 silver birches (Betula pendula Roth), showed that the onset and duration of flowering phenology was determined by the accumulation of spring temperature sums, but the window for potential long distance gene flow was narrow. The interannual phenology variations were large, the order of timing of female and male catkins in various trees of this monoecious species tended to differ, and the timing of generative and vegetative spring phenologies were not correlated at tree level. Early flowering trees tended to have a higher variation in germinability than later flowering trees. No other connection between timing of phenology of flowering and seed quantity or quality was found. Although stochastic climatic conditions produce interannually variable phenological windows, probability for long distance gene flow from areas differing in timing of spring temperature accumulations may be low in silver birch. Intertree variations in fecundity were high, and the majority of seeds and pollen were produced by only a few trees. Moreover, the amount of seeds produced was positively related to seed germinability, thus large phenotypic fecundity variations may decrease interannual genetic variations in seed sets.     

Nuclear intron-targeting markers in genetic diversity analysis of black nightshade (Solanum sect. Solanum,Solanaceae) accessions

Different molecular markers are routinely used in studies of potato (Solanum tuberosum) and the genus Solanum in general. Genome sequence databases provide potential to design new markers for various applications. Here we present the application of a recently developed core set of nuclear intron-targeting (indel) markers. These markers are based on the fact that in the plant genome introns are more variable than exons; therefore primers flanking exons can reveal polymorphisms related to introns. We detected such variation among accessions of the eight different species of black nightshades (Solanum sect. Solanum). Members of this group are important sources of food, mostly in Africa, while others are poisonous weeds with near global distribution. The tested 29 primers were designed previously for potato based on Solanaceae EST and other genomic databases and targeted 16 different genes. Our results showed that Solanum intron-targeting markers are not very polymorphic but identified considerable structure among accessions indicating fairly high interspecies differentiation. Further analyses showed that inbreeding is unlikely to be the major driving force in determining the genetic structure of the analyzed species. All phylogenetic analyses resolved the species included in our study as distinct clades with high support values, but provided weak information about their internal relationships. In summary, indel markers would be useful for the assignment of new Solanum germplasm to taxonomic groups or to identify certain taxa. They could also be used to address important question about genetic diversity and should yield results comparable to other markers covering the whole genome.