Background Female promiscuity is highly variable among birds, and particularly among songbirds. Comparative work has identified several patterns of covariation with social, sexual, ecological and life history ...

Background Understanding the phylogenetic relationships among species is one of the main goals of systematic biology. Simultaneously, credible phylogenetic hypotheses are often the first requirement for ...

This thesis focuses on the molecular systematics of the lichen family Ramalinaceae and is based on both freshly collected and archived specimens. Tropical members of the family remain particularly understudied, including ...

Bryozoans are a moderately diverse, mostly marine phylum with a fossil record extending to the Early Ordovician. Compared to other phyla, little is known about their phylogenetic relationships at both lower and higher ...

In the Mesozoic seas, the apex predators were reptiles. From the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, the Spitsbergen Mesozoic Research Group has excavated numerous well preserved marine reptile skeletons in order to understand ...

Biological specimens in natural history collections worldwide are increasingly being used in biogeographical, environmental, and taxonomic studies. For their meaningful use, correct species identification is crucial. For ...

Crop wild relatives (CWR) can provide one solution to future challenges on food security, sustainable agriculture and adaptation to climate change. Diversity found in CWR can be essential for adapting crops to these new ...

Peculiar rocks consisting of large and rare minerals are known as nepheline syenite pegmatites and can be found in larvikite (national rock of Norway!) around the Larvik area. Detailed chemical analyses of a mineral called ...

Background Microhabitat changes are thought to be among the main drivers of diversification. However, this conclusion is mostly based on studies on vertebrates. Here, we investigate the influence of ...

Background A median, segmented, annelid nerve cord has repeatedly been compared to the arthropod and vertebrate nerve cords and became the most used textbook representation of the annelid nervous system. ...

Despite the similar function of all sperm cells – to fertilise the egg – there is extraordinary diversity in sperm shape and length across taxa. This thesis aims to improve our understanding of how this diversity has ...

Cryptic species could represent a substantial fraction of biodiversity. However, inconsistent definitions and taxonomic treatment of cryptic species prevent informed estimates of their contribution to biodiversity and ...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: More than 15,000 angiosperm species are dioecious, i.e., having distinct male and female individual plants. The allocation of resources between male and female plants is different, and also ...

Introduction Herbal medicines play an important role globally in the health care sector and in industrialised countries they are often considered as an alternative to mono-substance medicines. Current quality and ...

Background The economic value of ginseng in the global medicinal plant trade is estimated to be in excess of US$2.1 billion. At the same time, the evolutionary placement of ginseng (Panax ginseng) and the ...

Male fertilization success depends on investment in both pre- and postcopulatory sexually selected traits, and considerable attention has recently been paid to quantifying the strength and direction of covariance between ...

This paper provides a theoretical understanding of sampling bias in presence-only data in the context of species distribution modelling. This understanding forms the basis for two integrated frameworks, one for detecting ...

Theoretical models predict that investment in pre-copulatory and post-copulatory sexually selected traits should trade-off. At the macroevolutionary scale, the majority of studies to date have focused on male weaponry as ...

Many interstitial species were first described as widely distributed, often cosmopolitan or amphi-oceanic, contrasting with descriptions of a sedentary life style and the general absence of pelagic dispersal stages. These ...

Questions: Substantial variation between observers has been found when comparing parallel land-cover maps, but how can we know which map is better? What magnitude of error and inter-observer variation is expected when ...

Purpose Treelines and forest lines (TFLs) have received growing interest in recent decades, due to their potential role as indicators of climate change. However, the understanding of TFL dynamics is challenged by the complex ...

1. Species composition is a vital attribute of any ecosystem. Accordingly, ecological restoration often has the original, or “natural,” species composition as its target. However, we still lack adequate methods for predicting ...

Both molecular and morphologic characters support the reinstatement of Leuctra biellensis Festa, 1942 as a valid species distinct from Leuctra nigra (Olivier, 1811). Genetic distances between L. biellensis and the different ...

The Agardhfjellet Formation (Middle Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous) of Svalbard (Norwegian Arctic) is well known for its abundant and unique marine reptile fauna, of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. In an attempt to reconstruct ...

Low morphological diversity among interstitial taxa makes it difficult to delimit species and their geographic boundaries based solely on morphology and molecular data often reveal cryptic species. Polygordius (Annelida, ...

Speciation research has largely overlooked reproductive barriers acting between copulation and the formation of the zygote (i.e., postmating, prezygotic [PMPZ] barriers), especially in internally fertilizing vertebrates. ...

Climate change is expected to result in range shifts and habitat fragmentation for many species. In the Arctic, loss of sea ice will reduce barriers to dispersal or eliminate movement corridors, resulting in increased ...

North America is currently home to a number of grey wolf (Canis lupus) and wolf-like canid populations, including the coyote (Canis latrans) and the taxonomically controversial red, Eastern timber and Great Lakes wolves. ...

Zoonotic infections transmitted from terrestrial and marine mammals to humans in European Arctic are of unknown significance, despite considerable potential for transmission due to local hunt and a rapidly changing ...

Niobium is usually considered to be one of the least mobile elements during alteration of rocks in geological processes and is thought to only be mobile at elevated temperatures and/or pressures. Since niobium is assumed ...

Many species, including humans, have emerged via complex reticulate processes involving hybridisation. Under certain circumstances, hybridisation can cause distinct lineages to collapse into a single lineage with an admixed ...

Aim: Understanding the evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient (i.e. increase in species diversity towards the tropics) is a prominent issue in ecology and biogeography. Disentangling the relative contributions of ...

Postcopulatory sexual selection may select for male primary sexual characteristics like sperm morphology and sperm motility, through sperm competition or cryptic female choice. However, how such characteristics influence ...

A new specimen of Phalarodon from the Middle Triassic Botneheia Formation on Svalbard, although not complete, is well preserved with both cranial and postcranial elements. Uncompressed preservation of the rostrum reveals ...

The Late Jurassic Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte on Spitsbergen preserves a diverse array of marine reptiles, including four named taxa of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs. One of these, Palvennia hoybergeti, is based on the ...

Premise of research. Self-compatibility is a requirement for reproductive assurance via selfing and may therefore be beneficial in environments with infrequent or unpredictable pollinator service. However, self-compatible ...

Magmatic and hydrothermal quartz populations related to the Late-Variscan Zinnwald/Cínovec Sn-W-Li greisen-type deposit in the Eastern Erzgebirge/Krušné Hory (German/Czech Republic) were studied in terms of trace element ...

The Longyearbyen CO2 storage project drilling and coring campaign in central Spitsbergen provided new insights on the shale-dominated Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Agardhfjellet Formation, which is the onshore ...

In Zambia, wild edible terrestrial orchids are used to produce a local delicacy called chikanda, which has become increasingly popular throughout the country. Commercialization puts orchid populations in Zambia and ...

Sperm exhibit extraordinary levels of morphological diversification across the animal kingdom. In songbirds, sperm have a helically shaped head incorporating a distinct acrosomal membrane or “helical keel,” the form and ...

Only one species of the genus Allodia has been previously recorded from the Afrotropical region, Allodia (Brachycampta) flavorufa Matile, 1978. Six new species are described here, all representing the nominotypical subgenus, ...

Interspecific competition is thought to play a key role in determining the coexistence of closely related species within adaptive radiations. Competition for ecological resources can lead to different outcomes from character ...

DNA-based snapshots of ancient vegetation have shown that the composition of high-latitude plant communities changed considerably during the late Quaternary. However, parallel changes in biotic interactions remain largely ...

With almost 600 species, the latest molecular phylogeny of pholcid spiders (Eberle et al. 2018, BMC Evolutionary Biology) more than triples the largest previously available molecular phylogeny of the family. At the level ...

Interactions between fungi and plants, including parasitism, mutualism, and saprotrophy, have been invoked as key to their respective macroevolutionary success. Here we evaluate the origins of plant-fungal symbioses and ...

Humeri of Pessopteryx nisseri and vertebrae referred to Cymbospondylus sp. are described from the Lower Saurian niveau at Marmierfjellet, Spitsbergen. This is the most well-preserved Cymbospondylus material described from ...

Background: A median, segmented, annelid nerve cord has repeatedly been compared to the arthropod and vertebrate nerve cords and became the most used textbook representation of the annelid nervous system. Recent phylogenomic ...

The annelid family Eunicidae comprises ten genera including the genusMarphysa Quatrefages, 1866. This genus is characterized by a global distribution and hasconsiderable value in the bait industry worldwide. ...

Long-term phenotypic stasis is frequently observed in the fossil record, but not readily predicted from microevolutionary theory. To test competing explanations for stasis on macroevolutionary timescales we need reliably ...

Global change threatens invertebrate biodiversity and its central role in numerous ecosystem functions and services. Functional trait analyses have been advocated to uncover global mechanisms behind biodiversity responses ...

After 142 years, Plutellapolaris Zeller, 1880 was rediscovered at Svalbard, Norway, in 2015. The locality and its vegetation are described. The specimen is the first female ever recorded, and its genitalia are illustrated. ...

Xylopsora canopeorum Timdal, Reese Næsborg & Bendiksby is described as a new species occupying the crowns of large Sequoia sempervirens trees in California, USA. The new species is supported by morphology, anatomy, secondary ...

A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the DNA barcode marker (nrITS) of 12 specimens of Lecidea leucothallina revealed three monophyletic clades, two apotheciate and one sorediate. The sorediate clade is described as ...

Despite the dramatic phenological responses of fungal fruiting to recent climate warming, it is unknown whether spatial distributions of fungi have changed and to what extent such changes are influenced by fungal traits, ...

The quartz-K-feldspar-cemented breccia of Berglia-Glassberget in the Lierne municipality in central Norway forms an ellipsoid structure 250 m × 500 m in size. The hydrothermal breccia is barren in terms of economic commodities ...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: This study is the first ethnobotanical survey focusing on the herbal medicines traditionally used by the nomadic community of the Algerian steppe, identifying new medicinal plants and uses ...

Garcinia L. (Clusiaceae) fruits are a rich source of (−)-hydroxycitric acid, and this has gained considerable attention as an anti-obesity agent and a popular weight loss food supplement. In this study, we assessed ...

The possible macrofossil Telemarkites enigmaticus from the Mesoproterozoic Gjuve Formation, Telemark supracrustals, southern Norway, was described by Dons in 1959. We here present finds of similar, but larger structures ...

A Berriasian age planktonic foraminifera assemblage from a section near the village of Krasnoselivka in the Tonas River Basin, Crimea contains Favusella hoterivica (Subbotina), ?Favusella sp., Conoglobigerina gulekhensis ...

Five hydrocarbon seep carbonate structures in the upper part of the Slottsmøya Member (Agardhfjellet Formation) in central Spitsbergen have been sampled and processed for foraminifera. The carbonates have been found to ...

English

Body size can have profound impacts on survival, movement, and reproductive schedules shaping individual fitness, making growth a central process in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Realized growth is the result of a ...

Krogia borneensis Kistenich & Timdal, K. isidiata Kistenich & Timdal and K. macrophylla Kistenich & Timdal are described as new species, the first from Borneo and the two latter from New Caledonia. The new species are ...

Nine samples from the Alum Shale of Slemmestad, Oslo Region, were processed for conodonts. The limestone-rich interval extending from the mid Cambrian Paradoxides paradoxissimus trilobite Zone to the Lower Ordovician ...

Spermatozoa exhibit remarkable variability in size, shape, and performance. Our understanding of the molecular basis of this variation, however, is limited, especially in avian taxa. The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) ...

The evolutionary history of the wolf-like canids of the genus Canis has been heavily debated, especially regarding the number of distinct species and their relationships at the population and species level [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...

The Grippia bonebed is located at Marmierfjellet in Flowerdalen, Isfjorden area of Spitsbergen. The bonebed occurs in the Vendomdalen Member, Vikinghogda Formation, Early Triassic (Spathian). It is unique in Spitsbergen ...

We report on a newly excavated Spathian (Lower Triassic) bonebed on Marmierfjellet, Central Spitsbergen. The bonebed contains a varied material of bones and teeth from marine vertebrates along with conodont elements. The ...

Jaw elements of Omphalosaurus sp. are described from the Early Triassic (Spathian) of Marmierfjellet, Spitsbergen. The elements are from the Grippia and the Lower Saurian niveaus in the Vendomdalen Member of the Vikinghøgda ...

Gene expression changes have been recognized as important drivers of adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Little is known about the relative roles of plastic and evolutionary responses in complex gene expression ...

The palaeontology of the Lower to Middle Triassic succession in Spitsbergen has been studied for more than a century and a half. Our ability to properly interpret the evolutionary and ecological implications of the faunas ...

Natural history museum collections represent a vast source of ancient and historical DNA samples from extinct taxa that can be utilized by high-throughput sequencing tools to reveal novel genetic and phylogenetic information ...

Studying herbal products derived from local and traditional knowledge and their value chains is one of the main challenges in ethnopharmacology. The majority of these products have a long history of use, but non-harmonized ...

The Eichigt granite is one of two apical intrusions forming the concealed massif of Eichigt−Schönbrunn in the Erzgebirge−Vogtland metallogenic province of Germany. It represents a peraluminuous, medium-grained, Si-rich ...

Local markets provide a rapid insight into the medicinal plants growing in a region as well as local traditional health concerns. Identification of market plant material can be challenging as plants are often sold in dried ...

Many herbal products have a long history of use, but there are increasing concerns over product efficacy, safety and quality in the wake of recent cases exposing discrepancies between labeling and constituents. When it ...

With nearly 300 species, the infraorder Meliphagides represents one of the largest and most conspicuous Australasian bird radiations. Although the group has been the focus of a number of recent phylogenetic studies, a ...

Colymbosaurus is a genus of long-necked plesiosaurian represented by two valid species: C. megadeirus from the Upper Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian) of the United Kingdom and C. svalbardensis from the ...

The assessment of evolutionary divergences within subspecies complexes provide an effective short-cut for estimating intraspecific genetic diversity, which is relevant for conservation actions. We explore new evidence ...

Bohseite is an orthorhombic calcium beryllium aluminosilicate with variable Al content and an endmember formula Ca4Be4Si9O24(OH4), that was discovered in the Piława Górna quarry in the eastern part of the Góry Sowie Block, ...

Capsule: Providing peanuts on bird feeders was shown to attract more individuals and more species than providing cheese or bread. Aims: To investigate how the provision of different human-derived foods affected visit rates ...

The Oslo area has a rich geodiversity, a long history of scientific investigations, and several protected geosites. Many of the protected geosites were protected some 30 years ago and have until recently not been followed ...

Natural selection in domestic dogs is of great interest in evolutionary biology since dogs have migrated to every inhabited continent of the world alongside humans, and adapted to diverse environments. Here, we explored ...

The Tres Arroyos granite–pegmatite system is located in the SW margin of the Nisa-Alburquerque Variscan batholith. Two granitic facies (monzogranite and marginal leucogranite) and three types of aplite–pegmatite dykes ...

The Late-Proterozoic Sveconorwegian pegmatite province in southern Norway and southwest Sweden hosts seven rare-element pegmatite districts with more than 5000 rare-element pegmatites. Most of these pegmatites with ...

The new mineral hansesmarkite (IMA2015-067), Ca2Mn2Nb6O19·20H2O, was discovered at the AS Granit larvikite quarry in Tvedalen, Larvik, Vestfold, Norway. Hansesmarkite forms faintly yellow crystals up to 0.3 mm or thin ...

The extensive spatial and temporal coverage of many citizen science datasets (CSD) makes them appealing for use in species distribution modeling and forecasting. However, a frequent limitation is the inability to validate ...

Background Satellite telemetry studies provide information that is critical to the conservation and management of species affected by ecological change. Here we report on the performance and retention of ...

This contribution focuses on the family Encyrtidae from Oslo Municipality, one of the richer areas in Norway as biodiversity concerns. The following four species are reported for the first time from Norway: Metaphycus ...

Gene expression changes potentially play an important role in adaptive evolution under human‐induced selection pressures, but this has been challenging to demonstrate in natural populations. Fishing exhibits strong selection ...

Chikanda is a traditional dish made with wild-harvested ground orchid tubers belonging to three orchidioid genera, Disa, Satyrium and Habenaria, all of which are CITES appendix II-listed. Identification of collected orchid ...

High tropical mountains harbour remarkable and fragmented biodiversity thought to a large degree to have been shaped by multiple dispersals of cold-adapted lineages from remote areas. Few dated phylogenetic/phylogeographic ...

Telomere length is related to aging in many eukaryotes and the rate of telomere attrition has been suggested to reflect individual genetic quality. Telomere length could thus have implications for mate choice. We investigated ...

Previous studies based on single mitochondrial markers have shown that the common raven (Corvus corax) consists of two highly diverged lineages that are hypothesised to have undergone speciation reversal upon secondary ...

One hundred and seventy-three years ago, the last two Great Auks, Pinguinus impennis, ever reliably seen were killed. Their internal organs can be found in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, but the ...

© 2017 South African National Biodiversity Institute Pretoria

The following five species of the family Pteromalidae are reported for the first time from Norway: Gastrancistrus autumnalis (Walker, 1834), Gastrancistrus picipes (Nees, 1834), Glyphognathus laevis (Delucchi, 1953), ...

Background Thousands of flowering plant species attract pollinators without offering rewards, but the evolution of this deceit is poorly understood. Rewardless flowers of the orchid Erycina pusilla have an ...

Tubers of terrestrial orchids are harvested and traded from the eastern Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea for the traditional product Salep. Overexploitation of wild populations and increased middle-class prosperity have ...