Prediction of year-class strength is a critical challenge for fisheries managers. Theoretically, predictions of recruitment should be better when they are based on estimates of cohort size taken close to the age of recruitment ...

Differential change in the phenology of predators and prey is a potentially important climate-mediated mechanism influencing populations. The match-mismatch hypothesis describes the effect of predator-prey population ...

Understanding the drivers (internal and external) that determine the productivity of marine ecosystems is challenging. For example, the correct estimate of recruitment is essential to estimate fish stock abundance. In this ...

Current evidence of phenological responses to recent climate change is substantially biased towards northern hemisphere temperate regions. Given regional differences in climate change, shifts in phenology will not be uniform ...

Population growth is affected by several factors such as climate, species interaction and harvesting pressure. However, additional complexity can arise if fishing increases the sensitivity to environmental variability. To ...

The gluten-sensitive enteropathy celiac disease is tightly associated with the production of autoantibodies specific for the enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2)5 . The mechanisms underlying the activation of autoreactive B ...

Mennesker har i lang tid forvaltet hjortevilt for ulike formål som mat, troféer eller bestandsregulering. Forvaltningen foregår gjennom ulike former for selektiv jakt. Pga. alders- og kjønnsspesifikke kvoter og jegernes ...

Partial migration is common among northern ungulates, typically involving an altitudinal movement for seasonally migratory individuals. The main driving force behind migration is the benefit of an extended period of access ...

Next generation sequencing of ribosomal DNA is increasingly used to assess the diversity and structure of microbial communities. Here we test the ability of 454 pyrosequencing to detect the number of species present, and ...

Background Plague (Yersinia pestis infection) is a vector-borne disease which caused millions of human deaths in the Middle Ages. The hosts of plague are mostly rodents, and the disease is spread by the ...

Harvest control rules (HCRs) have been implemented for many fisheries worldwide. However, in most instances, those HCRs are not based on the explicit feedbacks between stock properties and economic considerations. This ...

Many African wildlife species are at risk of extinction as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation associated with human influence. Among these is the endangered antelope, mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), endemic ...

We investigated two proteins. PKC iota and zeta, that are involved in cancer development and metastasis of tumors. I was able to show that both proteins underly different regulation regarding their nuclear import in cells. ...

TCTP has been implicated in a plethora of important cellular processes related to cell growth, cell cycle progression, malignant transformation and inhibition of apoptosis. In addition to these intracellular functions, ...

European eel migrate from freshwater or coastal habitats throughout Europe to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. However, their route (∼ 6000 km) and orientation mechanisms are unknown. Several attempts have been ...

Background. Understanding the variation in prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Lyme Borreliosis Spirochaetes, LBS) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (causing tick-borne fever in ruminants and human granulocytic ...

Background. The Lévy flight foraging hypothesis predicts a transition from scale-free Lévy walk (LW) to scale-specific Brownian motion (BM) as an animal moves from resource-poor towards resource-rich environment. However, ...

Background Classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules play an essential role in presenting peptide antigens to CD4+ T lymphocytes in the acquired immune system. The non-classical ...

Genes encoding the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been thought to play a vital role in the adaptive immune system in all vertebrates. The discovery that Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) has lost important components ...

There is growing evidence that climate and anthropogenic influences on marine ecosystems are largely manifested by changes in species spatial dynamics. However, less is known about how shifts in species distributions might ...

Background Statistical methods that use the mid-p approach are useful tools to analyze categorical data, particularly for small and moderate sample sizes. Mid-p tests strike a balance between overly ...

The lack of recovery in Norwegian populations of the kelp Saccharina latissima (Linnaeus) C. E. Lane, C. Mayes, Druehl & G. W. Saunders after a large-scale disturbance that occurred sometime between the late 1990s and early ...

Background Inference of population and species histories and population stratification using genetic data is important for discriminating between different speciation scenarios and for correct interpretation ...

Six transmembrane protein of prostate (Stamp) proteins play an important role in prostate cancer cell growth. Recently, we found that Stamp2 has a critical role in the integration of inflammatory and metabolic signals in ...

Background Omega-3 PUFAs are known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and different mechanisms are involved. GPR120 is a G-protein coupled receptor that has recently received attention because of its ...

Background Despite being one of the most intensely studied model organisms, many questions still remain about the evolutionary biology and ecology of Escherichia coli. An important step toward achieving a ...

Background High-grade osteosarcoma is an aggressive tumor most often developing in the long bones of adolescents, with a second peak in the 5th decade of life. Better knowledge on cellular signaling in this ...

Background The granivorous house sparrow Passer domesticus is thought to have developed its commensal relationship with humans with the rise of agriculture in the Middle East some 10,000 years ago, and to ...

Background Multigenic diseases are often associated with protein complexes or interactions involved in the same pathway. We wanted to estimate to what extent this is true given a consolidated protein ...

Background Advances in GPS technology have created both opportunities in ecology as well as a need for analytical tools that can deal with the growing volume of data and ancillary variables associated with ...

Background MADS-domain transcription factors play important roles during plant development. The Arabidopsis MADS-box gene SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) is a key regulator of two developmental phases. It ...

Background The observation that specific members of the microbial intestinal community can be shared among vertebrate hosts has promoted the concept of a core microbiota whose composition is determined by ...

This work is a deep characterization of Escherichia coli (E.coli) colonization of a cohort of infants and their mothers in Trondheim, Norway. E.coli cause ~2 million deaths due to infant diarrhea and ~150 million cases of ...

Background The West Liao River valley in Northeast China is an ecologically diverse region, populated in prehistory by human populations with a wide range of cultures and modes of subsistence. To help ...

Albumin has a serum half-life of 3 weeks in humans. This has been utilized to extend the serum persistence of biopharmaceuticals that are fused to albumin. In light of the fact that the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is a key ...

We here report a novel phage display selection strategy enabling fast and easy selection of thermostabilized proteins. The approach is illustrated with stabilization of an aggregation-prone soluble single chain T cell ...

FcRn is a key player in several immunological and non-immunological processes, as it mediates maternal-fetal transfer of IgG, regulates the serum persistence of IgG and albumin, and transports both ligands between different ...

One mechanism by which marine organisms may respond to climate shifts is range shifts. The corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) is a temperate fish species, inhabiting the coasts of Europe, that show strong indications of ...

Background: Today, there are more than a hundred times as many sequenced prokaryotic genomes than were present in the year 2000. The economical sequencing of genomic DNA has facilitated a whole new approach to microbial ...

Thioredoxin-like proteins contain a characteristic C-x-x-C active site motif and are involved in a large number of biological processes ranging from electron transfer, cellular red-ox level maintenance, and regulation of ...

Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of the disease plague, has been implicated in three historical pandemics. These include the third pandemic of the 19th and 20th centuries, during which plague was spread around the ...

Parents can maximize their reproductive success by balancing the trade-off between investment per offspring and fecundity. According to theory, environmental quality influences the relationship between investment per ...

The flow of GPS data on animal space is challenging old paradigms, such as the issue of the scale-free Lévy walk versus scale-specific Brownian motion. Since these movement classes often require different protocols with ...

Several Planktothrix strains, each producing a distinct oligopeptide profile, have been shown to coexist within Lake Steinsfjorden (Norway). Using nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes as markers, it has been shown ...

Background: Climate change potentially has important effects on distribution, abundance, transmission and virulence of parasites in wild populations of animals. Methodology/Principal Finding: Here we analyzed paired ...

To ensure that marine protected areas (MPAs) benefit conservation and fisheries, the effectiveness of MPA designs has to be evaluated in field studies. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we empirically assessed the design ...

Horizontal gene transfer is common in cyanobacteria, and transfer of large gene clusters may lead to acquisition of new functions and conceivably niche adaption. In the present study, we demonstrate that horizontal gene ...

Saxitoxin and its derivatives are potent neurotoxins produced by several cyanobacteria and dinoflagellate species. SxtA is the initial enzyme in the biosynthesis of saxitoxin. The dinoflagellate full mRNA and partial genomic ...

The widespread expansion of shrubs into arctic and alpine regions has frequently been linked to climatic warming, but herbivory can play a role in addition to, or in interaction with, climate. Willow (Salix spp.) shrubs ...

Theoretical models suggest that sympatric speciation along environmental gradients might be common in nature. Here we present the first data-based model of evolutionary diversification along a continuous environmental ...

Leakage from CO2 storage areas is likely to affect the microbial communities in the overlaying sediments. We have conducted a baseline characterization of the microbial communities present in the surface sediments overlaying ...

Den lille karpefisken ørekyt har i løpet av de siste om lag 100 årene spredt seg til stadig nye vassdrag i Norge. I sin doktoravhandling argumenterer Johannes Holmen for at spredningen i all hovedsak skyldes sportsfiskere ...

The relationship between temperature and body size has attracted wide interest since the “Bergmann's rule” was introduced. While this rule originally dealt with endotherms, later studies have focussed ectotherms, including ...

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in ICES Journal of Marine Science following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version ICES J. Mar. Sci. (2013) is ...

Several eukaryotic symbioses have shown to host a rich diversity of prokaryotes that interact with their hosts. Here, we study bacterial communities associated with ectomycorrhizal root systems of Bistorta vivipara compared ...

During reproduction, birds are confronted with two requirements: building up their energetic reserves during the activity period, and provisioning the nest. Storing reserves imposes a higher flight cost and a lower hunting ...

Kelps, seaweeds and seagrasses provide important ecosystem services in coastal areas, and loss of these macrophytes is a global concern. Recent surveys have documented severe declines in populations of the dominant kelp ...

Background: Signalling proteins often contain several well defined and conserved protein domains. Structural analyses of such domains by nuclear magnetic spectroscopy or X-ray crystallography may greatly inform the function ...

Background Functionality of the tetrameric hemoglobin molecule seems to be determined by a few amino acids located in key positions. Oxygen binding encompasses structural changes at the interfaces between the α1β2 and α2β1 ...

Closely related transcription factors (TFs) can bind to the same response elements (REs) with similar affinities and activate transcription. However, it is unknown whether transcription is similarly orchestrated by different ...

The Barents Sea system is often depicted as a simple food web in terms of number of dominant feeding links. The most conspicuous feeding link is between the Northeast Arctic cod Gadus morhua, the world's largest cod stock ...

The importance of forests of the kelp Laminaria hyperborea along the Norwegian coast is related to the three dimensional structure that they create together with the associated macroalgae. Today, kelp forests have recovered ...

Gillnet sampling and analyses of otolith shape, vertebral count and growth indicated the presence of three putative Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) populations mixing together over the spawning season February–June ...

Most cervid populations in Europe and North America are managed through selective harvesting, often with age- and sex-specific quotas, with a large influence on the population growth rate. Less well understood is how ...

Clostridium botulinum comprises a diverse group of botulinum toxin-producing anaerobic rod-shaped spore-forming bacteria that are ubiquitously distributed in soils and aquatic sediments. Decomposition of plants, algae, and ...

Understanding the factors that shape the evolution of gene expression is a central goal in biology, but the molecular mechanisms behind this remain controversial. A related major goal is ascertaining how such factors may ...

Crucian carp are unusual among vertebrates in surviving extended periods in the complete absence of molecular oxygen. During this time cardiac output is maintained though these mechanisms are not well understood. Using a ...

The ALKBH family of Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate dependent oxygenases comprises enzymes that display sequence homology to AlkB from E. coli, a DNA repair enzyme that uses an oxidative mechanism to dealkylate methyl and etheno ...

The idea of a bioactive surface coating that enhances bone healing and bone growth is a strong focus of on-going research for bone implant materials. Enamel matrix derivate (EMD) is well documented to support bone regeneration ...

Background: Rural livelihoods relying on agriculture are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate models project increasingly negative effects on maize and sorghum production in sub-Saharan Africa. We present a ...

Background: Maize is the most produced crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, but yields are low and climate change is projected to further constrain smallholder production. The current efforts to breed and disseminate new high ...

Background: Freshwater fishes of the genus Esox are found throughout the Holarctic region. The northern pike (E. lucius) has a circumpolar distribution whereas the assumed sister species the Amur pike (E. reichertii) is ...

Background: Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasing in many areas of Europe and North America due to climate change, while land use and the increased abundances of large hosts play a more controversial role. The pattern ...

It is generally accepted that the high buoyancy of pelagic marine eggs is due to substantial influx of water across the cell membrane just before ovulation. Here we further develop the theoretical basis by applying laboratory ...

Divergent selection pressures induced by different environmental conditions typically lead to variation in life history, behavior, and morphology. When populations are locally adapted to their current environment, selection ...

Salinity is one of the key factors that affects metabolism, survival and distribution of fish species, as all fish osmoregulate and euryhaline fish maintain osmotic differences between their extracellular fluid and either ...

The vertical distribution and migration of plankton organisms may have a large impact on their horizontal dispersal and distribution, and consequently on trophic interactions. In this study we used video-net profiling to ...

Strictly speaking, fundamental niches are inestimable. Nevertheless, ecologists attempt approximating them to understand species ’ distribution and plasticity to environmental changes, with invaluable repercussions on both ...

Large carnivores that approach human settlements are usually considered a threat to human property and safety. The prevailing paradigm, that such ‘problem’ animals approach settlements in search of food, ignores their ...

Abundant new ichthyosaur material has recently been documented in the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation from the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. Here we describe a partial skeleton of a new taxon, Janusaurus ...

A persistent debate in population ecology concerns the relative importance of environmental stochasticity and density dependence in determining variability in adult year-class strength, which contributes to future reproduction ...

Background Advances in sequencing efficiency have vastly increased the sizes of biological sequence databases, including many thousands of genome-sequenced species. The BLAST algorithm remains the main search engine for ...

The interconnection of the endocytic and autophagosomal trafficking routes has been recognized more than two decades ago with both pathways using a set of identical effector proteins and sharing the same ultimate lysosomal ...

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorbs a substantial fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in boreal lakes. However, few studies have systematically estimated how this light absorption influences ...

Natural stochasticity can pose challenges in managing the quality of the environment, or hinder understanding of the system structure. It is problematic because unfavourable stochastic event cancels the costly management ...

The temporal and spatial dynamics of primary and secondary biomass/production in the Barents Sea since the late 1990s are examined using remote sensing data, observations and a coupled physical-biological model. Field ...

Vaccination with naked DNA holds great promise but immunogenicity needs to be improved. DNA constructs encoding bivalent proteins that bind antigen-presenting cells (APC) for delivery of antigen have been shown to enhance ...

The cuticles of the arthropods Collembola (springtails) are known to be superhydrophobic, displaying such properties as water-repellence and plastron formation; overhanging surface structures have been suggested as the ...

Studying the sublethal effects of catch-and-release (C&R) is challenging, as there are several potential sources of bias. For example, if behavioural alterations immediately after the release event are to be studied, ...

Background: Climate change can affect the activity and distribution of species, including pathogens and parasites. The densities and distribution range of the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) and it’s transmitted pathogens ...

Introduction Antibodies towards type II collagen (CII) are detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in non-human primates and rodents with collagen induced arthritis (CIA). We have previously ...

Hybrid zones provide unprecedented opportunity for the study of the evolution of reproductive isolation, and the extent of hybridization across individuals and genomes can illuminate the degree of isolation. We examine ...

Over the last decades the phylogeography and genetic structure of a multitude of species inhabiting Europe and North America have been described. The flora and fauna of the vast landmasses of north-eastern Eurasia are still ...

Background Global environmental change is causing spatial and temporal shifts in the distribution of species and the associated diseases of humans, domesticated animals and wildlife. In the on-going debate ...

Background Most vertebrates experience coinfections, and many pathogen-pathogen interactions occur indirectly through the host immune system. These interactions are particularly strong in mixed micro-macroparasite ...

Background Osteosarcomas are the most common primary malignant tumors of bone, showing complex chromosomal rearrangements with multiple gains and losses. A frequent deletion within the chromosomal region ...

Background Earlier observations show that development of persistent pain may be associated with the genetic variability in the gene encoding for the μ-opioid receptor 1, the OPRM1 A118G (rs1799971). The aim ...

Background Nutrient deficiency affects the growth and population dynamics of consumers. Endoparasites can be seen as consumers that drain carbon (C) or energy from their host while simultaneously competing ...