Molecular dietary analyses of western capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) reveal a diverse diet

Conservation strategies centered around species habitat protection rely on species’ dietary information. One species at the focal point of conservation efforts is the herbivorous grouse, the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), which is an indicator species for forest biodiversity conservation. Non-molecular means used to study their diet are time-consuming and at low taxonomic resolution. This delays the implementation of conservation strategies including resource protection due to uncertainty about its diet. Thus, limited knowledge on diet is hampering conservation efforts. Here, we use non-invasive environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding on DNA extracted from faces to present the first large-scale molecular dietary analysis of capercaillies. Facal samples were collected from seven populations located in Norway (Finnmark, Troms, Trøndelag, Innlandet) and France (Vosges, Jura, Pyrenees) (n = 172). We detected 122 plant taxa belonging to 46 plant families of which 37.7% of the detected taxa could be identified at species level. The average dietary richness of each sample was 7 ± 5 SD taxa. The most frequently occurring plant groups with the highest relative read abundance (RRA) were trees and dwarf shrubs, in particular, Pinus and Vaccinium myrtillus, respectively. There was a difference in dietary composition (RRA) between samples collected from the different locations (adonis pseudo F5,86 = 11.01, r2 = 0.17, p = 0.001) and seasons (adonis pseudo F2,03 = 0.64, r2 = 0.01, p = 0.036). Dietary composition also differed between sexes at each location (adonis pseudo F1,47 = 2.77, r2 = 0.04, p = 0.024), although not significant for all data combined. In total, 35 taxa (36.8% of taxa recorded) were new capercaillie food items compared with existing knowledge from non-molecular means. The non-invasive molecular dietary analysis applied in this study provides new ecological information of capercaillies’ diet, improving our understanding of adequate habitat required for their conservation

Historia Norwegie

The fragmentary medieval chronicle, , is the oldest piece of historical writing from Norway, and probably our first specimen of Norwegian literature. It was composed in Latin in the second half of the twelfth century, perhaps in the Oslo area. Only the beginning of the work exists today, but it offers, among other things, a detailed report of a shamanic séance among the Sami as well as a unique early geographical description of Norway and the North Sea realm. Furthermore, we are presented with an early version of the Norwegian kings' genealogy, beginning with the mythical Yngling kings and ending, abruptly, with Olav Haraldsson's claim to the throne in 1015. This is the first critical edition of the Latin text since 1880, accompanied by a modern English translation by Peter Fisher. The introduction and full commentary in English take stock of previous scholarships and are new contributions to the interpretation of the text

Barn under 14 år som vitner i straffesaker

Tema er barn under 14 år som vitner i straffesaker. Avhørsmetodene dommeravhør og observasjon, jf. straffeprosessloven § 239 gjennomgås med fokus på om barnets beste, og barnets, og siktedes rettssikkerhet ivaretas godt nok. Sentrale emner er blant annet reglene om formaning av barnet, to ukers fristen, lovens krav til avhørspersonen, herunder krav om særlig skikkethet, reglene om lyd - og videoopptak av avhøret, adgangen til gjentatte avhør, forsvarerens, og siktedes adgang til å være til stedet ved avhørene, EMK artikkel 6, samt spørsmål om barnet har møte- og vitneplikt, eller om de omfattes av fritaksretten for siktedes nærstående etter straffeprosessloven § 122. Avhørene mottas utenfor rettsmøte, og har to formål. De er både en del av politiets etterforskning, og de utenrettslige forklaringene erstatter barnets vitneforklaring som bevis under hovedforhandlingen. Det foretas en gjennomgang av nye foreslåtte endringer på området, samt nye ordninger som er opprettet, herunder Barnehuset Bergen og undervisningsopplegget "Kommunikasjon med barn - en dialogisk metode". Undervisningsopplegget er primært utviklet for politi og dommere som er de personene som i praksis som oftest foretar avhør av barn. Undervisningsopplegget består blant annet av filmen "se min kjole", et skuespill om en jente som blir seksuelt misbrukt av sin stefar, og en manual som viser bruken av den dialogiske metoden