A preboreal elk (Alces alces L., 1758) antler from south-eastern Norway

In 1895 a shed elk antler was found in a mire on a farm near Fluberg, in Søndre Land municipality in south-eastern Norway. The antler was first radiocarbon dated in 2008 and yielded the age 9,100 ± 50 BP (8,340 – 8,250 BC), which is the oldest dated elk remain from Norway. Elk (Alces alces L., 1758) are a pioneer colonising species; they were already established south of the ice front in Denmark and southern Sweden in the Late Glacial period. This antler shows that the species had arrived in south-eastern Norway in the late Preboreal period. This could tie in with the earliest arrival of elk once the colonizing routes from southern Sweden were established 9,300-9,200 BP. The antler is clearly of the palmate morph, and strongly resembles elk antlers found in Denmark and southern Sweden from the Late Glacial and Early Holocene periods. This find also reveals that the vegetation at the end of the Preboreal period suited large herbivores such as elkpublishedVersio

Testing av metoder for påvisning av mikro- og makroplast i vannprøver og ferskvannbiota

Kunnskap om mikroplast (plastfragmenter <5 mm) i ferskvann og ferskvannsbiota er begrenset da det meste av fokuset på denne tematikken har vært for det marine miljøet. I dette studiet presenterer vi flere enkle og godt egnede metoder for innsamling og filtrering av vann for påvisning av mikroplast, samt metodiske utfordringer ved påvisning i magesekker fra fisk og fugl. Prøvetakningen av vann ble gjennomført i den nordlige delen av Randsfjorden fra åtte ulike stasjoner og fire ulike innsamlingsteknikker: 1) innsamling av vann med glassplate som senere ble filtrert gjennom glassfiberfilter, 2) direkte filtrering av overflatevann gjennom glassfiberfilter i felt, 3) filtrering av overflatevann gjennom et papirfilter og 4) filtrering av vann med planktonhov. De filtrerte prøvene ble gjennomgått med stereolupe og det ble satt et skår mellom 1-6 som kategoriserte hvor mange plastfragmenter filtrene inneholdt. Prøvene filtrert med papirfilter og planktonhov (metode 3 og 4) inneholdt for mye organisk materiale for at mikroplast kunne skilles ut effektivt og ble ikke analysert. Det ble funnet plastfragmenter på alle innsamlingsstasjonene og de to filtreringsmetodene (1 og 2) metodene var jevngode for påvisning av mikroplast. Et utvalg sik (Coregonus lavaretus) over 30 cm fikk dissekert ut og skåret opp magesekken, før innhold ble gjennomgått i stereolupe. Det ble funnet plastfragmenter i 3 av 11 analyserte fisk. Dette er trolig en underestimering, ettersom de 3 fiskene med positivt mikroplastfunn var de eneste som hadde tom magesekk, og dermed også høyere deteksjonsmulighet. Det ble videre foretatt et utvalg av innkommet fallvilt med opprinnelse fra Randsfjorden, der magesekk fra storskarv (Phalacrocorax carbo), laksand (Mergus merganser) og knoppsvane (Cygnus olor) ble analysert, der resultatene viser inntak av fiskeredskaper for de fleste undersøkte fuglene. Oppsummert viser dette studiet at enkle innsamlingsverktøy, som en glassplate og en nal, er alt man trenger for å samle inn en prøve vann til videre enkle analyser i laboratorium

Testing av metoder for påvisning av mikro- og makroplast i vannprøver og ferskvannbiota

Kunnskap om mikroplast (plastfragmenter <5 mm) i ferskvann og ferskvannsbiota er begrenset da det meste av fokuset på denne tematikken har vært for det marine miljøet. I dette studiet presenterer vi flere enkle og godt egnede metoder for innsamling og filtrering av vann for påvisning av mikroplast, samt metodiske utfordringer ved påvisning i magesekker fra fisk og fugl. Prøvetakningen av vann ble gjennomført i den nordlige delen av Randsfjorden fra åtte ulike stasjoner og fire ulike innsamlingsteknikker: 1) innsamling av vann med glassplate som senere ble filtrert gjennom glassfiberfilter, 2) direkte filtrering av overflatevann gjennom glassfiberfilter i felt, 3) filtrering av overflatevann gjennom et papirfilter og 4) filtrering av vann med planktonhov. De filtrerte prøvene ble gjennomgått med stereolupe og det ble satt et skår mellom 1-6 som kategoriserte hvor mange plastfragmenter filtrene inneholdt. Prøvene filtrert med papirfilter og planktonhov (metode 3 og 4) inneholdt for mye organisk materiale for at mikroplast kunne skilles ut effektivt og ble ikke analysert. Det ble funnet plastfragmenter på alle innsamlingsstasjonene og de to filtreringsmetodene (1 og 2) metodene var jevngode for påvisning av mikroplast. Et utvalg sik (Coregonus lavaretus) over 30 cm fikk dissekert ut og skåret opp magesekken, før innhold ble gjennomgått i stereolupe. Det ble funnet plastfragmenter i 3 av 11 analyserte fisk. Dette er trolig en underestimering, ettersom de 3 fiskene med positivt mikroplastfunn var de eneste som hadde tom magesekk, og dermed også høyere deteksjonsmulighet. Det ble videre foretatt et utvalg av innkommet fallvilt med opprinnelse fra Randsfjorden, der magesekk fra storskarv (Phalacrocorax carbo), laksand (Mergus merganser) og knoppsvane (Cygnus olor) ble analysert, der resultatene viser inntak av fiskeredskaper for de fleste undersøkte fuglene. Oppsummert viser dette studiet at enkle innsamlingsverktøy, som en glassplate og en nal, er alt man trenger for å samle inn en prøve vann til videre enkle analyser i laboratorium.Testing methods for detection of micro- and macro plastic in water samples and freshwater biota. Microplastic are commonly defined as plastic of sizes less than 5 mm. The presence of microplastic as a new type of emerging contaminant has received increasing concern, where the focus is gradually also embracing freshwater systems. The aim of this study was to test cheap, simple and easily available methods for microplastic detection in surface water and in freshwater biota. By comparing four filtering methods: 1) filtering water through a glass membrane filter after sampling surface water with a glass plate, 2) filtering surface water directly in the field through a glass membrane filter, 3) filtering surface water through a paper-filter and, 4) filtering water with a zooplankton mesh, we ended up analyzing the samples from method 1 and 2 only, as the other samples contained to much organic material for small plastic-fragments to be readily detected with a stereoscope. From thefiltered glass membrane filters (method 1 and 2), we were able to detect microplastic in all eight sample sites in the northern part of Randsfjorden, and the two analyzed methods yielded similar results. We further checked the stomach’s/ gizzards for artificial fragments using a stereoscope, for a total of 11 whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus), one mute swan (Cygnus olor), one common merganser (Mergus merganser) and 45 great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo). In total, we found pieces of microplastics in three of the fish-stomachs, and we discovered fishing equipment (macroplastics and other man-made objects) from the swan and five cormorants. The number of animals that were found to contain plastics are likely an under-estimation, as we only detected artificial fragments in the animals with empty stomachs/ gizzards or only recovered large objects. Further decomposing of organic material are needed to study the potential abundance of microplastic in animals. In summary, this project illustrates that simple equipment (a glass frame and a squeegee) will be enough equipment for anyone who wants to take simple field-samples that can be sent to a lab for filtration and qualitative analysis.publishedVersio

A preboreal elk (Alces alces L., 1758) antler from south-eastern Norway

In 1895 a shed elk antler was found in a mire on a farm near Fluberg, in Søndre Land municipality in south-eastern Norway. The antler was first radiocarbon dated in 2008 and yielded the age 9,100 ± 50 BP (8,340 – 8,250 BC), which is the oldest dated elk remain from Norway. Elk (Alces alces L., 1758) are a pioneer colonising species; they were already established south of the ice front in Denmark and southern Sweden in the Late Glacial period. This antler shows that the species had arrived in south-eastern Norway in the late Preboreal period. This could tie in with the earliest arrival of elk once the colonizing routes from southern Sweden were established 9,300-9,200 BP. The antler is clearly of the palmate morph, and strongly resembles elk antlers found in Denmark and southern Sweden from the Late Glacial and Early Holocene periods. This find also reveals that the vegetation at the end of the Preboreal period suited large herbivores such as el

Middelalderfiske, fellefangst og fraflytting – en dendrokronologisk undersøkelse av et 1300-talls stasjonært fiskeanlegg i Nord-Mesna, Sørøst-Norge

&lt;p&gt;Vedlegg 1 og 2 til artikkelen "Middelalderfiske, fellefangst og fraflytting – en dendrokronologisk undersøkelse av et 1300-talls stasjonært fiskeanlegg i Nord-Mesna, Sørøst-Norge"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attachment 1 and 2 to the article "Medieval fishing and abandonment – a dendrochronological investigation of a 14th-century stationary fishing trap in Lake Nord-Mesna, in the interior of Scandinavia"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Abstrct to article, submitted to the journal Fornvännen (https://www.vitterhetsakademien.se/english/the-royal-swedish-academy-of-letters-history-and-antiquities/publications/fornvannen.html):&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Medieval fishing and abandonment – a dendrochronological investigation of a 14th-century stationary fishing trap in Lake Nord-Mesna, in the interior of Scandinavia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fishing in rivers and lakes has traditionally been a longstanding and dependable means of sustenance for the people of inland Scandinavia. However, our understanding of pre-modern fishing traditions has been hampered by fragmented and rare written sources, as well as a scarcity of comprehensive archaeological records. Nevertheless, a recent excavation and thorough dendrochronological analysis of a fish trapping enclosure system in Lake Nord-Mesna (520 masl.), situated in the boreal forests of inland Norway, has provided unique and detailed insights into freshwater fishing traditions, techniques, organization and its historical significance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The examined structure, believed to be a fish weir with lath screen traps set into shallow water, was established in the late 1200s, and in the following years it was regularly used and maintained in the spring/early summer.&nbsp;The last documented repair was in 1343, followed by an abandonment interpreted as a tangible manifestation of the recession that affected inland areas of Scandinavia in the 1300s, likely induced by factors such as plague and climatic deterioration. These results provide archaeological evidence of medieval utilization of effective enclosure traps in the region, contradicting the prevailing notion that this form of fishing was later introduced by Forest Finns who migrated to the area in the 17th century. Finally, and of significant importance, the findings offer fresh insights into the organization, practice, and outcomes of medieval fishing in inland Scandinavia.&lt;/p&gt

Middelalderfiske, fellefangst og fraflytting : en dendrokronologisk undersøkelse av et 1300-talls stasjonært fiskeanlegg i Nord-Mesna, Sørøst-Norge

Fishing in rivers and lakes has traditionally been a longstanding and dependable means of sustenance for the people of inland Scandinavia. However, our understanding of pre-modern fishing traditions has been hampered by a lack of written sources, as well as a scarcity of archaeological data. However, a recent excavation and comprehensive dendrochronological analysis of a fish trapping enclosure system in Lake Nord-Mesna (520 masl.), in the boreal forests of inland Norway, has provided unique insight into freshwater fishing traditions, techniques and organization. The excavated structure, believed to be a fish weir with lath screen traps set into shallow water, was established in the late 1200s. In the following years it was regularly maintained in the spring/early summer. The last documented repair was in 1343. Its abandonment is interpreted as resulting from a recession likely induced by factors such as plague and climatic deterioration, that affected inland areas of Scandinavia in the 1300s. These results provide archaeological evidence of medieval utilization of effective enclosure traps in the region. This contradicts the prevailing notion that this form of fishing was later introduced by Forest Finns who migrated to the area in the 17th century. In addition, the findings give new and significant information about the organization and practice of medieval fishing in inland Scandinavia

Data from: Y chromosome haplotype distribution of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Northern Europe provides insight into population history and recovery (Ursus arctos)

High-resolution, male-inherited Y-chromosomal markers are a useful tool for population genetic analyses of wildlife species, but to date have only been applied in this context to relatively few species besides humans. Using nine Y-chromosomal STR and three Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphism markers (Y-SNPs), we studied whether male gene flow was important for the recent recovery of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Northern Europe, where the species declined dramatically in numbers and geographic distribution during the last centuries but is expanding now. We found 36 haplotypes in 443 male extant brown bears from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Northwestern Russia. In 14 individuals from southern Norway from 1780 to 1920, we found two Y chromosome haplotypes present in the extant population as well as four Y chromosome haplotypes not present among the modern samples. Our results suggested major differences in genetic connectivity, diversity, and structure between the eastern and the western populations in Northern Europe. In the west, our results indicated that the recovered population originated from only four male lineages, displaying pronounced spatial structuring suggestive of large-scale population size increase under limited male gene flow within the western subpopulation. In the east, we found a contrasting pattern, with high haplotype diversity and admixture. This first population genetic analysis of male brown bears shows conclusively that male gene flow was not the main force of population recovery

Y-STR data, Y-SNP data and geographic location of brown bears in Northern Europe

This data file contains sample names (indicating the sampling location used to group samples for the analyses) and the respective Y-STR and Y-SNP haplotypic profile for each individual as well as the assigned Y chromosomal haplotype. In addition, each sample is given the samling country and the sampling coordinates in decimal format