Rare birds in Finland in 2019

in Finnish with English summaryNon peer reviewe

Rare birds in Finland in 2019

in Finnish with English summaryNon peer reviewe

A molecular-based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this study, we (1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), (2) publish this library, and (3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi) at https://laji.fi/en/theme/protax. Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.Peer reviewe

Viestinnän ja prosessien kehittäminen suunnittelutoimistossa

Työssä tutkitaan projektiluontoisen suunnittelutoiminnan prosesseja ja viestintää ja pyritään jalkauttamaan teoriaa soveltuvin osin kohdeyrityksen jokapäiväiseen toimintaan. Työn keskiössä ovat tiimit, niiden rakenne ja sisäinen viestintä sekä tiimien johtaminen

Populations and communities in human modified forest landscapes

Abstract Alteration of natural habitat usually has two kinds of effects on the populations living in the area. No single organism is able to survive or reproduce without its habitat, so it is very easy to understand and predict direct habitat loss effects. Moreover, fragmentation effects can enhance the effects of pure habitat loss, and in some cases, the effects of fragmentation can exceed the effects of habitat loss. In addition, harvesting by humans has significantly shaped wildlife populations and done so probably well before any other human activity. Different types of anthropogenic change in nature often happen simultaneously and their separate effects are not necessarily easily disentangled. I studied the effects of forest fragmentation on bird populations and communities on different levels, as well as the effects of harvesting on grouse populations. My results suggest that in natural systems there is always a multitude of factors influencing the population distribution and abundance. This complexity makes it difficult to discern and predict the consequences of human activities, and any additional human activity, such as habitat fragmentation or harvesting, can cause seemingly unexpected population consequences. My results also suggest that considering protected areas in isolation of the matrix is not sufficient to understanding species distribution and abundance within the conservation network. All management practices in commercial forests affect the landscape where protected areas are embedded, but simultaneously, conservation actions also influence the management planning. Therefore, an integrated approach is needed to sustain forest biodiversity. Finally, I showed that there are marked differences in responses to fragmentation among regions and among ecologically different species, which are partly associated with the evolutionary history of the biota in different regions. Therefore, patterns and processes in one region may not be transferrable to other regions. Moreover, disentangling the fragmentation effects on bird species requires careful consideration when selecting for research a combination of life-history variables that can distinguish among the underlying demographic mechanisms, because the mechanisms and the variables susceptible to these mechanisms may vary among regions.Tiivistelmä Eliön habitaatin muokkaamisella on yleensä kahdentyyppisiä seurauksia. Habitaatin hävittämisen seuraukset ovat suoraviivaisia, koska yksikään laji ei pysty säilymään elossa tai lisääntymään ilman lajityypillistä habitaattiaan. Pirstoutumisvaikutukset puolestaan voivat voimistaa habitaatin hävittämisen vaikutusta ja olla joissakin tapauksissa jopa niitä voimakkaampia. Lisäksi metsästys on muokannut eläinpopulaatioita luultavasti ensimmäisenä ihmistoiminnan muotona. Erilaiset ihmistoiminnan vaikutukset ovat usein yhtäaikaisia, eikä niiden vaikutuksia ole aina helppoa erottaa toisistaan. Tutkin väitöskirjatyössäni metsien pirstoutumisen vaikutuksia lintupopulaatioihin ja – yhteisöihin sekä metsästyksen vaikutuksia kanalintupopulaatioihin. Tulosteni mukaan luonnonoloissa on aina useita tekijöitä vaikuttamassa populaation kokoon ja levinneisyyteen. Tämä tekee ihmistoiminnan vaikutuksista hyvin vaikeasti ennustettavia. Niin ikään tulosteni mukaan suojelualueiden lajiston levinneisyyttä ja runsautta ei voi ymmärtää, mikäli ympäröivien alueiden ominaisuuksia ei oteta huomioon. Osoitin myös, että vasteissa pirstoutumiseen on huomattavia eroja maantieteellisten alueiden ja ekologisesti erilaisten linturyhmien välillä, mitkä osaltaan johtuvat eri alueiden erilaisesta evolutiivisesta historiasta. Tästä syystä vasteita pirstoutumiseen ei voida välttämättä yleistää alueelta toiselle. Tulosteni mukaan pirstoutumisvaikutusten erottelu vaatii huolellista tutkimuksen suunnittelua, jotta lajeihin vaikuttavat demografiset tekijät voidaan tunnistaa, koska näissä voi olla huomattavaa alueellista vaihtelua

Development and optimization of a novel environmental DNA‐based method for moor frog (Rana arvalis) monitoring and comparison with a commercial detection kit

Abstract Moor frogs (Rana arvalis) are protected by the European Union's Habitats Directive, often making them a target for environmental impact assessments. However, moor frog detection with the traditional method using their mating calls is difficult, time‐consuming, and limited to the short mating season. Environmental DNA (eDNA)‐based methods could be beneficial in moor frog detection since moor frogs are shy and co‐occurring common frogs (R. temporaria) are morphologically similar. Additionally, eDNA‐based methods could even extend the detection period of moor frogs. We tested two different DNA isolation methods and two different eDNA detection methods, Sanger sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR), and compared the results to the traditional mating call survey method. In addition, we tested whether linear polyacrylamide treatment would improve eDNA detection. We sampled 27 sites in Finland, of which moor frogs were detected in 17 sites by traditional acoustic survey method, in 20 sites with Sanger sequencing‐based eDNA method, and in 21 sites with qPCR‐based eDNA method. We sampled water bodies during and 3–4 weeks after the end of the mating season. Our results show that both tested eDNA methods (Sanger sequencing and qPCR) can be used to detect moor frogs and extend the moor frog detection period by at least 3–4 weeks, but qPCR slightly outperforms Sanger sequencing. Linear polyacrylamide treatment did not improve the results. Detection probabilities were similar or higher with the eDNA‐based methods than with the traditional survey method, as moor frogs were also detected in water bodies in which mating calls were not heard. Based on our results, eDNA‐based detection methods can be highly beneficial in monitoring the presence of moor frogs and can be used to complement traditional surveys

A molecular‐based identification resource for the arthropods of Finland

To associate specimens identified by molecular characters to other biological knowledge, we need reference sequences annotated by Linnaean taxonomy. In this paper, we 1) report the creation of a comprehensive reference library of DNA barcodes for the arthropods of an entire country (Finland), 2) publish this library, and 3) deliver a new identification tool for insects and spiders, as based on this resource. The reference library contains mtDNA COI barcodes for 11,275 (43%) of 26,437 arthropod species known from Finland, including 10,811 (45%) of 23,956 insect species. To quantify the improvement in identification accuracy enabled by the current reference library, we ran 1,000 Finnish insect and spider species through the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD) identification engine. Of these, 91% were correctly assigned to a unique species when compared to the new reference library alone, 85% were correctly identified when compared to BOLD with the new material included, and 75% with the new material excluded. To capitalize on this resource, we used the new reference material to train a probabilistic taxonomic assignment tool, FinPROTAX, scoring high success. For the full-length barcode region, the accuracy of taxonomic assignments at the level of classes, orders, families, subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species reached 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.8%, 99.7%, 99.4%, 96.8%, and 88.5%, respectively. The FinBOL arthropod reference library and FinPROTAX are available through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility (www.laji.fi). Overall, the FinBOL investment represents a massive capacity-transfer from the taxonomic community of Finland to all sectors of society.peerReviewe