Sedimentary ancient DNA from Lake Skartjorna, Svalbard: assessing the resilience of arctic flora to Holocene climate change

Reconstructing past vegetation and species diversity from arctic lake sediments can be challenging because of low pollen and plant macrofossil concentrations. Information may be enhanced by metabarcoding of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA). We developed a Holocene record from Lake Skartjørna, Svalbard, using sedaDNA, plant macrofossils and sediment properties, and compared it with published records. All but two genera of vascular plants identified as macrofossils in this or a previous study were identified with sedaDNA. Six additional vascular taxa were found, plus two algal and 12 bryophyte taxa, by sedaDNA analysis, which also detected more species per sample than macrofossil analysis. A shift from Salix polaris-dominated vegetation, with Koenigia islandica, Ranunculaceae and the relatively thermophilic species Arabis alpina and Betula, to Dryas octopetala-dominated vegetation ~6600–5500 cal. BP suggests a transition from moist conditions 1–2°C warmer than today to colder/drier conditions. This coincides with a decrease in runoff, inferred from core lithology, and an independent record of declining lacustrine productivity. This mid-Holocene change in terrestrial vegetation is broadly coincident with changes in records from marine sediments off the west coast of Svalbard. Over the Holocene sedaDNA records little floristic change, and it clearly shows species persisted near the lake during time intervals when they are not detected as macrofossils. The flora has shown resilience in the presence of a changing climate, and, if future warming is limited to 2°C or less, we might expect only minor floristic changes in this region. However, the Holocene record provides no analogues for greater warming

The Carbon Handprint of the T-Drill Method

This thesis evaluates and calculates the carbon handprint of the T-Drill method. To determine the carbon handprint, the carbon footprint of both, the T-Drill method and the reference method was first calculated. By analyzing the carbon footprint, potential emission reduction targets within the process were identified. The thesis discusses why emission reductions are necessary and how they are a critical part of mitigating climate change. It also introduc-es the definitions and calculation methods of carbon footprints and handprints. The calculations were performed using Microsoft Excel. Each emission generating phase of the process was identified and its greenhouse gas emissions were calculated. As a result, the overall carbon footprint and handprint of the T-Drill method were determined. The results show that the T-Drill method has a significant carbon handprint. Emission reduction opportunities were identified, and the thesis discusses possible approaches for implementing them

What Artistic, Pedagogic and Therapeutic Challenges can Arise with a Community Based Theatre Project

-This paper focuses on and discusses the strategies to solve different artistic,pedagogic and therapeutic challenges in a staged musical based on local life,language and history with a diversity of people in a small town in Norway. Using a graphic model comprised of three intersecting circles, where each circle represents the artistic, pedagogic or therapeutic challenge, I analyze both the overlapping and the distinct areas where these challenges occur. This analysis covers the process from the project’s inception through to the final performance

The identity of the Finnish Osmoderma (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) population established by COI sequencing

The hermit beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a flagship species for invertebrate conservation efforts by the European Union. This taxon has recently been revealed as a species complex likely encompassing five cryptic species. The northernmost population of Osmoderma is found on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland. This population has been protected as species O. eremita, but its true species affinity has never been established. To resolve its identity,we sequenced themitochondrial COI gene from seven specimens sampled in Ruissalo. Based on a phylogenetic hypothesis generated from the sequences combined with previously published data, the Finnish hermit beetle was identified as Osmoderma barnabita. Information regarding the ecology and life cycle of O. eremita should then not uncritically be assumed to apply to the Finnish population. Rather, the Finnish population should be treated as a separate entity in conservation and management of European Osmoderma

The glacial history of the Hans Tausen Iskappe and the last glaciations of Peary Land, North Greenland

Studies of glacial geology near the Hans Tausen Iskappe, 82°N, suggest that the Greenland Ice Sheet covered Peary Land during the Late Weichselian. The ice sheet experienced successive marginal retreat due to calving along the major fjords, and an extensive thinning in response to the climatic amelioration during the early Holocene. Local ice caps had melted by ca. 8100 cal years ago, a result which is compatible with the studies of an ice core record from the Hans Tausen Iskappe. The present ice caps are thus not relicts from the Weichselian, but have formed during the Holocene. Findings of 5000-6000 year-old driftwood along fjords that connect to the Arctic Ocean indicate that the perennial sea-ice cover was gone during the mid-Holocene

Hvordan blir begrepet sosial kompetanse belyst i pensumlitteraturen ved kunnskapsområde Barns, utvikling, lek og læring?

Problemstillingen for denne bacheloroppgaven er som følger «Hvordan blir begrepet sosial kompetanse belyst i pensumlitteraturen ved kunnskapsområde Barns, utvikling, lek og læring?». Denne problemstillingen tar utgangspunkt i pensumlitteratur for kunnskapsområdet Barns utvikling, lek og læring, hvor datautvalget består av kapitler ifra to lærebøker. For å besvare problemstillingen ønsker jeg å analysere disse kapitlene, før de sammenlignes for å avdekke eventuelle likheter eller ulikheter ved hvordan begrepet sosial kompetanse belyses.publishedVersio

The pre-Holocene Quaternary: lithostratigraphy and geomorphic evidence

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