Pollinator communities on a landscape complexity gradient in southern Sweden

Investigating how pollinator populations are affected by land use changes is crucial for predicting their persistence in the landscape and thereby the persistence of the significant service they provide to crop production. Pollinator populations are subjected to multiple threats, particularly overall intensification of cropping systems and landscape simplification. I investigated how landscape complexity affects pollinator and plant communities, and how pollinators interact with plant species across time. Rough pastures on a gradient of landscape complexity were assessed for ground cover of flowers and of vegetative ground cover of flowering plants, by estimation in 20 squares of one m2 along two flower-rich transects of ten meters in each pasture. They were also sampled for pollinating insects by walking along the same transects and collecting them from flowers. The sites were spread out across Skåne in southern Sweden and sampled in early July, late July and early August of 2017. Significant plant and floral shifts along the sampling period were observed. Floral resources decreased in late summer, potentially triggering population collapse of bumblebees. However, no effects of landscape complexity on plant and pollinator richness were observed. Similarly, I did not find relationships between landscape complexity and the percentage of bumblebees with long tongues (specialist bumblebees). However, there was a trend in higher proportion of female bumblebees, and a higher abundance of a red listed species (Bombus muscorum) in more complex landscapes. My results show no clear relationships between landscape complexity and plant or pollinator richness. However, the positive trend between female bumblebees and landscape complexity suggest that collapse of bumblebee populations is delayed with more diversified floral resources. My results also show the importance of complex landscapes to maximize plant-pollinator interactions, while preserving red-listed species.Pollinatörer i jordbrukslandskapet är viktiga för pollinering av somliga grödor, då man vet att pollinering ger ökad fruktsättning och därmed en högre skörd. Det gäller särskilt sådana grödor som odlas för en varierad växtföljd samt för att producera proteinrika skördeprodukter. Våra vilda pollinatörer är utsatta för ett flertal hot, särskilt en allt intensivare växtodling samt ett allt mer homogent jordbrukslandskap. Denna utveckling gör att det blir allt mindre föda och färre boplatser, vilket negativt påverkar deras möjligheter att upprätthålla stabila populationer. Jag har tittat på hur landskapskomplexitet, i form av andel markyta i ett landskap som utgörs av annat än jordbruksmark, påverkar samhällen av pollinatörer och blommande växter i naturbetesmarker runtom i Skåne. Jag har även tittat på hur samhällen av pollinatörer och blommande växter ser ut över tid. Den övervägande delen av pollinatörerna som hittades i naturbetesmarkerna var humlor (80 %), följt av tambin (10 %) och övriga bin (10 %). Vilda pollinatörer utgjorde alltså 90 % av de pollinatörer som påträffades i naturbetesmarkerna. Jag kunde konstatera att mängden blommor, och därmed tillgång av nektar och pollen, i naturbetesmarkerna var hög under hela juli, för att sedan sjunka markant till början av augusti. Jag kunde även se att andelen manliga humlor gick upp i början av augusti, och eftersom humlesamhällen kollapsar i slutet av varje sommar och endast då producerar manliga humlor, kan det vara ett tecken på samhällskollaps. Det skulle kunna vara så att brist på blommor bidrar till att humlesamhällen kollapsar redan i början av augusti. Jag såg inga samband mellan landskapskomplexitet och antal arter av vare sig pollinatörer eller blommande växter. Inte heller mellan landskapskomplexitet och långtungade pollinatörer (vilka anses mera specialiserade än korttungade pollinatörer). Däremot såg jag tecken på färre manliga humlor i komplexa landskap, och det skulle kunna vara så att en jämnare tillgång på blommor över säsongen i komplexa landskap bidrar till att fördröja humlornas årliga samhällskollaps. Jag hittade även en rödlistad humleart i mer komplexa landskap

Integrated Green Spaces in Urban Areas

The review of Integrated green spaces in urban areas – A case study of inner Brisbane highlight the significance of addressing characteristics, qualities and landscape values in our outdoor environment. The importance of green spaces to the wellbeing of people in the city and the ecological, social and cultural values they carry are widely recognised in the field of urban and regional planning. At the same time population growth, climate change and urban development put planners and scientists in a challenging position where new solutions must be put on the agenda in order to accomplish sustainability. Open space strategies, collaboration between stakeholders, public participation, learn from earlier failings and a “value-led” approach facilitate the managing of open space. Brisbane is located in the fastest growing metropolitan region in Australia. The city´s open space landscapes offer cultural, geographical, recreational, social and scenic amenity assets, which make a major contribution to the regions identity they a wide world known for. Landscape values within open space highly improve liveability and quality of life for all residents. The operated case study of two parks in inner Brisbane, South Bank Parklands and the City Botanic Gardens show the wide range of different characteristics included in the design. The qualities and the characteristics found in landscapes, parks and gardens are essential for the usage and the attractiveness. By addressing perceived dimensions in green spaces, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be further evaluated. Only an integrated and well-designed open space system can meet the needs of a growing and changing community.Arbetet “Integrated grönstruktur i urbana områden - en fallstudie över centrala Brisbane” betona vikten av att kartlägga karaktärer, kvaliteter och landskapvärden i vår utemiljö. Fördelarna med att integrera grönstruktur i stadsmiljöer för vårt välbefinnand och de ekologiska, sociala och kulturella värderingar de bär är allmänt erkända inom urban och regional planering. Befolkningstillväxt, klimatförändringar och urbanisering sätter planerare och forskare i en utmanande position där nya lösningar måste sättas på dagordningen för att åstadkomma hållbarhet. Tydligt utvecklade strategier, samarbete mellan aktörer, allmänhetens deltagande och ett “värde-baserat” beslutsfattande ger ökade positiva resultat för hantering av grönstrukturplanering. Brisbane tillhör den snabbast växande storstadsregion i Australien. Stadens öppna landskap erbjuder kulturella, geografiska, sociala och rekreativa kvaliteter som bidrag till regionens välkända identitet. Landskapets värden inom grönstrukturen förbättrar livskvalitet för alla invånare. Den genomförda fallstudie av två parker i centrala Brisbane, South Bank Parklands och the City Botanic Gardens visar på flera olika karaktärer i sin fysiska utformning. De kvaliteter och egenskaper som finns i landskapet, i våra parker och trädgårdar är väsentliga för användningen och attraktionskraften. Genom att kartlägga olika “upplevelsevärden” i grönstrukturen så kan man få fram en analysbild av områdets styrkor, svagheter, möjligheter och hot. Endast en integrerad och väl utformad grönstruktur kan möta behoven hos ett växande och föränderligt samhälle

Gynna nyttodjur med understödjande grödor?

Diversitet i jordbrukslandskap ger goda förutsättningar för insekter och andra djur som utför ekosystemtjänster som pollinering och skadegörarkontroll. Att införa stödgrödor är ett sätt att öka diversiteten och bidra med resurser till nyttodjur under tidpunkter på året som kan vara kritiska för deras överlevnad. Genom att stötta nyttodjur kan man fortsatt dra nytta av de ekosystemtjänster som de skapar. Denna uppsats är en litteraturstudie över hur understödjande grödor (stödgrödor) påverkar nyttodjur i jordbruket. Vegetation i fält ger skydd mot varierande väderförhållanden och rovdjur samt bidrar med födoresurser. Stödgrödor kan genom att skapa en bättre livsmiljö gynna främst spindlar som äter skadegörare, eventuellt även jordlöpare. Fler studier behövs för att kunna dra slutsatser om vilka stödgrödor som gynnar nyttodjur, under vilka tidpunkter på året de bör odlas samt var i växtföljden. Stödgrödor har potential att stötta insekter och spindlar som utför reglerande ekosystemtjänster.Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes provides a basis for insects and other animals which provide ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control. Introducing subsidiary crops is a way of increasing biodiversity and contribute resources to such beneficial animals during times of year which can be critical to their survival. Supporting beneficial animals makes it possible to continue to benefit from the ecosystem services that they provide. This paper is a literature study of how subsidiary crops affect beneficial insects and spiders in agriculture. Within field vegetation provides food and shelter against varying weather conditions and predators. Subsidiary crops can by supplying a better habitat benefit mainly spiders that eat pests, possibly carabids as well. More studies are needed to draw conclusions about which subsidiary crops that benefit insects and spiders, during which times of year they should be grown and where in the crop rotation scheme. Subsidiary crops have the potential to support beneficial insects and spiders that provide regulating ecosystem services

Is it profitable to clean more than once?

Röjning, den skötselåtgärd i trakthyggesbruket som definieras som ”beståndsvårdande utglesning av plant- och ungskog utan att gagnvirket tas till vara” är en åtgärd som har många fördelar för enskilda bestånd, men också nackdelar. En av nackdelarna med röjning är att det i nutid enbart är en kostnad, och att det kan vara svårt att bevisa lönsamheten i åtgärden. Syftet med detta arbete var att med hjälp av Heureka undersöka om det i bestånd som är typiska för Norrskogs verksamhetsområde (breddgrad 62 – 64) ger bättre avkastning under en omloppstid att röja två gånger istället för att röja en gång. Studien utfördes med hjälp av programmet Heureka där simuleringar gjordes på två olika typbestånd. I varje bestånd utfördes två olika röjningsförsök. En simulering i varje bestånd där en röjning skedde under omloppstiden, och ett försök där beståndet röjdes två gånger. I övrigt sköttes bestånden likvärdigt. Resultatet visade att beståndet med tallbonitet (T24) påverkades mer positivt av två röjningar än granboniteten (G24). Det ekonomiska nettoutfallet vid såväl gallringar som slutavverkningar blev konsekvent högre vid två röjningar istället för en. En nuvärdekalkyl visade dock att inte något av bestånden gav några större ekonomiska fördelar, sett över hela kostnads- och intäktscykeln, av att röjas två gånger istället för en. Nyckelord: avkastning, fördelar, nackdelarPre commercial thinning, the measurement in today’s forestry were you take care of your forest without directly getting any in exchange. Pre commercial thinning have a lot of benefits, that show of years after the cleaning have been implemented. But the measurement also has some disadvantages that influence forest owners. The cost and the time that requires implementing the cleaning is something that sometimes makes forest owners postpones it. It can sometimes be hard to understand the profitability in the cleaning, when it right now is only a cost. The purpose of this work was, with the help of Heureka, to investigate whether in stands that is typical of Norrskog's business area get better profit during a rotation period to clear twice during the rotation period instead of cleaning once. The study has been performed with the program Heureka were you can simulate different measurement in different stands and then compare them. There have been two different stands that are typical for Norrskog´s business area, and these stands have been simulated with two different scenarios of cleaning. One scenario were the stand have been cleaned one time under the rotation period, and one were the stand has been cleaned twice under the rotation period. Later the stands were having the same treatment under the rotation period. The result showed that two cleanings under the rotation period influenced pine more positive than spruce. But there were small positive effects of two cleanings under the rotation period in both stands, only one scenario showed economic advantages. Keywords: Revenue, profit, disadvantag

Ethnographic Knowledge in Urban Planning – Bridging the Gap between the Theories of Knowledge-Based and Communicative Planning

Knowledge-based' approaches have recently made a breakthrough in urban planning. How to develop balance in knowledge-based planning between abstract and scientific knowledge, on the one hand, and 'local knowledge' on the other hand has been long debated. To this debate, we add a form of knowledge with potential for sustainable urban planning, i.e. ethnographic knowledge that could transmit an understanding of urban dwellers' daily practices and values to planning organisations. Theoretical literature is the foundation of our argument, which we illustrate with a case study involving urban planners and decision-makers in the Helsinki region of Finland.Peer reviewe

Digital solutions replacing academic travel during the corona pandemic – what can we learn?

During the spring of 2020, the corona pandemic created an entirely new context for university employees to work within. In a matter of weeks, it became customary to replace physical meetings with digital alternatives whenever possible. Conferences, seminars, meetings and doctoral thesis defences – among other activities – were moved to digital platforms. Meanwhile, many activities were either postponed or cancelled. The crisis resulted in a vast decrease in air travel and significantly reduced physical mobility. Increased digitalisation and reduced emissions from aviation were central to SLU’s policies and strategies prior to the corona pandemic. A part of SLU's ambition of becoming a climate-neutral university by 2027 is to significantly reduce emissions from business trips and, since 2016, SLU is requested by the Swedish government to increase the share of digital and travel free meetings. SLU is also developing a new strategy for 2021-2025. A better understanding of the implications of increased digitalisation is highly relevant in this work. This study aims to provide a better understanding of how SLU staff members experienced the drastic reduction in travel and the increased use of digital solutions during the spring of 2020. We also want to shed light on what types of activities – that originally were intended to include a business trip – could be replaced by a digital alternative with maintained or improved quality and what activities that on the contrary were difficult or impossible to carry out using a digital alternative. In order to fulfil our aims, we conducted a mixed-methods study based on semistructured interviews and an online survey. The results from the survey indicate that a majority (83%) of the respondents have experienced that their work in general was either mainly positively affected, equal parts negatively and positively affected, or not affected at all by the decrease in business travel and increase in digital meetings. The respondents also painted a picture as to what activities that can work well and what activities that will be difficult to perform digitally after the corona crisis. Fieldwork stood out as the least suitable activity to perform digitally, as 60% of the respondents could imagine replacing 0% or 0-25% of the fieldwork with digital solutions. What stood out on the opposite side was that a vast majority thought that between 50-100% of project meetings, administrative meetings and seminars could be replaced with digital options. As for workshops, conferences, and reviews and presentation of research, the opinions varied much more. These findings also resonate with the experiences that were brought up in the interviews. Summary Some of the main findings in the interviews was that digital meetings were perceived as more efficient, but that they lacked in terms of social and creative aspects. Furthermore, informants largely agreed that brainstorming, spontaneous discussions and forming of new relationships was harder to achieve digitally. On the other hand, well-structured interactions with a clear agenda between people that had previously met in person worked excellent on digital platforms. Many informants expressed that they were surprised regarding how well the digital meetings had worked and pointed to the many benefits of replacing travel with digital solutions in terms of increased equality, accessibility, efficiency, reduced stress and reduced emissions. Looking forward, participants talked about a better mix of digital and physical activities. Many believed that some activities – for example establishing new relationships and performing fieldwork – to a larger extent than other activities require travel for maintained quality. Other types of activities – such as administrative meetings, project meetings, seminars and presentations – were considered possible to replace with digital solutions to a higher degree with maintained, or even enhanced, quality of work and life. The study concludes: * A majority of the SLU employees that participated in our study reported that it in general had worked well to replace longer business trips with digital alternatives during the spring of 2020. * Our quantitative findings illustrate that an overwhelming majority of the respondents thought that their work and research either had been mainly positively affected, equal parts positively and negatively affected, or not affected at all by them not being able to travel. * Certain types of fieldwork and data collection, as well as activities requiring spontaneous discussions and networking were experienced as the most difficult to perform digitally. * Well-structured interactions with a clear agenda and people that had previously met in person, as well as activities such as administrative meetings, project meetings and seminars, were perceived as most suited to perform digitally. * The study recommends a better mix between digital and physical meetings in a post-corona context. SLU should strategically make use of digital solutions and replace longer business trips to improve the work situation of the employees, the quality of their work in addition to reducing GHG emissions

Drogfrihetens värderingar - konstruktion av identitet hos personer som blivit drogfria

It may be considered an existential crisis to stop using narcotics and/or alcohol. How does the person move on in order to solve this crisis in a positive way, so that their lives can be transformed? The aim of the essay was to investigate to what extent people who have stopped abusing narcotics and/or alcohol through 12-step programmes have constructed themselves in relation to “strong evaluations”. The method of research was a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with six persons who all have stopped using narcotics and /or alcohol through a 12-step programme, such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous. The result of the study was that evaluations and feelings of right and wrong were active during the period when the person was considering and eventually stopped using narcotics and/or alcohol. The support through the support groups and working in the 12 steps as a spiritual programme has given the interviewees a faith in their own capacity of refraining from using narcotics and/or alcohol. Another important aspect is that their identity was transformed when they stopped using narcotics and/or alcohol, at the present time being a more positive and altruistic person than before. One implication of this essay may be to further explore the importance of existential dilemmas for people who wish to stop abusing narcotics and/or alcohol

Sjuksköterskans roll i nutritionsarbetet hos äldre på sjukhus. En litteraturstudie.

Bakgrund: Undernäring är ett mycket vanligt problem bland äldre på sjukhus som ger förlängda vårdtider, ökade vårdkostnader och ökad vårdkonsumtion. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa hur sjuksköterskor kan motverka undernäring hos äldre patienter på sjukhus. Metod: Litteraturstudie av nio vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Sjuksköterskan kan motverka undernäring hos äldre patienter på sjukhus genom att öka deras matintag med hjälp av assistering och estetik kring måltiden, individualisera nutritionsbedömningen med hjälp av samarbete med patienter och andra professioner, utbilda sig i nutritionsvård samt vara etiskt medveten med hjälp av lyhördhet för patienten och mötet av dennes behov. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskan har en stor roll i nutritionsarbetet, som ofta kräver mycket tid och engagemang för att kunna individanpassa måltider och öka patienternas matintag. Ett bra samarbete med både patient och andra professioner är därför viktigt

Direct observation of atomically-resolved silver species on a silver alumina catalyst active for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides

We characterize the size and state of the silver species in a 2 wt% silver alumina catalyst, which is highly active for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with ammonia or hydrocarbons as reductant. The silver alumina catalyst is prepared by a single-step sol-gel method and characterized with X-ray photoelectron and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. We show, for the first time, direct observations of atomically-resolved silver species and silver clusters on the silver alumina catalyst. The results determine the existence of these silver species on the alumina support, which corroborate previously reported indirect observations, and strengthen the hypothesis of small silver clusters as active sites for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides

Metabolic changes with increased adipose tissue and successful weight loss in dogs

Övervikt är ett växande problem hos våra sällskapshundar. Det finns flera möjliga konsekvenser av en ökad kroppsvikt, exempelvis ortopediska, respiratoriska och kardiovaskulära sjukdomar. Det är därmed viktigt att djursjukskötare och annan kvalificerad personal inom djurhälsovården arbetar preventivt för att förebygga övervikt hos hund. Att upprätta en viktmottagning på kliniken är ett lämpligt tillvägagångssätt för att arbeta med viktnedgång hos hundar. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka vilka metabola förändringar som uppstår till följd av en ökad fettvävnad hos hundar. Samt att undersöka vilka förutsättningar djursjukskötare behöver för att kunna arbeta med viktnedgång hos hund. Genom en litteraturstudie samlades data in för att besvara hur metabolismen påverkas av en ökad fettvävnad. Sammantaget visar de vetenskapliga studierna att en större ansamling fettvävnad leder till komplexa metabola förändringar. Vid övervikt sker bland annat en ökning av cytokiner, så som TNF-α och IL-6, samt en minskning av en adipokin kallad adiponektin. Möjliga konsekvenser av dessa förändringar är insulinresistens, låggradig kronisk inflammation, förhöjt blodtryck och cancer. I resultatets andra del redogörs för hur en djursjukskötare kan arbeta med hundars viktnedgång på en viktmottagning. Data samlades in genom en litteratur- och intervjustudie. Det framkom både i intervjun och litteraturen att goda kunskaper om bedömning av body condition score, nutrition och överviktens konsekvenser krävs för att arbeta med viktminskning hos hund. Djursjukskötare, och annan djurhälsopersonal, har mycket kunskap inom nämnda områden och lämpar sig väl till att ansvara för arbetet på en viktmottagning. Utöver dessa kunskaper måste även intresse om ämnet finnas då det är ett tidskrävande arbete med mycket administrativa uppgifter. Det är även betydelsefullt att ha en bra kommunikation med djurägaren eftersom största jobbet med viktnedgången sker hemma. Djursjukskötarens arbete med hundars viktnedgång handlar mycket om att kunna stötta och motivera djurägaren genom hela processen.Obesity is a growing problem among our pet dogs. There are several potential consequences related to obesity, for example orthopedic, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Veterinary nurses and other personell at animal hospitals should therefore prevent obesity in dogs at an early stage. By establishing a weight clinic the personell can assist the owner with the dog’s weight loss. The aim of this literature study was to determine what metabolic changes that occur as a result of an increased adipose tissue in dogs. Furthermore, the study aimed to establish what conditions veterinary nurses require in order to help and assist dog owners with their dog’s weight loss. This was conducted with a combination of a literature study and an interview. Results from the literature study shows that increased adipose tissue leads to complex metabolic alterations. Cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 increased, while an adipokine called adiponectin decreased during weight gain and obesity. Possible consequences of these changes are insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, elevated blood pressure and cancer. The interview study showed that to manage a weight clinic one should have knowledge about nutrition, what consequences obesity leads to and also be able to assess different body condition scores. Veterinary nurses, or other personell at animal hospitals, have a lot of knowledge regarding weight loss in dogs and are therefore suitable to be responsible at a weight clinic. However, it is time consuming to manage a weight clinic and one should therefore find great interest in the subject. Lastly, good communication skills are needed in order to support and motivate the pet owners as most work with the weight loss is performed at home