Co-feeding between Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) and Svalbard Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)

Co-feeding between Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) and Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) on Svalbard, Norway, was observed during our annual point transect survey of territorial Svalbard ptarmigan cocks in two side valleys of Adventdalen and Sassendalen. Both pairs and single hens or cocks used the feeding craters excavated by reindeer in search of food. We suggest that the use of reindeer feeding craters may be important to the Svalbard rock ptarmigan during snow-rich events in winter or after terrestrial ice-crust formation resulting from mild spells and rain-on-snow events. We expect that such co-feeding may be particularly important for saving energy in periods when territorial defence and preparation for the breeding season make high energy demands on ptarmigan of both sexes.La co-alimentation entre le lagopède alpin de Svalbard (Lagopus mutus hyperboreus) et le renne de Svalbard (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) à Svalbard, en Norvège, a été observée dans le cadre de notre enquête transect annuelle des coqs lagopèdes territoriaux de Svalbard dans deux vallées latérales d’Adventdalen et de Sassendalen. Les poules et les coqs en couples ou célibataires se servaient des fosses de broutage creusées par les rennes à la recherche de nourriture. On suggère que l’utilisation des fosses de broutage des rennes peut revêtir de l’importance pour le lagopède alpin de Svalbard pendant les périodes hivernales riches en neige ou après la formation de glace sur la couche terrestre résultant du temps doux ou de pluie sur la neige. On s’attend à ce que la co-alimentation de ce genre soit particulièrement importante lorsque vient le temps de conserver l’énergie pendant les périodes où la défense du territoire et la préparation pour la saison de reproduction occasionnent de fortes demandes d’énergie chez les lagopèdes des deux sexes

Occurrence of emerging brominated flame retardants and organophosphate esters in marine wildlife from the Norwegian Arctic

To understand the exposure and potential sources of emerging brominated flame retardants (EBFR) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) in marine wildlife from the Norwegian Arctic, we investigated concentrations of EBFRs in 157 tissue samples from nine species of marine vertebrates and OPEs in 34 samples from three whale species. The samples, collected from a wide range of species with contrasting areal use and diets, included blubber of blue whales, fin whales, humpback whales, white whales, killer whales, walruses and ringed seals and adipose tissue and plasma from polar bears, as well as adipose tissue from glaucous gulls. Tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) ranged from <0.61 to 164 and < 0.8–41 ng/g lipid weight, respectively, in blue whales and fin whales. All other EBRFs and OPEs were below the detection limit or detected only at low concentration. In addition to the baseline information on the occurrence of EBFRs and OPEs in marine wildlife from the Arctic, we provide an in-depth discussion regarding potential sources of the detected compounds. This information is important for future monitoring and management of EBFRs and OPEs

Niches of marine mammals in the European Arctic

The Arctic is warming rapidly, with concomitant sea ice losses and ecosystem changes. The animals most vulnerable to Arctic food web changes are long-lived and slow-growing such as marine mammals, which may not be able to adapt rapidly enough to respond to changes in their resource bases. To determine the current extent and sources of these resource bases, we examined isotopic and trophic niches for marine mammals in the European Arctic using skin carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) stable isotope (SI) compositions from 10 species: blue, fin, humpback, minke, sperm and white whales, bearded and ringed seals, walruses and polar bears, and dietary fatty acids (FAs) in polar bears, walruses and most of the whale species listed here. SI values showed clear species separation by trophic behaviour and carbon sources. Bearded seals, walruses and white whales had the smallest isotopic niches; these species are all resident High Arctic species and are likely to be particularly vulnerable to changes in Arctic ecosystems. We found clear separation between FA groupings driven by pelagic, benthic and planktonic/algal sources: pelagic FAs in all whales, benthic FAs in walruses, and copepod/algae/dinoflagellate FAs in polar bears, with some polar bear compositions approaching those of the whales and walruses. There is strong niche partitioning between study species with minimal functional redundancy, which could impact Arctic ecosystem structure and connectivity if populations of these large nutrient vectors are reduced or lost

First results from the L3+C experiment at CERN

The L3+C experiment combines the high-precision spectrometer of the L3 detector at LEP, CERN, with a small air shower array. The momenta of cosmic ray induced muons can be measured from 20 to 2000 GeV/c. During the 1999 data taking period 5 billion muon events were recorded in the spectrometer. From April until mid Summer 2000 an additional 3 billion muon events have been recorded as well as 25 million air shower events. Here the first results on the muon momentum spectrum and charge ratio will be presented

Projectile-charge-state dependence of target L

This article discusses projectile-charge-state dependence of target L-shell ionization by 1.86-MeV/amu and silicon ions and 1.8-MeV/amu chlorine ions