Results from IMAGINE, a research project on marine landscape management, are now published. The focus of IMAGINE is to investigate how different management strategies can be used strengthen and support the preservation of green infrastructure in the marine environment. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency defines green infrastructure as “an ecologically functional network of habitats and […]
Global environmental changes negatively impact temperate seagrass ecosystems
A new paper in Ecosphere investigates how potential climate change stressors can affect different parts of a seagrass community. The oceans are increasingly affected by multiple aspects of global change, with substantial impacts on ecosystem functioning and food-web dynamics. While the effects of single factors have been extensively studied, it has become increasingly evident that […]
Fish assemblages & habitat patterns in the Baltic Sea
A new study in Marine Biodiversity has been published focusing on seagrass fish assemblages in a seascape ecology perspective in the Baltic Sea in collaboration with the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences and the Baltic Sea Centre at Stockholm University. This study set out to determine fish assemblage composition in Zostera marina (L.) […]
AquaBiota in HELCOM
Since September 2018, Antonia Nyström Sandman is Chair of the HELCOM Expert Network on Benthic habitats, EN BENTHIC. In November she chaired her first meeting. Over the past years, AquaBiota has participated in HELCOM’s work on the marine environment. We have contributed to the HELCOM Underwater Biotope classification, the HELCOM Red List and written recommendations […]
Temperature drives cod movements
A new study in Ecology and Evolution has been published focusing on the movement patterns of Atlantic cod in collaboration with Stockholm University, Zoological Society of London and the County Administrative Board Västra Götaland. The Atlantic cod is classed as vulnerable and under extreme pressure from fishing. More information is needed about the ecology and […]
Identifying areas prone to coastal hypoxia – the role of topography
A new paper in Biogeosciences demonstrates the role of topography for formation of hypoxia in coastal areas. In cooperation with researchers from Finnish Environment Institute, University of Helsinki and the Baltic Sea Centre, we have developed a model to identify areas prone to hypoxia. Hypoxia is an increasing problem in marine ecosystems around the world. […]
Nip in the bud- eDNA for early detection of deadly infectious disease
New article. eDNA detects schistostomiasis (snail fever), the second largest cause of death in the world after malaria. The article presents a paradigm shift in moving from disease control to elimination. An international team, including a researcher from AquaBiota, has published a research article in PNAS showing that eDNA detects schistosomiasis at an early stage […]
State-of the-art methods to increase knowledge of response to climate change in the Baltic Sea
A new study integrates experimental data and distribution models to predict species patterns under future climate conditions. Predictive species distribution models are mostly based on statistical dependence between environmental and distributional data and therefore may fail to account for physiological limits and biological interactions that are fundamental when modelling species distributions under future climate conditions. […]
DNA-based identification of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) individuals from snow tracks
During a three-year period, methods for DNA-based identification of individuals of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from snow tracks will be developed. Newly developed DNA-collection and extraction methods will be used to analyse DNA from snow tracks to identify individuals and sex. The advantage of the method is that identification can be made without taking physical […]
Introduced species might cause major costs to society
Alien species can have a negative effect on the functioning of ecosystems, and thereby deteriorate the ecosystem services provided by nature. Deep sediments cover large parts of the Baltic Sea. They provide important functions, such as decomposition of organic matter and recirculation of nutrients. Since the 1990ies these habitats have undergone a radical change. An […]
AquaBiota now a member of a scientific committee for eDNA development
Micaela Hellström from AquaBiota is now a member of the scientific committee in the five year EU project called Developing new genetic tools for bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems in Europe (COST Action CA15219). The project is also called DNAqua-Net (http://dnaqua.net/) and deals with the implementation and refinement of environmental DNA (eDNA) according to the EU-Water […]
Marine ecosystem services: from ecological function to economic value
The final report of the VALUES project is now available (Nyström Sandman et.al. 2017). VALUES is a part of the research program “the value of ecosystem services”, funded by the Swedish EPA. This is the only project in the program with a marine focus. Through in-depth studies of two separate marine habitats, the VALUES project […]
Recommendations for design of monitoring programs
AquaBiota have conducted a compilation and review of monitoring programs for offshore wind power, financed by the scientific program Vindval. The report aims to answer the project objectives regarding review and evaluation of existing monitoring programs, list the environmental impacts identified, and to make recommendations for design of future monitoring programs. Wind farms in different […]