In absence of top predators, the red fox population reaches a higher number of individuals. The increased presence of red fox, as it invades alpine and tundra ecosystems, might have severe and negative consequences on the ecosystem as a whole. In Finnmark, Northern Norway, immense levels of large herbivores due to reindeer herding roam the tundra. The high numbers of reindeer provide resources (as ...

The large calanoid copepods Calanus glacialis and C. finmarchicus is a key link between primary producers and higher trophic levels in Arctic marine ecosystems being used as indicator species of respective Arctic and Atlantic water. In this study, the egg production successand population development of Calanus glacialis and C. finmarchicus were studied in Isfjorden, Svalbard, from February to August ...

The fatty acid (FA) composition of 37 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from 4 different areas, Spitsbergen, Bjørnøya, Vesterålen and the North Sea was determined. Stratification between inner, middle and outer blubber was present. Most saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) with 20 and 22 carbon atoms had a higher relative amount in the inner blubber while ...

Abstract Through the last centuries it has become high disturbances and interventions in natural areas, which has forced wildlife to interact with humans. This has led to human-wildlife conflicts (HWC), where animals have become a threat to peoples’ safety or livelihood. These conflicts have often ended with species becoming endangered or extinct globally, including Norway. There are small populations ...

Historically, anadromous salmonids provided a necessary provisioning service for Norwegian coastal settlements that has transitioned into the socio-cultural service that they provide today. Over the past decades, human impact has caused anadromous salmonid populations to decline. A recent assessment found many Norwegian sea trout populations to be in poor condition. Reference point management has ...

Introductions and invasions of species outside their natural range can have devastating effects on the native species and be a major driver of biodiversity change. When the zooplanktivorous vendace invaded the Pasvik watercourse in the 1990s, it quickly took over the ecological role of the native DR whitefish. In the upper part of the watercourse, DR whitefish was displaced from the pelagic habitat ...

The harbour porpoise is a key predator in Norwegian coastal communities, therefore studying its feeding ecology is important to understand its ecological role and may shed light on the dynamics of Norwegian coastal ecosystems. The diet of 134 harbour porpoises bycaught in Autumn 2016 (n = 61) and Spring 2017 (n = 73) in Norwegian coastal waters and fjords was investigated using both stable isotopes ...

Studies on the feeding ecology of fish are essential for exploring and contrasting trophic interactions and population and community dynamics within and among aquatic ecosystems. In this respect, many different methods have been adopted for the analysis of fish stomach contents. No consensus has, however, been reached for a standardised methodology despite that for several decades there has been an ...