Permafrost soils store a substantial part of the global soil carbon and nitrogen. However, global warming causes abrupt erosion and gradual thaw, which make these stocks vulnerable to microbial decomposition into greenhouse gases. Here, we investigated the microbial response to abrupt in situ permafrost thaw. We sequenced the total RNA of a 1 m deep soil core consisting of up to 26 500-year-old permafrost ...

A panel data study of sick leave behavior in the Norwegian population is conducted on a municipality level for the period from 2002 to 2011. Data on sickness insurance usage is fitted against a selection of variables describing different regional characteristics that have been linked with absenteeism in the earlier literature. A basic model for sick leave usage is constructed, and further divided ...

<i>Purpose</i> - The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of absorptive capacity (ACAP) and co-creation on innovation performance (INN).<p> <p><i>Design/methodology/approach</i> - The authors use survey data from Swedish and Norwegian companies (<i>n</i>=1,102) and establish a cross-national equivalence between Sweden and Norway.<p> <p><i>Findings</i> - The subsequent structural ...

Grasslands are widespread elements of urban greenspace providing recreational, psychological and aesthetic benefits to city residents. Two urban grassland types of contrasting management dominate urban greenspaces: frequently mown, species-poor short-cut lawns and less intensively managed, near-natural tall-grass meadows. The higher conservation value of tall-grass meadows makes management interventions ...

Background Though many abiotic factors are constantly changing, the photoperiod is a predictable factor that enables plants to time many physiological responses. This timing is regulated by the circadian clock, yet little is known about how the clock adapts to the differences in photoperiod between mid-latitudes and high latitudes. The primary objective of this study was to compare how clock gene ...

Measures of biological diversity (biodiversity) are important for monitoring the state of ecosystems. Several indices and methods are used to describe biodiversity from field observations. Marine faunal biodiversity is often quantified based on analysis of samples collected using a trawl during research surveys. To monitor spatial and temporal changes in biodiversity between surveys, samples are ...

Parasitic plants including Cuscuta develop specialized structures called haustoria during infection. These specialized organs give the parasite the capacity of host attachment, invasion, vasculature connection and material transfer between the host and the parasite. Successful invasion allows organic substances, nutrients and water to flow into the parasite through the host phloem and xylem cells. ...

The evidence that diel patterns of physiology and behaviour in mammals are governed by circadian ‘clocks’ is based almost entirely on studies of nocturnal rodents. The emergent circadian paradigm, however, neglects the roles of energy metabolism and alimentary function (feeding and digestion) as determinants of activity pattern. The temporal control of activity varies widely across taxa, and ungulates, ...

Background Brown trout, Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758, is a species of significant conservation and socio-economic importance. A consequence of this importance is the enormous amount of literature that has been published on the species in the last few decades. In general terms, brown trout has been considered as a size-selective predator, even though it is able to feed on a wide range of prey sizes. ...

Sympatric occurring fish morphs in postglacial lakes usually exhibit differences in morphology and physiology driven by adaptations to differential trophic niches. The European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) is a highly variable fish species, with more than 200 intraspecific forms described in Europe. The morphs usually differ in their number of gill-rakers, therefore this trait has been ...