RESEARCH GROUPS

 

Behavioural and Conservation Ecology

Research projects

 

Evolutionary Population Biology

Research projects

 

Life History and Functional Ecology

Research projects

 

Molecular Ecology and Immunoecology

Research projects

 

Migration Ecology

Research projects

 

Soil Ecology

Research projects

 

EXAMINATIONS

Honour’s thesis

Introductory essays

Ph.D. dissertations

 

PUBLICATIONS

Scientific articles

Congress abstracts

• Population dynamics and persistence of birds in heterogeneous agricultural landscape (H.G. Smith, O. Olsson)
• Using behavioural indicators in conservation (O. Olsson, H.G. Smith, U. Wiktander)
• A behavioural ecology approach to the conservation of lesser spotted woodpeckers (O. Olsson, U. Wiktander)
• Sexual and parent-offspring conflicts during reproduction: consequences for sexual selection and life-history (H.G. Smith, R. Härdling, M. Sandell)
• Male ornaments in relation to genetic and environmental variation in physical condition (T. Ohlsson, H.G. Smith)
• Population dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes: Consequences for conservation and monitoring (N. Jonzén, P. Lundberg, H.G. Smith)
• Pastures in a landscape perspective - consequences for biodiversity of birds and day-flying butterflies (H.G. Smith)
• Dominance and social organisation (H.G. Smith)
• Hormones and maternal effects in birds the link between social behaviour, plasma hormones and investment in egg constituents (M. Sandell)
• Sustainable forestry in southern Sweden. Biodiversity part. (S.G. Nilsson)
• The effect of pasture and habitat fragments on reproductive success and population density of birds in the agricultural landscape (M. Bruun)
• Long-term consequences of variation in growth conditions for altricial birds (M. Granbom)
• Extinction and colonisation in heterogeneous landscapes (J. Hedin)
• Effects of landscape structure on the biodiversity of waders in the Baltic region (R. Ottvall)

• Effects of increasing CO₂ levels on plant herbivore interactions (JA)
  Rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ may have great ecological impact through climatic effects, but also because CO₂ constitutes the basis for plant photosynthesis. This project examines how elevated levels of CO₂ change the production of plant defence compounds, and how this, in turn, affect performance and food preferences of insect herbivores. Studies are performed in experimentally controlled environments, where e.g. CO₂ level, temperature and light can be manipulated.
• The regulation of small rodent populations (JA, SE)
  Through a series of projects we study factors influencing population dynamics of small rodents (primarily microtines). Factors examined include food quality, food quantity, predation and social behaviour. The aim is to identify density independent and density dependent factors influencing animal numbers and population fluctuations, as well as the extent to which population responses are direct or delayed.
• Population divergence, fitness and the evolution of reaction norms (LP)
  This project focuses on temperature?dependent development in European minnows and the Trinidadian guppy. It involves both laboratory and field experiments and aims to explore the link between local adaptation and plasticity in terms of life history and development. The project will also quantify evolution of temperature?dependent plasticity in tropical and cold climates.
• Frequency-dependent selection and genetic polymorphisms in evolution (ES, JA)
  We study frequency-dependent selection in natural populations of damselflies (Ischnura elegans) and side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana). We focus on species with discrete and conspicuous genetic polymorphisms (e. g. colour polymorphisms) and quantify fitness components in natural and semi-natural settings. We are especially interested in how frequency-dependent selection may cause correlational selection between different characters, and reversals in the direction of selection between life-stages (conflicting selection). We have recently started to develop explicit population genetic models to understand morph frequency-dynamics across several generations.
• Ecological vs. non-ecological speciation mechanisms (ES)
  Tests of ecological speciation theories require studies in the wild, where the impact of predation, resource competiton and mate competition can be assessed. Experimental and observational studies are performed in natural and free-living populations of damselflies (Calopteryx spp., Ischnura elegans). Special emphasis is directed towards the roles of predation and male-female mating conflicts in causing selection on phenotypic traits that are involved in species recognition.
• Evolutionary quantitative genetics of physiology, life-history and signalling traits (ES)
  In collaboration with Barry Sinervo we are investigating the evolutionary quantitative genetics of fitness-related traits in a free-living population of side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) in California. This population is polymorphic with respect to throat colour, and strong correlational selection for different optimal character combinations leads to striking differences between morphs in morphology, physiology, life-history traits and behaviour. We are quantifying the consequences of correlational selection by measuring genetic correlations between throat colour and other traits, e. g. immunocompetence and steroid hormones. We are also interested in maternal effects mediated via e. g. egg size.

• Metabolic constraints on the evolution of life history strategies (JÅN)
  The range of life history strategies open for animals is ultimately set by the amount of energy an individual can expend on survival and reproduction. This level of energy expenditure depends on the difference between the rate of energy acquisition from the environment and by the cost of running the basal activities of the body (BMR). The relation between maximal sustainable daily energy expenditure (DEE) and BMR as well as costs and benefits of increasing or decreasing DEE and BMR will shape components of the life history such as start of egg laying and investment in clutch size, incubation, chick feeding and moulting.
• Energetic adaptations in wintering passerines: responses on local and latitudinal scales (Juli Broggi (University of Oulu), JÅN)
  Small sedentary passerines have to face lower resource levels, shorter days and harsher climatic conditions as winter approaches. These factors get increasingly severe the longer to the north an individual spends the winter and may well set the limit to the northern range for many bird species. By studying the same species at different latitudes, we can evaluate how individuals use specific adaptations depending on the severity of weather and foraging conditions. Such adaptations include metabolic adjustments, use of nocturnal hypothermia and improved feather quality. The project is conducted together with Profs. Esa Hohtola and Markku Orell, University of Oulu, Finland.
• The effect of blood parasites on survival and reproduction (MSt, LR, JÅN)
  This project investigates the importance of parasites in the evolution of host life history. In this context there are two major questions that this project aims to resolve. First, do the parasites actually exert any selection pressure on hosts? Not all parasites have a strong negative effect on their host and especially some blood parasites are considered relatively benign. Selection pressure from parasites may also vary spatially between different host species and populations or temporally between different years and seasons. Second, what part of the life history is most sensitive to the selection pressure from parasites? There are at least two ways in which parasites as a selective force can enter models of life history evolution. First, they may have effects on reproduction or survival in adult birds. In such cases parasites enter life history models as a mediator of reproductive costs; i.e. a reduction in future reproductive success as a result of current reproductive effort. A large reproductive effort is stressful for most animals and stress may have a negative impact on the function of the immune system. Thus, large reproductive effort results in higher risk of parasite infection and if parasites negatively affect future reproduction or survival they act as the mediator of reproductive costs. Second, if parasites are more likely to negatively affect the survival of juvenile birds (up until first reproduction), another trade-off in life history theory becomes more important namely the trade-off between number and quality of offspring. Reproductive decisions made by parent birds strongly affect the quality of their offspring. Such decisions may include clutch size, feeding rate and maternally transferred antibodies. The condition of the juvenile bird during development should have impact on the functioning of the immune system. This is extra important during the nestling stage when the immune system matures. Thus, conditions during the early life of the birds may have consequences even long after the birds have become independent. The project includes experimental and molecular studies of host breeding biology together with longitudinal studies of survival and reproduction in relation to parasite status.
• The effect of ectoparasites on reproductive success and plumage traits (Matt Wood (University of Sheffield), JÅN)
  Ectoparasites such as fleas and ticks are potentially important factors affecting the trade-offs between life history traits. The advantage of ectoparasites is that their influence can be manipulated. By applying insect repellents, thus removing the effect of ecteparasites, treated young increased their condition as manifested in plumage traits. Infestation by ticks on breeding great tits (Parus major), vary a lot. By experimentally increasing and decreasing the number of attached parasites, it is possible to disentangle the effect of parasites on life history trade-offs. A potential mediator of any negative effects of parasites may be through increased metabolic rates due to the parasites. Generally, such environmentally altered metabolic rates have a good chance to elucidate how metabolic rates influence and are influenced by life history traits.
• Immunocompetence, life history strategies and population regulation in a long-lived, territorial species, the tawny owl (Strix aluco) (PS, JÅN)
  Most studies so far, regarding the effect of immunocompetence, parasite infestations and diseases, have been conducted on short-lived bird species. Such species differ in their optimal trade-offs between various life history traits compared with more long-lived species. The differing relative investment in reproduction and survival between these two categories of birds will probably affect their investment in the immune system and in adaptations to avoid being attacked by parasites. Tawny owls are very sedentary which makes it possible to study how infections differ in their effect on life history traits with age of the host. Furthermore, by equipping juvenile owls with radio transmitters it will be possible to investigate effects of parasites in relation to dispersal and establishment success and in the long run how different levels of infection will affect population dynamics.
• Hormones and maternal effects in birds; the link between social behaviour, plasma hormones and investment in egg constituents (MS)
  Hormonal manipulations are powerful tools in identifying trade-offs and constraints in life-history strategies since hormones have multiple phenotypic effects. Hormones act on phenotypic variations in adult organisms and on offspring traits through maternal effects. In birds, females may maximize reproductive success by modifying offspring development, morphology and behaviour through differential allocation of yolk hormones. This project use birds as a model system to explore the links between phenotypic variation in social behaviour and reproduction, circulating levels of hormones and investments made to offspring via egg constituents and the consequence of these investments on offspring performance.
• Metabolic and developmental costs of high testosterone levels (MS, JÅN)
  Testosterone is an important hormone affecting reproductive behaviour as well as development and growth trajectories of embryos and nestlings. The level of circulating testosterone influences reproductive behaviours and development of secondary sexual traits in males. A possible link to the honesty of these traits may be an increased metabolic cost of testosterone. Experimentally increased testosterone levels in eggs decrease incubation time and increase muscle growth in hatchlings. Females of several bird species differentially increase testosterone levels in yolk to help the young from last-hatched eggs to keep up with their older siblings. The changes in developmental pattern seem to be related to increased metabolic rates and this may involve costs for the young. The yolk, as an energy source, may be depleted before hatching or the young may hatch with a very small yolk sac, which may affect survival during the first period after hatching. Furthermore, testosterone may influence different structures in the embryo differently, causing deviations from an optimal developmental route.
• Immunoecology (LR, DH) We study the function of the vertebrate immune system from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Although data from natural populations are scanty, pathogens may well prove to be one of the most important selective agents affecting individual survival. Thus, an individual's capacity to fight off infections will have a large effect on several life history trade-offs. Questions asked include: What are the links between immunocompetence, condition, and Darwinian fitness? What are the costs of immune defence, in terms of e.g. energy metabolism, behaviour patterns and autoimmunity.
• Partial migration in blue tits (Anna Nilsson, Thomas Alerstam, JÅN)
  This project is designed to study factors responsible for, and consequences of individual strategies in species where part of the population is resident and another part migrates (partial migration). Obligate partial migration is ruled by genetic factors, i.e. individual behaviours are fixed during its lifetime. In facultative partial migration, environmental and social explanations determine the individual behaviour which, thus can change during a lifetime. If the decision to migrate or not is conditional, possible factors instrumental in such a decision include; dominance, rearing conditions and parasite infestation. Furthermore, migration may influence the state of the individual affecting e.g. basal metabolic rate and levels of stress hormones.
• Body building in migratory birds: functional adaptations to a demanding life-style (ÅL)
  Migrating birds repeatedly shift between foraging and flying, two processes that put drastically different demands on the physiology. This project focus on the physiological adaptations, evolved to combine these processes in a dynamic strategy. The adaptations include rapid reversible changes in organ size (for example, flight muscles and intestines), varying efficiency in flying and an energy intake capacity unprecedented in the animal kingdom.

• Molecular studies of "good genes" (TvS, MH, DH, LR, TM, HWi, ÅL, JL, HWe, KP, DR)
  The effects of nutrition and oxidative stress on the expression of male ornaments, such as song repertoire size and carotenoid pigmentation, in birds are experimentally studied to reveal the causal links between sexual ornaments and individual fitness. We also compare data on individual MHC genotype/haplotype with life- history data in atlantic salmon, great reed warblers, Seychelles warbler, sand lizards, adders and python, to establish whether there is an association between allelic variation in the immune system and various fitness traits. In one research project we study the effects of specific MHC alleles on disease resistance in Atlantic salmon.
• Oxidative stress and the detoxication system (TvS, HWi, JL, KP, MH)
  Many environmental chemicals are, in an evolutionary sense, new and in many cases they have unknown toxic effects in their original form but become highly toxic due to their activation of the detoxication enzymes. One important inducer of the detoxication process is the Ah receptor which binds to certain dioxin- related compounds and initiates the transcription of a battery of individual detoxication enzymes, ultimately leading to a state of oxidative stress. In both mammals and fishes the Ah receptor genes have allelic polymorphism that convey differences in the bearers' susceptibility to dioxin. By molecular analyses we characterise the Ah receptor genes and its allelic variants in Atlantic salmon in order to evaluate the importance of genetic variation of the Ah receptor for the evolution of tolerance towards exposure to persistent organochlorine pollutants. This project is in cooperation with the Department of Chemical Ecology and Ecotoxicology.
• Dispersal and inbreeding (SB, BH, HWe, DH, BGL, DR, KP)
  Dispersal at the level of individuals affects the genetic structure of populations, ultimately influencing population features such as the level of inbreeding and the potential for local adaptations to occur. We routinely use microsatellite markers to resolve relatedness between individuals. To examine how dispersal affect inbreeding and fitness, we use data from long term studies of great reed warblers (20 years), Siberian jays (29 years) and Seychelles warblers (20 years), in populations where the overwhelming majority of birds have been individually marked. The genetic diversity and relatedness in the Scandinavian wolf population is studied with 30 microsatellite markers, as a part of the SKANDULV project.
• Population structure and local adaptations (SB, BH, LW, SÅ, JS, DH, JPT)
  Genetic population structure in relation to post-glacial colonization patterns is studied in e.g. dunlins, curlew sandpipers, willow warblers, greenish warblers, chiffchaffs, icterine/melodiuos warblers and great reed warblers by analyses of microsatellite markers, AFLP and mitochondrial DNA sequencing. In particular, we study the evolution of migratory behavior and song, and use natural hybrid zones between recently differentiated subspecies to decipher the underlying genetics of these traits.
• Immunoecology: immunocompetence in the context of sexual selection and life history theory (DH, LR, MS)
  The research project focuses on evolutionary and ecological aspects of the immune system, mainly in birds. In particular, we have developed modern methods in immunology (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay; ELISA) that give us unique opportunities to measure humoral immunocompetence in passerine birds. We are investigating immunocompetence in relation to work load (physical stress), nutrition, parasite load, steroid hormones, and mating and reproductive success in e.g. blue tits, pheasants, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows and song sparrows. Also, in collaboration with Maria Sandell (Lund Univ.), we study maternal transfer of antibodies via egg yolk to offspring; patterns of transfer and effects on young in e.g. blue tits, pheasants, starlings and jackdaws.
• Sexual selection and mating systems (TvS, DH, LR, SB, HWe, BH, DR)
  The research aims at identifying different selective agents that affect the individuals' reproductive success in territorial bird species; one precocial species the pheasant, and one altricial species the great reed warbler. The main questions examined are: (1) does female mate choice discriminate between genotypic quality and/or phenotypic resources, and (2) to what extent does variation in secondary sexual characters reflect genotypic quality and/or phenotypic resources. Traditional ecological methods, e.g. individual marking, radio-tracking and observational studies, as well as ELISA based measurements of immunocompetence and molecular methods for parentage determination and PCR-based sexing, are used to single out the paths of selection and to estimate fitness.
• Systematics and Evolution of Avian Malaria (SB, MS, SÅ, DH, HWe, BH, JPT, OH, DR)
  Blood samples taken from wild animals may contain DNA from parasites like malaria. We study such "foreign" DNA by the PCR technique, obtaining sequences of the parasites cytochrome b gene, enabling unequivocal assignment of parasite lineages. Most passerine species appear to be infected by 1-5 different malaria lineages and cross species infection is common between closely related bird hosts. Most of these parasite lineages seem to represent species, because they are associated with unique sequences at a nuclear locus. We study this complex host-parasite system in terms of time and space of transmission, and parasite lineage dependent host fitness, in forest and reed bed bird communities, both in European summer quarters and on African wintering grounds.
• Ecology, Epidemiology and Evolution of Bird-borne Zoonotic Diseases (JW, DH, SB)
  A majority of the microorganisms that inflict disease in humans are zoonotic, meaning that they have the capacity of transmitting between animal reservoirs and humans. Despite this important fact, pathogens are seldom studied in natural wild animal populations, and thus the major body of published works have either a strict human or a strict veterinary medicine focus. In our collaboration studies with Björn Olsen (Umeå Univ.), we have a multi-disciplinary approach involving human and veterinary medicine and animal ecology, studying pathogens and their ecology and epidemiology in wild animals. Primarily we focus on (1) enteric bacterial pathogens, as Campylobacter spp., Helicobacter spp. and Salmonella spp., and (2) viral zoonoses such as West Nile virus and Avian influenza, and the prevalence and distribution of these microorganisms in wild birds in relation to ecological characteristics of their hosts. Genetic relatedness between bacterial isolates of different origin is analysed for evolutionary studies of bacterium - host interactions and for estimating the frequency of pathogen transmission between reservoirs.

• Flight (TA, AH, ÅL, CJP, GS, MG, AK, MR)
  Birds use three main flight methods on migration - flapping flight, soaring flight in thermals over land and soaring over the sea. Understanding flight is a key for analysing migration performance and -strategies. Aerodynamics of birds is studied by means of a wind-tunnel, which was specially designed for studying bird flight. In the wind-tunnel we are able to analyse wing-beat kinematics using high-speed video cameras and the flow pattern in the wake of birds by using particle image velocimetry. We are also able to measure the rate of energy consumption by measuring the rate of mass loss or by more sophisticated physiological methods. These studies aim at testing and improving an aerodynamic theory for bird flight - a theory that is used in theoretical modelling of bird migration. Flight behaviour is also studied in the field by using optical range finders and radar. Of particular interest is how birds adjust their flight speed in relation to winds and other ecological factors such as fuel load, flocking and season.
• Fuel deposition and energetics in migratory birds (TA, ÅL, RS, TP, TW, AK)
  Bird migration typically consists of alternating episodes of flight, when distance is covered and energy consumed, and stopover periods when energy for the proceeding flight is accumulated. Birds show a variety of stopover and flight strategies, ranging from numerous short flights and minimal energy reserves to situations where large fuel loads are associated with long flights. We contribute to a comprehensive theoretical basis for predicting optimal fuel loads for different criteria of minimum time, energy or mortality during migration. The physiology and energetics of fuel deposition is investigated by respirometry and field studies using experimental stopovers, where the food availability can be controlled. Birds store mainly fat as fuel for migration, but also protein to some degree. Nutrient and energy budget analyses in combination with respirometry are used to investigate the proportion of different fuels accumulated. Stable isotope analysis is used to trace the origin (habitat, food type) of the energy used for moult, migration and breeding.
• Orientation and navigation (TA, SÅ, OB, RM, GAG, JB, RS)
  Birds seem to have a sixth sense to guide their way on their migratory journeys. Their repertoire of senses include the geomagnetic field, sun, sunset, skylight polarization pattern and stars. The research aims at finding out how the birds' different compasses interact to establish their migration direction. In addition to the compasses it has also been found that the ecological context (for example ecological barriers and fuel load) affect the direction of migration. For a full understanding of mechanisms this research ranges from sensory biology, behavioural studies to analyses of migration routes. In addition to orientation cage experiments, release experiments, radio telemetry, as well as radar and satellite tracking are recurrent methods in our orientation research. In orientation cage experiments the effect of manipulating external factors can be evaluated. Migration tracks from satellite transmitters reveal the courses taken by birds, which are evaluated in relation to topography and the Earth's magnetic field. The importance of the sun compass for the orientation of butterflies (red admirals) is also investigated.
• Routes, patterns and evolution of migration (TA, SÅ, OB, GAG, MG, NK, AN, LW)
  Increased knowledge about field identification of birds permit accurate determination of age and sex classes on the basis of direct field observations. At Falsterbo in southernmost Sweden tens of thousands of raptors pass every autumn. In a long-term programme we study temporal differences between age and sex classes as well as long term fluctuations of raptor populations in Scandinavia. These studies have been augmented by studies of migration routes in raptors using satellite transmitters. So far, the osprey and the honey buzzard have been successfully tracked all along from Scandinavia to their wintering sites in tropical Africa. Also, the migration routes of green sea turtles have been tracked in the south Atlantic. Genetic differences between bird populations may be revealed by modern molecular techniques. Using molecular markers we investigate geographical population structure and population-specific migration patterns in shorebirds. Also, the genetics of a migratory divide in the willow warbler is currently being investigated.Furthermore, stable isotopes and molecular markers are used to investigate the migration patterns of red admiral butterflies. The evolution of migration in a partial migrant, the blue tit, is evaluated by comparing migratory and resident individuals with respect to a wide variety of different characteristics - age and sex composition, size, dominance and risk prone/aversive foraging, metabolism, fat deposition, blood parasites and hormones. The orientation, pattern and process of blue tit migration will be compared with corresponding features among regular diurnal and nocturnal migratory species to see if and how the migratory mechanisms differ between species in different phases of evolutionary transition to migration. Finally, species diversity and evolution of migration patterns of arctic birds are analysed in a circumpolar perspective. See also home page of the migration research group. See also the homepage of the migration research group.

• The EU network CONSIDER (Conservation of Soil Organism Diversity under Global Change) will run from 2003 until 2007 and its main aim is to evaluate methods and indicators for conserving/restoring soil biodiversity (KH,HBJ)
• Trophic Linkages: a key to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with economic development (TLinks). (KH, MK)
  This is a EU financed project within the Global Change, Climate and Biodiversity Key Action and runs from November 2001 until 2004. The main objectives of TLinks are to enhance the success of schemes aimed at conservation of biodiversity through the restoration of species rich communities on ex-arable land, by:
  a) Identifying novel criteria and indicators that promote chances of success of biodiversity conservation by restoration of former species-rich ecosystems.
  b) Developing and testing methods that are aimed at promoting above- and below-ground biodiversity and the trophic linkages between them.
  c) Field experimental and mesocosms studies to identify site and landscape criteria for targeting restoration schemes.
  d) Developing strategies in collaboration with end-users and stakeholders to facilitate the inclusion of results into European policy.e) Involvement of end-users and stakeholders from the project planning phase to the dissemination of findings.
• Methods for optimizing soil biodiversity at changing land usage (KH, DG, MK, TO)
  This project deals with restoration of set aside agricultural land and the diversity of microorganisms and soil invertebrates. It is currently financed by the Swedish EPA and Formas and is running from 2000 until 2002.The link between plant development and the soil community during a change of land use, is poorly developed so far. However, this proposal aims at testing the management practices while focussing at above- and below-ground links. There is a need for studies on interactions between soil organisms and plants in terms of enhancing diversity and biological activites in managing set aside agricultural land. The aims of the project are firstly to test management methods aiming at increasing the rate of succession of set aside agricultural land to more diverse natural ecosystems. Secondly to show how these methods can restore biodiversity of later successional stages and estimate their effect on ecosystem functioning. Microbial and soil fauna communities are studied.
• Interactions between Collembola and microfungi (HBJ)
• Colonization processes of soil organisms (DG)
• Effects of climate change on soil animals in the Arctic - population ecological, ecophysiological and ecotoxicological approaches. A Nordic network project. (KH)
  Research priorities within the network: Functional significance of terrestrial invertebrates in the Arctic. Desiccation tolerance and wind dispersal. Effects of freeze-thaw events. Synergism between climatic and toxic stress. The project started in 1999 and will end in 2003. Knowledge of gene flow and dispersal in soil microarthropods is practically unknown today. The project aims at studying geneflow of soil collembolans on a local and a continental level. Knowledge of geneflow on a local level can be used to study local adaptations of soil microarthropods to natural and antropogenically disturbed sites. On a continental level, the phylogeography of soil microarthropods can be studied. With PCR based DNA techniques there are today methods as AFLP that has proved to be efficient for this type of studies.
• The lumbricid fauna of Iceland (SR)
  Was the earthworm fauna exterminated from Iceland during the Weichselian glaciation? If so, how did the recolonization occur. What species do we meet today? The research project thus focusses om geographical disribution of earthworms and Man as dispersal agent.

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