Due to exploitation of the world?s rivers, the upstream migration of anadromous species is frequently delayed or even prevented. To mitigate these problems and allow fish to migrate past obstacles, structures such as fish ladders have been developed. However, recent studies show that many of the present fish passage facilities are deficient. Monitoring and evaluation of passage facilities is therefore crucial to enable necessary adjustments.

The Swedish Red Polled breed is threatened by extinction and there are only around 1100 animals left. The breed was popular in the early twentieth century, but since then the numbers have steadily decreased. The overall objective of this study was to find out whether there may be economic incentives for preserving the breed. The milk quality properties are of major importance in the production of dairy products. Therefore we would like to establish if the Swedish Red Polled breed carries favourable alleles at loci of relevance for milk quality, to potentially make the breed more interesting for milk production.

The aim of the project was to investigate if Swedish rodents, brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), house mouse (Mus musculus), wood mouse (Apodemus spp) and water vole (Arvicola terrestris) captured in pig herds and in urban areas, constitute a reservoir for pathogenic Leptospira spp. Under Swedish conditions leptospirosis gives rise to reproductive disorders in pigs and symptoms of flu in humans. It has long been established that rodents are chronic carriers of pathogenic leptospires in their kidneys, and can spread the bacteria with urine. The old nomenclature of serovoars is still in use, but a new system of Genetic classification has developed and today the genus Leptospira contains 17 species. There are several diagnostic test developed for leptospirosis.

The aim of the project was to investigate if Swedish rodents, brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), house mouse (Mus musculus), wood mouse (Apodemus spp) and water vole (Arvicola terrestris) captured in pig herds and in urban areas, constitute a reservoir for pathogenic Leptospira spp. Under Swedish conditions leptospirosis gives rise to reproductive disorders in pigs and symptoms of flu in humans. It has long been established that rodents are chronic carriers of pathogenic leptospires in their kidneys, and can spread the bacteria with urine. The old nomenclature of serovoars is still in use, but a new system of Genetic classification has developed and today the genus Leptospira contains 17 species. There are several diagnostic test developed for leptospirosis.

Hybridasp (Populus x wettsteinii) är en snabbväxande hybrid mellan europeisk asp (Populus tremula L.) och nordamerikansk asp (Populus tremuloides Mich.). Det finns svenskt hybridaspmaterial framtaget för odling i Götaland men inte för övriga delar av Sverige. För odling av hybridasp i övriga delar av Sverige rekommenderas ofta finländskt odlingsmaterial. Hybridasp lämpar sig väl som biobränsle tack vare dess höga tillväxt och då efterfrågan på biobränslen förväntas öka är det viktigt att ta fram ett hybridaspmaterial som har högre härdighet och tillväxt än de hybridaspkloner som finns på marknaden idag. Målet med denna studie var att göra ett urval av lämpliga hybridaspkloner för odling i södra och mellersta Norrland utifrån försök med nyframtagna korsningar.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether a dietary change, physical activity or a combination of both gave the best result when treating obesity, concerning weight loss and BMI. Excessive weight and obesity are today a big health-issue and it is estimated that 10 % of the men and 12 % of the women in Sweden have a BMI over 30, i.e. are suffering from obesity. The corresponding number for children is 3 %. No one can say for sure what causes obesity but there are many theories.

The fertility of dairy cows is of great importance in order to maintain high production. The decline in fertility of dairy cows the latest decades can have several explanations. The large emphasis on high yielding cows and the negative Genetic correlation between milk production and fertility traits could be one of the main factors for impaired fertility. To find heats and inseminate the cow at the right time is crucial to receive high conception rate. Delaval has, in corporation with FOSS, developed Herd Navigator which is a management program that measure four biological parameters in the milk; progesterone, betahydroxybutyrate, lactate dehydrogenase and urea.

A nonsense mutation in the DMRT3 gene has been shown to have a large impact on pattern of locomotion in horses. Horses that can perform several other gaits in addition to the normally occurring gaits, walk, trot and canter, are often hetero (CA)- or homozygous (AA) for this nonsense mutation. Horses that only can perform walk, trot and canter are often homozygous for the wild-type gene (CC). For example the Icelandic Horse is a gaited breed. Five-gaited Icelandic horses can perform both flying pace and tölt, except for the normally occurring gaits, walk, trot and canter, and are often homozygous for this nonsense mutation (AA).

In the spring of 2006 we had our first outbreak of avian influenza of highly pathogenic H5N1 (HPAI) among wild birds in Sweden. This disease have impact on poultry industries world wide. Sporadically the virus infects other species than birds and we now know it can even cause fatal infection of humans. There are not yet any confirmed cases of transmission of the disease between humans though a suspected case in an Indonesian family is under investigation. If a mutation occurs that changes the pathogenicity and host affinity to humans we are at a risk of a new pandemia, perhaps like the Spanish flu in 1918-1920.

Humans attitudes towards different animals are very complex were culture, Genetic, psychology and evolution are some of the factors that influence. The order of animals that can provoke the most intense and extreme attitudes, both positive and negative, are the carnivores. Wolves are a constant debate in Sweden and even though a big part of the population are neutral towards the wolf, a clear friction of the attitudes can be seen. Some factors that have been seen to influence the attitude are age, education and the size of the hometown. The aim of this study is to investigate whether outdoor activities, time spend in rural areas, and time spent in a weekend cottage, also correlate with attitude towards wolf.

Canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality and with a high prevalence in certain breeds. Predominatly large breeds are affected, such as Great danes, Newfoundlands, Deerhounds and Dobermanns. One exception is Cocker spaniels, where both American and English Cocker spaniels are affected in a quite high frequency. Cardiomyopathy is characterised as a disease that affects the myocardium and gives an impaired heart function. To diagnose DCM following criteria have to be observed: 1. Dilation of the left ventricle. 2. Reduced systolic heart function. 3. Increased sphericity of the left ventricle. To be certain of the diagnosis, alternative reasons for the symptoms such as lung- and heart diseases with other etiologies have to be excluded Two different types of DCM have been found upon histological examination.

In the dog breed Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (NSDTR) several dogs suffer from joint pain and possibly pain from the muscles. This diffuse disease is called Immune-mediated Non- Erosive Arthritis in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The disease is most likely of autoimmune nature where the etiology still is unknown. The musculoskeletal symptoms of stiffness and shifting lameness are intermittently seen. Some dogs also have dermatological changes and some dogs suffer from pain when opening their mouth. The study included 20 diseased and 20 healthy NSDTR. The purpose was to describe immune-mediated arthritis in NSDTR based on symptoms, results of analysis and effect of treatment. Among the diseased dogs 65% had serum positive for antinuclear antibodies by indirect immunofluorescense (IIF) ANA-test.

StoraEnso decided in year 2002 to build a pulp mill in the province of Guangxi, southernChina, and also establish eucalyptus plantations to provide it with raw material. By 2010StoraEnso controls about 90 000 of planned 120 000 ha, out of 75 000 ha is already plantedwith Eucalyptus.By using better Genetic material, improve the tending, selecting the sites more careful and byusing a proper fertilization regime StoraEnso hopes to increase the mean annual incrementfrom today?s 25 m3/ha, on bark, to 35 m3/ha. This study is one part in this work to increase themean annual increment in the plantation.This master thesis is the forth in a series, that has followed up a fertilization trial that startedin spring 2006 when the trial was laid out and treatments decided. The aim with the trial is toexamine the production potential of Eucalyptus urophylla in Guangxi, southern China.

Around the world, forests are generally being fragmented and as plant populations decline in both sizeand number of individuals, the Genetic variation will also decrease whitch in the end leads to totalextinction of the plant. In this paper, I wanted to investigate what specific species of trees and shrubsyou usually find in the edge and core habitats in some of the forests in the Baltic Sea region. I alsowanted to identify the edge effects and their sources and finally compare the results between thedifferent regions.The data sources used are derived from the ongoining research project Landscape structures, patterns ofbiodiversity and conservation strategies in the Baltic Sea region by Kari Lehtilä, Patrik Dinnétz ochTiina Vinter who have made a record of all herbaceous plant species in four randomly chosen forestregions situated around the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Skåne, Södermanland and Germany. I made statisticalanalyses, using the computer program R, concerning the distribution of species in the edge habitats ofthe forests as well as in the core habitats. I performed generalized linear models and then variationanalyses with the factors light and biomass in order to investigate wether edge effects might appear dueto these factors.

Uganda is one country with fastest growing populations in the world and with more than 25% of the population living in poverty. There is a rapid rural urban migration with increasing demands for food for low income earners especially in these areas. One way to mitigate food insecurity is to increase milk and meat production efficiency, and thus reproductive performance of cows is crucial for good production. A well-documented strategy for improving dairy cow productivity through faster Genetic improvement is to breed dairy cows using proven semen via artificial insemination (AI). AI has been used in Uganda for over 60 years but only less than 10 %, a small population of the country?s herd has been bred that way. The aims were to study knowledge, attitude and practices factors influencing cow fertility results on dairy farms around Kampala using AI and to propose ways of promoting increased use of AI in Uganda.