Grasslands which have been actively managed for a long time and which in modern times have not been subject to cultivation such as fertilization are called semi-natural grasslands. These rare and species-rich areas hold an ecological, biological and historical value and if the management stops these areas will likely diminish. More effective agricultural systems and a declining number of grazing animals have in Sweden, among other countries, made semi-natural grasslands less valuable as foraging areas. Shrubs and fast growing plants rapidly colonize abandoned semi-natural grasslands, threatening biodiversity. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of breed and season on diet composition, with special reference to four competitive species found in wet areas ? in cattle grazing heterogeneous semi-natural grasslands ? and thereby contribute to improved management of these areas.

Outdoor housing of horses? best fulfils the horses? need for physical activity and it is an alternative to the more cost and energy demanding indoor housing in stables. Furthermore, if outdoor housed horses have access to shelter they can generally cope well with adverse weather conditions such as high or low ambient temperature, heavy rain or strong winds. In this study, the daytime shelter-seeking behaviour of three groups of horses housed outdoors was studied during the summer. The aim was to evaluate whether shelter use is related to weather variables (e.g., ambient temperature and wind speed) and insect harassment. The shelter-seeking behaviour was studied for three different groups of horses: Group 1) eight individually housed horses in paddocks that had access to three different shelter types (C: closed on three sides with roof, R: open on three sides with roof, W: closed on three sides without roof), Group 2) 25 group housed mares with foals on pasture with access to shelters C, and Group 3) ten mares without foals on pasture without access to shelter. Each group was studied for eight days.

During the latest 50 years, the Swedish porcelain tableware industry has gone from being rather successful to experience significant problems. Our empirical study attributes these problems to underlying changes in consumer buying behaviour, whereas current generation theory supports our findings. The younger generation has significantly different preferences compared to older generations, with less focus on quality and more focus on variability, and there is reason to believe that these findings also are applicable to other consumer purchases. The successful porcelain companies of tomorrow will be the ones that continuously can adapt to these and further changes in consumer buying behaviour..

Warthogs live under natural conditions in matriarchal groups, bachelor groups and yearling groups. Just like all pig species do warthogs have a complex behaviour repertoire. The semi-wild warthog population at Kichwa Tembo Lodge, outside Masai Mara National Reserve, lives in a fenced area with access to food all over the year and is protected from predators. The aim of this study was to observe the male warthogs? mating behaviour and their hierarchy during the mating season.

Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen iKulturvård, Landskapsvårdens hantverk, 15 hp, 2012.

To turn the dairy heifers out on pasture is the most natural way for the cattle to get feed. At the same time it is cheap and if it is right treated a feed of high nutritive value. The problem today is to get dairy heifers to grow enough when they are grazing at natural pasture for the entire summer. Therefore, the opinions differ whether pasture is a resource or a problem. The increasing interest of pasture production is due to the fact that you can receive grants for preserving valuable natural assets and cultural landscape elements in the pasture land. A high grazing pressure is necessary to preserve an open landscape and a great variety of species. In the same time the heifers have to supply their nutritive needs in order to grow and be large enough to show heat and be pregnant in right time to calve with a sufficient body size and at an economically right age. This paper includes a literature review on natural pasture, pasture production, and growth of dairy heifers together with own interviews with dairy farmers about their point of view to the pasture husbandry on the farms, how they plan for pasture, look after natural pasture, treatment areas and take care of the calves and heifers. The results indicate that the time it takes and the demanded work are the biggest factors to how and why the farmers do as they do..

Suicide is the ultimate outcome of mental illness and is a big and serious problem in society. About 1500 persons commit every year suicide in Sweden and many more engage in suicidal behaviour. This review aims at, from research studies from the 21th century, find out the knowledge of riskfactors regarding the risk for committing suicide among adolescents. The research questions are: What does research say, from a psychobiological perspective, about riskfactors among adolescents regarding the risk for suicidal behaviour? How much does genetic factors have an effect on the risk for suicidal behaviour among adolescents? and : What is the importance of environmental factors such as family connections, friends and school environment concerning suicidal thoughts among adolescents?The method that is used in order to answer these questions is a researchreview including ten research-studies.

I en alltmer globaliserad värld där utbudet av produkter ökar är det svårt att skapa ett starkt och hållbart varumärke på marknaden. Då det idag finns få verktyg och koncept inom intern varumärksuppbyggnad har jag valt att undersöka hur varumärket kan stärkas inifrån och ut. I studien har jag tittat närmare på begreppet Brand citizenship behaviour, ett område som är relativt nytt och bygger på den anställdes inverkan på varumärket. En explorativ fallstudie har genomförts för att undersöka vilka berättelser som återges i ämnet. Detta genom att ha intervjuat sju anställda på företaget Saltå kvarn.

Pollen analysis of a peat core was used to reconstruct the last 2500 years of vegetation history, with focus on the impact of anthropogenic disturbance, in Hamra National Park, central Sweden. In addition, analysis of pollen in soil samples was performed in an attempt to locate ancient cultivation plots in the National Park. The analysis of the peat core shows a development of the vegetation that can be divided into four stages of different degrees of human impact: A - virgin forest (c. 500 B.C.-A.D. 1300), B - grazed forest (c. A.D.

Pain related behaviour in 1.5 year old colts was studied both prior to and following castration. The horses were filmed 24 h prior to surgery and 24 h postoperatively. Parameters, inactive and active behaviours, were recorded in terms of cumulative time observed. Both groups of horses were exercised three times and the gait quality was evaluated. Few differences were observed between the groups.

A debate on environmental issues and food safety has been ongoing in Sweden and it is suggested that consumers' are seeking local produce instead of global and exotic foods. Moreover, studies show that the consumers? positive attitude towards local produce does not reflect their actions. The purpose with this thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the dissonance between the consumer?s attitudes and actual behaviour towards local produce.

Horses are herbivores that spend almost all day grazing. While grazing they are infected by different endoparasites through ingestion of infective eggs or larvae on pasture. The most significant equine endoparasites in Sweden are the equine roundworm Parascaris equorum, small (Cyathostominae) and large strongyles (Strongylus spp), the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata and the pinworm Oxyuris equi. For many years have horses been dewormed on regularly basis, which has resulted in the development of resistance to many anthelmintic classes. Because of the problems with resistance it is since 2007 necessary to have a prescription on anthelmintics and faecal sampling is also recommended.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how students writing their master thesis seek information, how they reason about their information seeking behaviour and how their studies in LIS could have affected their information seeking behaviour. The result was analysed with Roger Säljö?s theory about the sociocultural perspective about how individuals learn in relation to their context and the social practice that they act in. The following conclusions were drawn from analysing the result. The students didn?t really reflect over their information seeking behaviour.

The Swedish Parliament has decided to increase the share of electricity produced by wind power. The same parliament has decided that the Sami have the right to herd reindeer over 50% of the country's land area. In this literature review the potential impact wind power development and associated infrastructure may have on reindeer husbandry conditions are examined. The unique physiology of the reindeer enables it to live out of grazing in the arctic climate in the north of Sweden. For reindeer husbandry to be long-term productive and sustainable, it is important that there is enough land for grazing. The research available on how reindeer are disturbed by human activities such as roads, mines, hikers, etc., clearly indicates that the reindeer avoids areas close to such disturbance.

The demand för Swedish pork meat is increasing every day. This leads to agricultural farming having to develop as an industry, with larger and more rationalised units to make the farming more effective and to raise the financial profit. The consequence of this is that it affects the animals when their surroundings become more industrial. The pig´s natural behaviour becomes restricted by the limitations of the facilities, which leads to them becoming understimulated. Helena Kummel, a teacher at Munkagård upper secondary school and also an educated animal inspector has developed a prototype that could possibly replace the pig´s natural rooting behaviour inside the barn. The porpuse of this report is to study "bökboxen" in the gilts´actual living enviroment, through qualitative- and quantitative analysis.