The climate affects animal Populations through several processes. These processes includereproduction, phenology and the success of hunting. By influencing the phenology of species theclimate also affects the way species interact. If a climate-induced phenology change promotes abasal species to bud earlier in the spring for example, this will affect the links to other species inthe food web due to a time lag in the tropic levels above. This dependence, that a predator has tobeing synchronous to its prey, is called the match/mismatch hypothesis (MMH).

Vole Populations in northern Scandinavia vary in cycles with peaks every third or fourth year as described by the National Environmental Monitoring Programme of small mammals (NEMP). Some vole species have declined in population numbers since the NEMP started in 1971, especially the grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) which is nearly extinct in the forested region. Since small mammals are an important food source for several avian and mammalian predators, the decline in vole numbers is expected to have consequences for the whole food chain, especially if other vole species start to decline in numbers. This study tried to test the hypothesis that presence and abundance of M. rufocanus (a specialist species) and Myodes glareolus (a generalist species) can be predicted by patch size and connectivity of forest patches >60 years old with a minimum of 15% pine >100years old.

This study examines imagined boundaries between Swedes and non-Swedes. Rather than using pre-determined definitions as a starting point, the attempt is to examine the discursive construction of difference. The purpose is not to study the portrayal of immigrants per se but to examine how the ?immigrant-ness? is constructed. The result shows the perception of ?immigrant-ness? is linked more to a person?s origin than to the act of immigration itself. The selected newspapers are Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) for the period of 15th November ? 21st November, 1999.

In many regulated rivers, authorities have stocked hatchery salmon to compensate for loss of wild Populations. However, hatchery fish have not always behaved as wild fish do, and stocking them has not always fully compensated for the loss of wild fish. The purpose of this study was to compare swimming behaviour in the river before spawning, the choice of spawning areas and body size between wild and hatchery-reared salmon in the river Klarälven. Salmon behaviour in the river before spawning was analyzed using radio telemetry. The salmon were caught at Forshaga power plant, radio-tagged and returned to Klarälven at Ekshärad, 107 km from the river?s mouth.

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the statistical properties of a self-assessment instrument for depression, Känsloläge, with regard to validity, reliability and factor structure. Method: The data collection method used for the study was mail questionnaires. The sample consisted of patients who had received treatment for heart failure, arrhythmic disorders or coronary heart disease at a hospital in Uppsala, Sweden. The study population consisted of 53 patients. The self assessment form?s validity was analyzed by measuring the criterion validity.

In a time where information overload is a fact, well formulated messages is required and communication is a big contributing element for building strong brands. In the north of Sweden, Norrmejerier is one of the big actors with dominance on the dairy factor market. Through making milk products that lands in the consumers refridgerators, they are not only working for economical interest but also for improving the nature of the north of Sweden. Through visual communication, Norrmejerier shows the consumers a beneficial view of the north of Sweden which corresponds to the Populations own impression of their part of the country. This contributes to a feeling of belonging that makes strong and loyal consuments. The feeling of belonging is also reflected in Norrmejeriers commercial movies, that uses the consumers conscience to make costumers. By two group interviews and a semiotic analysis of Norrmejeriers commercial movies, this study aims to examine how Norrmejerier uses qualities of the north of Sweden when building their brand.

Warmer climate is a driving factor to species expansion northwards. Expansion to new areas can result in escape from natural enemies, resulting in reduced levels of mortality and thereby potentially increasing the rate of expansion. The most important parasitoid species attacking butterfly larvae belong to the families Tachinidae, Ichneumonidae and Braconidae. The aim of this thesis was to investigate parasitism and difference between Populations in established area and newly colonized area for the European map butterfly, Araschnia levana, in order to examine if the butterfly has escaped from some natural enemies. In 1982 the first European map butterfly was observed in Sweden and has now established up to middle Småland.

In the spring of 2006 a pilot project was initiated by The Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies of Sweden together with The Swedish Ornithological Society in order to increase collaboration between bird watchers and farmers. The project as a whole comprised 11 farms in South-Central Sweden. The aim was to benefit the decreasing Populations of bird species related to the agricultural landscape. The purpose of this master thesis was to study how similarities and differences between bird watchers and farmers regarding opinions about nature, landscape, agriculture, birds and nature conservation have influenced the collaboration. Four of the farmers and five of the bird watchers that participated in the project were included in this study.

The wood-living beetle Ceruchus chrysomelinus is a rare species connected to natural forests. In Sweden, it is red-listed as endangered (EN) and an action plan for its preservation has been done by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. In this work I have therefore investigated how a translocation of the species succeeded after 17 years. I aimed to study the species dispersal biology, its substrate preferences and the supply of suitable wood on this site. The study was performed during 2012 in Pansaruddens nature reserve close to Uppsala in Sweden, which is a spruce dominated forest.

Climate on earth is getting warmer, which effects earth?s energy balance and so forth the ocean and atmospheric circulation.  In many sub-polar regions on the northern hemisphere changes due to warming of the climate can be observed. Some examples that already have been observed are shifts in tree line, towards higher altitudes and latitudes, increased ablation of Swedish glaciers and melting of the permafrost on the Siberian tundra. In Sweden climate change scenarios tell us that it will become warmer and that a higher amount of precipitation in form of rain will be an effect from this. To study climate changes in Sweden, transition zones are useful in order to observe changes in distribution of species and animal Populations.

During the timber floating era, most of Sweden?s watercourses were altered. This decreased the amount of available spawning habitats for salmonids, and hence had a negative effect on the riverine brown trout (Salmo trutta) Populations. Reconstruction of spawning grounds is today a common measure in restoration of altered streams in Sweden. However, very little evaluation of the effectiveness of these reconstructed spawning grounds exists.

In East Africa live two species of Griffon Vultures; Rüppel?s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) and African White-backed Griffon Vulture (G. africanus). One of the apparently most important factors limiting the population of these birds is food supply. Griffon vultures nest for eight months of the year, and are during this period geographically tied down to the nesting place.

Inbreeding has become a problem in some horse breeds. Studies show that it may lead to inbreeding depression which affects e.g. reproduction traits. In the wild there are mechanisms that make horses avoid mating with close relatives. When selection is done by humans this mechanism is removed and intensive breeding for a few traits, for example good racing results, can become a problem.

The last decades the Populations of wild boar (Sus scrofa) has increased rapidly over the species? entire European range, including Sweden. This is followed by increasing human-wildlife conflicts as a result of the wild boar foraging behavior, causing damage to agricultural crop fields due to trampling and feeding. To be able to minimize damage we need more knowledge of where in the fields the risk of damage is high and what features in the landscape that affect this risk. I analyzed damage distribution in relation to the distance to six different landscape features; forest, road, ditch, building, game field and bait station, in the study area, the Island Mörkö in eastern central Sweden.

Cannibalism can have major influence on fish population dynamics. A prerequisite for cannibalism is that the cannibal and the potential victim meet, and besides density effects, the encounter rate between cannibals and their victims is therefore also largely dependent on habitat use and habitat heterogeneity. In this study I quantified and compared the potential for cannibalism in stream-dwelling European grayling Populations in three rivers in Jämtland by means of habitat classifications. I also analyzed population dynamic consequences of varying the potential for cannibalism in terms of intensity, using a physiological structured population model. Findings based on habitat characteristics were that the potential for cannibalism is in general not favourable in these types of streams.