The annual CEES conference
3.-5. September 2008, Hankø
DAY 1
Claudia Junge
Title: The early stages of adaptive radiation: population differentiation in grayling
Abstract: Lesjaskogsvatnet, a Norwegian lake system, was colonized by European grayling
(Thymallus thymallus) in the 1880s. The founder bottleneck has resulted in reduced neutral
variation; nevertheless, 20 demes have developed in different tributaries. Despite this loss of
variation there is evidence of local adaptation to varying temperature regimes. Tributaries can
be divided into warm and cold, whereby the cold tributary grayling spawn later and
experience colder incubation temperatures during early developmental stages. The recent
colonization event, together with pronounced ecological differences between the tributaries,
provides an excellent model system to study the early stages of population structuring. So far,
we were able to develop and optimize new microsatellites and I will present the result as well
as my plans for the coming year concerning the investigation of the population genetic
structure and the level of gene flow among the populations. This field season, we also
conducted a pilot mate choice experiment and I will discuss this as well as our natural mate
choice approach, for which we caught the adult fish swimming into the spawning stream and
later on the larvae on their way out. With the newly developed microsatellites we will be able
to investigate natural mate choice outcomes, mating patterns and kinship, and estimate
reproductive success.
Dimitar Serbezov
Title: Combining genetic and non-genetic data in a Bayesian framework. Combining
parentage analysis with sibship inference to construct more complete pedigrees
Abstract: Inferring parentage of a sample of individuals is often a prerequisite for many types
of analysis in molecular ecology, evolutionary biology and quantitative genetics. Here I
present a method for parentage inference on microsatellite data on brown trout (Salmo trutta)
sampled from a small forest stream. Genetic properties of individuals such as individual
genotypes and gene frequencies in a population are product of inherently stochastic forces,
and can therefore not be studied without the use of probabilistic models (Beaumont &
Rannala, 2004). In Bayesian inference is not only the data but also the parameter values
treated as random variables and is a convenient way to deal models with many interdependent
parameters. Especially attractive is the ability to incorporate background information into the
specification of the models.
Also, despite our effort to sample as many individuals as possible in the stream, there
will inevitably be some portion of the population left unsampled, the case in many systems is
that the number of unsampled individuals may be large and not known with a high degree of
certainty (Nielsen et al., 2001). Failure to account for unsampled individuals might cause
underestimation of the reproductive success of individuals with high reproductive success
relative to those with lower reproductive success (Nielsen et al., 2001). This is caused by the
fact that ignoring missing parents causes a high proportion of incorrect assignments that can
only be accounted for if one has an accurate estimate of missing adults (Marshall et al., 1998;
Nielsen et al., 2001), as was also illuminated by simulations (Araki & Blouin, 2005). We
attempt to augment the parentage analysis with sibships inference to construct more complete
pedigrees.
Alexandra Carpentier
Title: Co-dominant and dominant markers: A compromise between cost and efficiency
Abstract: We are now able to collect genetic data in many ways. I have more specifically
studied the choice between dominant and codominant markers. A good illustration of those
two types of markers is AFLP (dominant) and microsatellites (codominant). Altough it is
clear that codominant collect more information, it is also a fact that dominant are cheaper.
The main problem that will be discussed here is a quantification in terms of efficiency: how
many dominant markers are needed to collect the same amount of information that a given
number of markers? Which kind of markers is it then preferable to use?
I will first present a model and an analytic solution to this problem. Then, I will
present results of simulations using the R package Geneland. And finally, I will try to find a
common conclusion to both analyses.
Tanguy Rioust de Largentaye
Title: 3 month graduate internship: Understanding the population genetic structure of cods
(Gadus morhua) from the North sea to the Baltic sea
Abstract: 8 to 10 cod genetic markers were collected from cods sampled at 12 sites. Some
sample sites are highly sheltered in the fjords, others are more exposed whilst some samples
come from high-sea. Our goal is to understand how the fish move around: do the fjord fish
stay together? Are the high-sea populations, by drifting to the fjords, reducing the genetic
differentiations? It is difficult to give a clear answer to this problem because the genetic
differentiations are very low. Besides, approaching the data with F-statistics, which are useful
to describe genetic structure, is rapidly questionable: once we start selecting some type of
individuals (for example in function of their age) the F-statistics can be over or under
estimated due the size heterogeneity of the groups. On top of that, the Fst range is very small
(-0.0014 to 0.009) and no relation with geographical distance nor the opening of the sample
site appears. This is illustrated by running a software using distance as determining genetic
differentiation. More descriptive and global approaches, such as PCAs, are more adapted to
distinguish each individual and by visually grasping the data. This approach will give us a
better clue of how exploring the data before attempting new tracks such as studying the sea
currents or the infection of the fish by a parasite.
Asbjørn Vøllestad
Title: The early stages of adaptive divergence: the speed of evolution
Abstract: In this project we study evolutionary and ecological processes that are assumed to
be important in the early phase of adaptive divergence. The high altitude Lake
Lesjaskogsvatnet was colonized by grayling Thymallus thymallus in c. 1880 and during the
following 120 years more than 20 demes have been established. Owing to profound
temperature differences among tributaries, we expect to find significant genetic and
phenotypic differentiation between grayling spawning in different tributaries despite the short
divergence time and lack of obvious isolation barriers. The main objectives of this project are
to study the level of reproductive isolation and local adaptation and to explore the genetics of
these two processes. This is done using common garden experiments, population genetics and
molecular- and quantitative genetic methods. Preliminary results indicate that significant
genetic and phenotypic divergence have developed during the short time span at hand, and
this project will thus bring new and much-needed information about the mechanics of
important evolutionary processes.
In this presentation I will present the background for the project, as well as present
some of the recent results.
Gaute Thomassen
Title: Population differences in early development in grayling: a common garden experiment
Abstract: The lake Lesjaskogvatnet is situated between the Gudbrandsdal valley and the
Romsdal valley at 611 meters above sealevel. The surrounding nature is mountainous,
especially on the southern side. Several small inlets are found on the southern and northern
side of the lake. As a result of the mountainous character of the area there are distinct
differences in several properties concerning waterflow and seasonality in the streams on the
northern compared to the southern side of the lake. As a result growth season is longer in
streams on the northern side than on the southern side of the lake. A pilot study has shown
significant quantitative genetic differences between grayling spawning in streams on the
northern side of the lake compared with grayling spawning in streams on the southern side of
the lake. This result suggests that there are different preferences for spawning habitats in
different subpopulations of grayling occupying the lake.
The aim of this research project is to try to document morphological differences in
early development between grayling from the different streams chosen. We will be looking
for differences in early developmental stages concerning developmental rates, morphological
structures and so on.
In order to study this we designed a common garden experiment. We started off in the
field at four locations; four different spawning streams. In these streams we captured mature
grayling on spawning migration. After sedating the captured fish we sampled gametes (egg or
sperm) on site, weighed and measured them, clipped their adipose fin for DNA-sampling,
took scales for ageing and tagged them with pit-tags before releasing them further upstream.
The gametes were kept on oxygen and brought back to Oslo where we fertilized the eggs. The
fertilized embryos from each cross were split into three equal size batches. The batches were
then spilt into two replicates and subjected to one of the following three treatments: Cold,
medium or warm. Each of the crosses from all of the treatments was then sampled once every
day until swim up.
I will be presenting the background, methods and some preliminary results from this
project.
Inger Maren Rivrud
Title: Red deer and harvesting
Abstract: The recent realization that evolutionary change may take place as fast
as over tens of generations or fewer have given evolution a larger role in the work of
ecologists. In particular, anthropological influence may inflict exceptionally heavy selection
pressures upon natural systems, as seen in fish stocks, where earlier maturation has led to
collapses. Also for large mammal populations, management is concerned that harvesting
may induce undesirable life history changes. I aim to determine how selective hunters are for
different traits in contemporary red deer populations in a culture aiming mainly for meat and
not for trophies, and also how hunting may affect animal behaviour.
Anagaw Meshesha Atickem
Title: Habitat use, spatio temporal distribution and effects of habitat fragmentation in the
Mountain nyala
Abstract: The charismatic mountain nyala is an endemic flagship species for the Ethiopian
highlands that is now limited in its distribution to the Bale and Aarsi massif and recorded as
endanged by the IUCN. Scant data is available on the population status and ecology of the
species, thus limited information is available to guide the conservation of the species. This
research was seeking the details of the spatial distribution and habitat use of mountain nyala
and the habitat fragmentation in the mountain nyala habitat. Habitat use was determined from
17 radio collared animals and pellet abundance. Habitat fragmentation was studied from ten
meter resolution satellite imaginary.
Even Moland
Title: Larger females yield larger and more robust offspring in European lobster (Homarus
gammarus)
Abstract: Effects of maternal size, age, condition or behaviour on the viability of offspring
are well documented for a number of marine and terrestrial taxa. However, published
accounts of maternal effects in decapod crustaceans are limited. The European lobster in the
Skagerrak system is a popular target species in recreational and commercial fisheries.
Historically the catches were substantial but over the past 30-40 years the stock has suffered a
major decline and is currently red listed as near threatened. The highly likely importance of
‘BOFF’ (big old fat fecund) females in successful recruitment of marine populations has been
underscored in a number of studies over the last decade. Large, old lobsters are rare in present
day Skagerrak catches. Here, we report a study of the effects of maternal size on egg size,
larval size and larval survival in a common garden experiment designed to measure yolk
reserves. We studied eggs and larvae from berried females (n= 41) of 79 to 152 mm carapace
length. Mean within female egg dry-weight increased by ≈73% from 1.02 to 1.77 mg (mean
1.46 ± 0.03 SE) with maternal size and reached a high, stable level in females > 110 mm
carapace length. Within female variability in egg dry-weight decreased with maternal size.
Mean larval size at hatching was positively correlated with maternal size (r2=0.76) and with
mean egg dry-weight (r2=0.92). Mean observed sibling survival varied from 8.05 to 13.5 days
(mean 11.44 ± 0.2 SE), with highest survival time observed around mean egg dry-weight. Our
findings warrant management advice pointing in the direction of a maximum legal size for
lobsters in the Skagerrak system.
Eric Edeline
Title: Natural vs. fishery selection: impacts on phenotypic mean and variance in Windermere
pike
Abstract: Selective harvest of large individuals may alter natural adaptive landscapes and
drive evolution toward reduced somatic growth and increased reproductive investment.
However, few studies have simultaneously considered the relative importance of artificial and
natural selection in driving trait changes in wild populations. Using 50 years of individualbased data on pike (Esox lucius) in Windermere (UK), we have shown that natural and fishery
selection act in direct opposition on pike body-size. Specifically, natural selection favored
large pike and was stabilizing, while fishery selection favored small individuals and was
disruptive. Pike mean trait changes tracked the adaptive peak, which moved in the direction
imposed by the dominating selective force. Individual lifetime somatic growth decreased at
the start of the time series because fishery selection was strong and natural selection was too
weak to override the strength of harvest selection. However, natural selection favoring fast
somatic growth strengthened across the time series in parallel with the increase in pike
abundance and, presumably, cannibalism. Harvest selection was overridden by natural
selection when the fishing effort dwindled, triggering a rapid increase in pike somatic growth.
Our results demonstrate that a consideration of both natural selection and artificial selection is
needed to fully explain time-varying trait dynamics in harvested populations. Harvest-induced
evolution is often suggested to be hardly reversible, thus impeding population recovery on the
long-term. However, the effects of harvest selection on trait variance (i.e., capacity to respond
to selection) have not been studied. We are now joining forces with quantitative geneticists at
CEES to investigate the impacts of natural and fishery selection on Windermere pike
phenotypic variance. We use two different modeling approaches which both suggest that
disruptive fishery selection increased pike phenotypic variance, while stabilizing natural
selection reduced phenotypic variance. These preliminary results suggest that fishing, in
contrast to the common belief, could increase capacity for evolutionary rebound.
Alexander Sadykov
Title: Community dynamics models approach
Abstract: This presentation introduces the recent development on community dynamics
model. I am planning to give a short basic introduction focusing on comparison with anther
approaches (Lotka-Volterra, IBM, game theory) to population dynamics. Concept of
Selectionary Stable State (SSS) and short review on possible application cases will be given.
Øistein Holen
Title: Concealing the enemy: parent-offspring conflict in avian brood parasitism
Abstract: Many avian brood parasites lay mimetic eggs in the nests of their hosts, which
often fail to recognize the eggs and end up raising parasite offspring at great fitness cost. Egg
mimicry may lead to selection on hosts to lay distinct eggs that will facilitate egg recognition.
Hosts parasitized by non-evicting brood parasites could similarly benefit from having
nestlings that are easily recognizable. The rules may differ at the nestling stage, however,
because in contrast to egg appearance, nestling appearance is largely controlled by offspring
genotype, and the interests of host parents and host offspring may not always coincide. A
model of parent-offspring conflict is presented showing that host nestlings could be selected
for traits that interfere with parental recognition of parasite nestlings.
DAY 2
Christian E. Pettersen
Title: Independent immigration history of western populations of Dryas octopetala and
Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea?
Abstract: Populations in midwestern Norway of the two vascular plant species Dryas
octopetala and Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea seem to be genetically and morphologically
different from other Norwegian populations. This might imply an independent immigration
history with possible connections to Scottish and Icelandic populations. Other populations of
the two species likely followed southerly and south-easterly immigrations routes.
In this project, populations of Dryas octopetala and Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea
will be investigated genetically and morphologically using microsatellites to test the
hypothesis of an independent immigration history for the population in midwestern Norway.
Morphological investigations will be carried out and compared to the molecular data. For
selected populations of Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea crossing experiments will be
undertaken.
Unni Vik
Title: Phylogeography and population structure of Dryas octopetala analysed by
microsatellite markers
Abstract: Dryas octopetala L. belongs to a circumpolar species complex where the
taxonomic delimitations are not fully clarified. The plant is one of the most important
components of tundra and heaths in terms of biomass, as it forms the vegetation carpet in dry
gravelly sites from the mid-boreal to the high arctic zone.
Microsatellites are co-dominant markers, which are ideal for resolving genetic
variation at finer scales but might also be useful for interpreting phylogeographic patterns at a
larger scale. Ten newly developed microsatellite markers are used in this work to infer
phylogeography and population structure of Dryas octopetala populations from the following
main localities: Finse (southern Norway), Longyearbyen (Svalbard), Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard),
Tromsø (northern Norway) and Langøysund (southern Norway). From each main locality, 30
plants were collected from each of three sub-localities localized approximately 1000 m apart.
In addition to these populations, 3 x 10 individuals from Greenland and 5 x 10 individuals
from Russia are included in the analyses.
Preliminary analyses indicate that the genetic data contain geographically structured
variation, with a relatively high genetic diversity observed for the Svalbard populations, and a
somewhat lower diversity for the populations from mainland Norway. These patterns are
consistent with results from a recent AFLP study which suggested different postglacial
colonization routes for these two areas; whereas mainland Norway are colonized from a
southern refugium, Svalbard may represent a contact point between a southern colonization
and a colonization from an eastern (Russian) refugium.
Marte Holten Jørgensen
Title: Polyploid evolution in plants: the effect of genome duplication on
self-incompatibility systems in Arabidopsis
Abstract: Polyploidy, i.e., the duplication of entire nuclear genomes, has shaped the
evolution of major lineages of eukaryotes and is particularly prominent in flowering plants.
Although many duplicated genes will be silenced or lost through time, more than expected
from classical theory are retained in the genomes of polyploids. Identifying diploid
predecessors of tetraploid populations will enable us to compare directly polyploids with their
parental taxa. The evolution of several polyploid lineages in Arabidopsis and the close
relationship to the model species A. thaliana makes this genus a highly interesting model
system for studies on polyploid evolution. We use this to study the consequences of
polyploidisation on genetic diversity in natural populations of A. lyrata and A. arenosa, with
emphasis on the self-incompatibility (SI) system. Four diploid and four tetraploid populations
of both taxa will be analysed by low-copy nuclear genes (PgiC, scADH, CHS) to identify the
origin of the tetraploids, and allelic diversity of the populations will be compared using
genotyping of S-alleles.
Jo Skeie Hermansen
Title: The Italian sparrow – a third European house sparrow taxon or a stable hybrid form
between the house sparrow and the Spanish sparrow?
Abstract: Ever since its description, there has been considerable debate regarding the
evolutionary origin of the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae). Two main hypotheses have been
put forward; (1) the Italian sparrow is a stable hybrid form between the house sparrow (P.
domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis) or (2) the Italian sparrow is a
separate Passer-taxon with its own, independent evolutionary history.
Thus far, only morphological characters have been used to distinguish between these
hypotheses; hence a genetical analysis is needed. In this project we therefore aim to examine
the probability of the two hypotheses by microsatellite analysis of the different Passer
variants and their hybrids. 16 house sparrow-specific microsatellite loci have been optimized,
and will be used in the project.
During the last two field seasons, blood samples and morphological measurements
from approx. 800 individual sparrows have been obtained from transects going through all of
Italy as well as neighbouring countries (including areas where the Italian sparrow lives in
allopatry as well as areas where it occurs in sympatry with the house sparrow or the Spanish
sparrow). The purpose of the morphological measurements is to see whether there is a gradual
transition of phenotypes from the Spanish sparrow in the south (Sicily) via the Italian sparrow
in the central parts to house sparrow in the north (north of the Alps), or if there are sharper
boundaries in the hybrid zones.
We are currently analyzing the genetical data, therefore no preliminary results are
available.
Kristian Skaven Seierstad
Title: Phylogeography and possible hybridization in Gloeoporus taxicola
Abstract: Gloeoporus taxicola is a saprotrophic fungus that produces annual fruitbodies,
mainly on coniferous wood in the Northern Hemisphere. In Norway, two genetically
differentiated ecotypes exist, one occurring on Pinus sylvestris in lowland regions and another
mainly on Picea abies in high land areas, as well as some putative hybrids. In this master
project, the main aim was to unravel the phylogeographic structure of G. taxicola on a global
scale using multi-locus sequencing. Other aims were to reveal whether cryptic species occur
and whether substrate specialization has appeared among the putative lineages. Preliminary
results indicate that a complex phylogeographic pattern exists in G. taxicola on a global scale,
with widespread multiple lineages occurring on a wide range of conifers. Some of the
sequences (diplophase) are highly heterozygous, apparently reflecting hybridization. The two
ecotypes distribution in Norway and their possibilities for hybridization will also be evaluated
using ecological niche modelling.
Marte Siri Elden
Title: Speciation and endemisity in Ethiopian Chlorophytums
Abstract: Ethiopia has 22 known species of Chloropytum, where 12 are endemic or near
endemic. This master degree project will be a molecular analysis of Ethiopian Chloropytums
based on the sequences trnL-F, ITS and RPS16. The goal of this project is to analyse the
Ethiopian species after the same procedures previously used to analyse Zambian species, and
to put them in a phylogenetic setting to look at speciation.
This presentation will be a short summary of the fieldtrip, the sequencing of RPS16 and a
preliminary phylogenetic analysis based on results from this master projects first year.
Glenn-Peter Sætre and Stein Are Sæther
Title: Contact versus isolation in the speciation of birds
Abstract: We present our ongoing studies of geneflow and divergence in passerine birds in
Europe and North Africa. We focus on three issues: 1) the role of sex chromosomes in
restricting gene flow and promoting speciation; 2) how secondary contact can either reinforce
or break down barriers to geneflow; and 3) if geographic isolation is necessary, sufficient or
only helpful for speciation to occur. Our study systems include detailed long-term population
studies (flycatchers); investigations of geneflow in contact zones of diverged populations
(flycatchers and sparrows); comparative studies of genetic divergence in one radiation (four
flycatcher species); and comparative studies of the genetics of whole communities of
geographically isolated pairs of related birds (forest breeding birds of North Africa vs Spain).
Janna L. Fierst
Title: Genetic architecture in reproductive isolation
Abstract: The Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller model of speciation predicts that postzygo tic
isolation evolves due to the accumulation of incompatible epistatic interactions, but few
studies have quantified the relationship between genetic architecture and patterns of
reproductive divergence. Directional epistasis has been shown to be important in the evolution
of genetic architecture, and we examined how the direction and magnitude of epistatic
interactions influenced the evolution of hybrid incompatibilities. Epistatic interactions were
calculated using the multilinear model of epistasis, in which the effects of a single allele on
the phenotype are determined by linear functions of changes in allelic effects at other loci. We
found that populations evolving under stabilizing selection experienced suites of
compensatory allelic changes that resulted in genetic divergence between populations despite
the maintenance of a stable, high fitness phenotype. A small number of loci were then
incompatible with multiple alleles in the genetic background of the hybrid and these
interactions resulted in loss of fitness for both F1 and F2 hybrids. Reproductive isolation
did not evolve when epistatic interactions were very strong or very weak, and divergence was
affected by the strength of selection and epistatic interactions.
Donald V. Griffin
Title: Measuring Selection: Integrating Historical, Philosophical, Theoretical, and
Empirical Approaches
Abstract: In 2008, the Department of Biology at Florida State University received a National
Science Foundation grant to implement training projects for Ph.D. students that integrate
students from the History and Philosophy of Science disciplines, with students from Biology.
This presentation will outline a project under this grant that coincides with the Measurement
Theory Colloquium hosted by CEES. Our group, which consists of an historian, a
philosopher, a theoretician, and an empiricist, will investigate what these different disciplines
can contribute to the principled measurement of selection.
David Houle and Thomas F. Hansen
Title: Measurement and Meaning in Biology
Abstract: The topic of measurement theory is the relationship between the real world, the
theoretical constructs we use to make sense of that world and the data that we use to build and
evaluate those ideas. Defined this way, every scientist is a practitioner of measurement theory,
yet most biologists have never heard of it, despite the fact that it has been a cornerstone of
other sciences, such as physics and psychology. We will make the case that explicit
measurement theory should be incorporated into the routine thinking of biologists, just as
statistics has been. We will present several examples where the use of measurement theory
lends insight into biological problems.
Tore Oldeide Elgvin and Kjetil Lysne Voje
Title: The Darwin Expedition
Abstract: As a part of the dual celebration of Charles Darwin in 2009 three CEES biologists
will follow in Charles Darwins footprints along parts of the Beagle voyage, which was the
initial source of inspiration to much of his thinking. The main aim with the expedition is to
popularize science by attracting broad public attention to contemporary biological research
with emphasis on its relevance in conserving the biodiversity that processes of evolution has
created, and partly to show how the theory of evolution has forced us to look differently on
various aspects of the way we understand our own species. The Darwin Expedition has signed
a contract with NRK (The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) which secures a broad
platform for publication. Bloggs, video clips, pictures and articles will continuously be
uploaded to NRKs web pages during the expedition. The expedition is restricted to the South
American continent and Galápagos, where Darwin spent most time and where he did the most
interesting findings. During the voyage we aim partly at documenting the ecosystems where
Darwin got his inspiration, but also to focus on how scientists and students of today work to
obtain data on new questions in evolutionary biology. The expedition will last from the end of
September 2008 to March 2009.
Håvar Skaugrud
Title: Effects of increased temperature on diversity and life history in freshwater zooplankton
at Spitsbergen
Abstract: The Arctic is one of the areas where there is expected the largest increase in
temperature due to global warming, which already has been documented, partly by extensive
longer growing season. Longer ice-free periods during the season and warmer water open
possibilities for establishment of new species in the poor freshwater fauna in Svalbard.
Existing species might be able to change their life history traits due to elongated growing
seasons and increased water temperature, and this could also change the community structure.
Both aspects will be investigated, partly by studies in field and experimental studies in
laboratory. These studies will be compared with earlier observations of zooplankton
communities over the last 100 years. Some areas and lakes/ponds are well documented, and
will make a good basis for comparisons. There are also several observations of life history
traits, as background for these issues.
Synne Sidenius
Title: Effects of high altitudes on diversity of zooplankton in Norway
Abstract: In this thesis I have studied factors influencing the diversity of zooplankton in
lakes. It comprises two parts: one where NINA’s survey of 1880 norwegian lakes is analyzed,
where three different geographical levels are examined; from a big to a small scale. Part two
of the thesis is based on my own sampling of water chemistry and zooplankton in 20 lakes
within a confined area of Norway, ten in the alpine/subalpine zone and ten in the lowlands.
The issue was to have a closer look at the correlation between diversity and altitude, keeping
some variables stable and investigate underlying reasons for this correlation.
Both my own and NINA’s data were analyzed in the statistical programme R. Based on my
own samples there was a clear connection between diversity and altitude, but no other
singular factor could explain the variation. The results from analyzing the NINA database
showed that altitude and temperature, along with five other variables were strongly correlated
with diversity.
Helene Frigstad
Title: Presentation of PhD work in biogeochemistry – investigating carbon to
nutrient relationships in marine seston
Abstract: This presentation will give a description of my phd thesis in chemical
oceanography. The phd work will focus on how field data and experiments can be used to
improve model performance through parameterizations, sensitivity analysis and validations.
The overall theme will be stoichiometry and nutrient to carbon relationships. The work will
include assembling a metadatabase of carbon and nitrogen data from the Barents Sea, North
Atlantic and Arctic. The database will be used to evaluate the realistic variation in C:N ratios
and the inherent patterns related to season, depth, latitude, salinity and temperature (water
mass), light, chlorophyll, and so forth depending on the available parameters. Based on the
analysis of this database a review of carbon to nitrogen relationships in seston will be
performed.
Elianne Sirnæs Egge
Title: Effects of POPs exposure and density stress in a laboratory population of zebrafish
(Danio rerio)
Abstract: Population level effects of exposure to toxicants may be difficult to predict without
taking density dependence into account. The aim of this study is to investigate the response to
toxicant exposure and population density stress in a laboratory population of zebrafish (Danio
rerio).
Kyrre Grøtan
Title: Three spined stickleback; adaptation to fresh water environment. (Why do three spined
stickleback loose lateral bone plates over time when stationed in fresh water environment?)
Abstract: Three spined Sticklebacks that have colonised fresh water have a reduced number
of lateral bone plates. There are five different morphological species where the lateral bone
plates are correlated with habitat and time of colonisation. There are reasons to believe that
there is a cost related to having a great number of bone plates in fresh water, and that these
costs are greater than the benefit they have against the different predator regimes. It is
expected that some of these costs can be measured as an increased standard metabolic rate.
We will perform several respirometry experiments where we will look at differences in
oxygen consumption between the two morphs.
Ane Eriksen
Title: Song learning and sexual misimprinting in interspecifically cross-fostered great tits
Abstract: In birds, early learning may be important both for mate choice and song repertoire.
In an ongoing field study, great tits (Parus major) experimentally cross-fostered to blue tits
(Cyanistes caeruleus) become sexually misimprinted, showing a higher preference for blue tit
females compared to control great tit males. In this population, great tit and blue tit controls
have completely discrete song repertoires. However, the cross-fostered great tit males include
blue tit elements in their song, and temporal and frequency parameters are also altered. There
is a substantial variation among the cross-fostered males, both in the degree of song aberrancy
and in the degree of misdirected mate choice. Many of the cross-fostered birds mate with a
conspecific, while others associate with blue tits. In the present study, we assess whether mate
choice and pairing success are related to song aberrancy in the cross-fostered great tit males,
using the response to great tit and blue tit playback to analyze the degree of aberrancy in the
song. We find that cross-fostered great tit males associated with blue tit females tend to have
more aberrant song than cross-fostered great tit males mating with a conspecific. This may
result from different exposure to con- and heterospecific intruders when mated with a blue or
a great tit or, alternatively, the relationship between mate choice and the degree of song
aberrancy may reflect different degrees of sexual misimprinting, in which more misimprinted
males have a greater preference for blue tit females and also more aberrant song.
Maria Aasen
Title: Nest building in birds: cultural transmission?
Abstract: The study deals with nest building behavior in birds and has two issues; whether
nest building behaviour is innate or based on learning (cultural transmission), and whether
nest building has an influence on fitness. This will be investigated in two species, the great tit
(Parus major) and the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), which have some differences in nest
building, e.g. blue tits apply more feathers as lining of the nest than great tits. In a study area
in Bærum, a large number of individuals of the two species has been cross fostered by
switching eggs between nests so that great tits have been raised by blue tits and vice versa.
This gives us the opportunity to study whether cross fostered birds are learning the behaviour
of the foster species and are lining the nest with more/less feathers than conspecific control
birds which are not cross fostered.
The other issue will be addressed by looking at laying date, clutch size, brood size,
and body mass at fledging relative to quality aspects of the nest (number of feathers, and size
of nest). We also want to study whether older, experienced birds are building nests of higher
quality than younger and more inexperienced birds.
Kari Wigdahl Kleiven
Title: Choice of nesting site by tits: cultural transmission?
Abstract: Through a cross-fostering experiment, the goal of this study is to investigate if the
choice of nesting site, by blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus and great tit, Parus major, is innate or
if it is based on learning (cultural transmission). Whether it is the male or the female that
decides the roosting site will also be investigated. The cross-foster experiment is done in the
wild in an area with 500 nest boxes, where approximately 80 pairs of great tit and 110 pairs of
blue tits nests each year . The boxes are of two types, small ones and large ones. The great tit
prefers the large ones, while the blue tit prefers the small ones. A large number of individuals
have been cross-fostered in the study area, by switching eggs between nests and thereby
having blue tits being reared by great tits and great tits being reared by blue tits. By looking at
the cross-fostered birds’ choice of nest box size, we can se if they learned the behavior of
their foster species and chose a nest box of the same size as the one in where they grew up. It
will also be investigated whether it has any significance if it is the male, the female or both
sexes that has been cross-fostered, in order to study if one of the sexes in a pair decides the
roosting site.
Lee Hsiang Liow
Title: Paleobiologist home alone at the CEES?
Abstract: There are many names for the study of biology these days. Evolutionary ecology,
developmental biology, community ecology, molecular systematics, macroevolution,
population genetics, just to name a few, and not meaning to offend the practitioners of subdisciplines that are not mentioned in this space. I have been given a label too. They call me a
paleobiologist. In my quick and nearly data-less and method-less presentation, I illustrate my
perhaps un-intuitive links to the CEES. I also breeze through the kinds of questions I am
interested in. In my attempts to answer these questions, I use whatever reasonable methods I
can lay my hands on. This is in part because I am easily convinced by good arguments and am
a pluralist. Over time I also allow previously good arguments to become lousy ones in my
mind, that is, I evolve, just like my external world. In my presentation, the following terms
will be mentioned: abundance, extinction, IUCN Red List, foraminifera, the fossil record,
mammals, modeling, nannoplankton, origination, sleeping, students, volatility.
DAY 3
Anne Maria Eikeset
Title: The economic repercussions of fisheries-induced evolution
Abstract: Despite growing evidence that harvest can cause rapid evolution of key yielddetermining life-history traits, the economic effects of fisheries-induced evolution have yet to
be formally investigated. The world’s largest stock of Atlantic cod, the Northeast Arctic cod,
experienced an intensification of fishing pressure in the 1930s to 1950s, when open-ocean
trawling was introduced in the stock’s Barents Sea feeding grounds. Since this increase in
exploitation, the stock exhibited a pronounced reduction in the mean age and size at
maturation, a trend paralleled by observations in many other commercially harvested species.
Evidence suggests that these life-history changes have a genetic basis and that they could
diminish the stock’s productivity and sustainable yield by reducing the mean body size of fish
in the population. Considering that, in addition, large fish are disproportionately more
valuable than smaller fish, the removal of late-maturing or large-sized genotypes from
exploited populations could lead to considerable economic losses. Here, we merge ecology,
evolution, and economy by evaluating the economic cost of fisheries-induced evolution in
Northeast Arctic cod under realistic assumptions about the behaviour of fishermen. We
demonstrate that, within a few decades, the evolution of life-history traits induced by fishing
significantly reduces the economic returns generated by the stock’s feeding-ground fishery.
This shows how disregard for evolutionary change can be economically costly over a
relatively short time horizon. Our results therefore caution against ignoring the consequences
of fisheries-induced evolution.
Philippe S. Sabarros
Title: How to forage as a seabird? Constraints and strategies – an individual-based model
approach
Abstract: Marine birds as central-place foragers when breeding generally take daily foraging
trips at sea to seek food supply they bring back to their chicks. The marine environment (e.g.
prey distribution) is patchy and somehow unpredictable. Foraging techniques can differ a lot
between seabird species (e.g. flying above and plunge-diving versus swimming and pursuitdiving). The factors that determine how and where the different seabird species eventually
detect and collect their prey remain poorly understood. In this study, we propose to develop
an individual-based model to analyse Cape gannet and African penguin foraging strategies. In
this model, the idea is to examine the relative importance of factors such as prey distribution,
wind or current field, and communication between individuals in constraining seabird
foraging trajectories (e.g. random vs. Levy trajectories; direct search vs. indirect via
cooperation) recorded on tracking systems.
Florian Diekert
Title: The importance of acknowledging age-structure in fisheries management
Abstract: Many renewable resources such as fish stocks are inadequately summarized
by their overall biomass for questions of optimal management. A hypothetical sole-owner will
not maximize profit if he does not acknowledge the natural growth potential of the stock's
cohorts. This is of course no new insight, but still the magnitude of this effect is considerable.
Also when it comes to the more realistic scenario of competitive exploitation, it turns out that
the first age-at-capture may be a choice variable at least as important as the harvesting effort.
Conventional quota- or input regulations will therefore fail to deliver if they are not
accompanied by adequate size restrictions.
Mali Hole Skogen
Title: Population dynamics of the blue whiting: effects of climate and fisheries (Report from
research survey in the Norwegian Sea May 2008 and early analyses of recruitment)
Abstract: The Blue Whiting is a small semi-pelagic gadoid. It's distribution stretches from
the polar front area between Iceland, Jan Mayen and Spitzbergen and eastwards to the cost of
Norway with local populations in many of the Norwegian fjords. In early spring it migrates to
the spawning grounds west of the British Isles. Norway started fishing with pelagic trawl in
the spawning area in 1972 and today this fishery is the second largest in Norway measured in
tonnes.
At this moment I'm working on how recruitment to the northern part of the population
is effected by climate variables. This spring I participated in a Blue Whiting research survey
organized by the institute of marine research in the Norwegian Sea. I will also give a short
report from the survey.
Tristan Rouyer
Title: Investigating the response of fish stocks to environmental noise and exploitation
Abstract: Environmental variables, such as temperature, typically display autocorrelation
over a wide range of time-scales, a phenomenon more pronounced in marine environments. It
has further been shown that environmental noise (i.e. environmental variability) can affect the
fluctuations of populations as well as the probability of extinction, this effect being modulated
by the internal dynamics of species. This can be of central interest in fisheries ecology where
fish stocks dynamics can be affected by i) environment through key biological processes
(growth, reproduction), ii) exploitation that affects the biomass and the demography of stocks,
iii) life history traits that are determinants of the dynamics and affect the response to
exploitation. Using a dataset constituted by life history traits and catch time series for 117
exploited fish stocks of 30 Atlantic species from different areas, we investigate how
environmental noise can affect the response of fish stocks under various exploitation
pressures.
Kjetill S. Jakobsen
Title: Genome sequencing of cod as a starting point for "bridging the gap"
Abstract: Very recently CEES obtained funding from the NRC for sequencing the entire
genome of Atlantic cod using 454 technology. The project is anticipated finished in 2 years
and it will generate a 16X coverage of the cod genome. In addition, the project will generate a
large cDNA/EST database as well as SNP and mitogenomic variation databases. The cod
genome project is by itself only a starting point for asking the real interesting questions.
Having the cod genome blueprint, we can easily analyse additional genomes and selected
genes (gene clusters) for variation. This genomic variation will be investigated in light of
phenotypic variation - using genetic, experimental and bioinformatics tools. Full scale
transcriptome and proteome analyses will be conducted – as well as the cod metagenome
(including parasites, bacteria, symbionts etc.) sequencing will be conducted in connection
with the cod genome project. This will allow for unique investigations. A central question will
be how can such information be coupled to the cod phenotype. The relationship (if any)
between phenotypic plasticity and the genomic variants will be investigated. A particular
challenge will be an attempt to unify classical population genetic approaches with the
genomic information obtained from cod populations. Bringing together cod ecologists,
population biologist with molecular biologists, bioinformaticians and statisticians is a major
goal. Perhaps this may be a fist step towards "cod systems biology" – and subsequent
implications for fisheries management and aquaculture?
Marianne Aastebøl Minge
Title: The plastid evolution of the green dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum
Abstract: The primary plastid endosymbiosis, in which a heterotrophic eukaryote engulfed a
cyanobacteria which was retained in the cytoplasma instead of being digested, is one of the
most important events in the evolutionary history of eukaryotes. However, the diversity of
plastid-containing organisms is substantially larger than those harbouring a primary plastid, as
several groups of photosynthetic organisms acquired their plastid through secondary or
tertiary endosymbiosis, where a plastid-containing eukaryote was engulfed by another
eukaryote and the plastid retained. One of these groups is the dinoflagellates, known for their
exceptional ability to capture plastids, resulting in a range of different plastids in addition to
the ancestral peridinin-plastid. To gain further insight into their plastid evolution, we studied
the green dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum by constructing a cDNA library and by
454-sequencing of the plastid-genome. The plastid-encoded genes confirm the green algal
origin of the plastid, while the nuclear-encoded plastid-targeted genes found in the expressed
sequence tags display a range of different origins, including heterokont, streptophyte and
green-algal origin. Hence, the plastid proteome of Lepidodinium chlorophorum is highly
chimeric, reflecting a complex history of plastid replacements and horizontal gene transfer
events.
Tamara Ben Ari
Title: Are world wide plague foci randomly distributed?
Abstract: Plague is endemic in many different areas of the world. We asked ourselves
whether this distribution was completely random. As we noticed common features, we would
like to propose ideas to explain the distribution of these foci. A short analysis and many
prospectives.
Lei Xu
Title: Plague in china, the start of third plague pandemics
Abstract: Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is today found on all
continents. Through history it has had major impacts on human populations, not the least
through the three big pandemics. The third pandemic started in China in the middle of the
19th century and led to 10 million deaths in India alone. The main host of the plague
bacterium is wildlife rodents – only occasionally it spreads to human settlements and rural
host species.
It is well known that the third plague epidemic spread all over the world from Hong
Kong in 1894 and that it all started in the Yunnan province of South Western China. What is
not known is how plague migrated from the Yunnan province to Hong Kong, and when this
journey started. Here we provide such information by documenting how the plague has been
moving around in the south-western part of China since 1772, well before it earlier has been
reported in the western world (Minakata, 1899). This we do by analyzing Chinese archive
data on the occurrence of plague at the county level; prior to the plague invading Hong Kong
in 1894, there are 77 observations of plague in the Yunnan and 186 observations in other
southern Chinese provinces surrounding Hong Kong.
Kyrre Kausrud
Title: Winter climate and alpine rodent cycles
Abstract: The population cycles of rodents at northern latitudes have puzzled researchers and
laypeople for centuries1, and their impact is manifested throughout the alpine ecosystem.
Climate change may drive animal population dynamics between stable and cyclic phases, and
this has been suggested to cause the recently observed changes in cyclic dynamics of rodents
and their predators. But while predator–rodent interactions are commonly argued for as
causing the Fennoscandian rodent cycles, the role of the environment in the modulation of
such dynamics is often elusive in natural systems. However, available data from Finse,
Southern Norway, may offer a way to quantify the effects of snow conditions on rodent
dynamics.
Huidong Tian
Title: Two-thousand-year Chinese locust plague records
Abstract: Chinese history documents recorded many information including locust, flood,
drought and so on. The time span of those documents can extend to 2000 years, and the last
500 years' documents recorded more detailed information. we extracted locust data and will
extract more climate factor data to analyze the relationship between locust and climate factors
in 2000 years' scale, and will try to do some spatial-temporal analysis using the last about 500
years' detailed record.