Genetic structure of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra, Carnivora: Mustelidae) populations from the western Baltic sea region and its implications for the recolonization of north-western Germany

Abstract We characterized the genetic structure of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) meta-population living in the core of its Italian distribution range providing results from 191 fresh spraints, collected from 24 watercourses included in Southern Italy. Furthermore, according to ecological corridors and barriers, we discuss the likely ways of movement and possible evolutionary fate of these populations. We genotyped 136 samples using 11 Lut microsatellite nuclear markers amplified from faecal dna. Microsatellites were moderately variable (Ho = 0.45; He = 0.46), with a total number of alleles and average number of alleles per locus in the meta-population of 50 and 4.54, respectively. No significant heterozygosity excess was observed in meta-population suggesting no recent population bottlenecks. Bayesian clustering discriminated a sub-structuring of the meta-population in five putative clusters, indicating that local populations are genetically differentiated: three of these seem to be identifiable with geographically defined sub-populations (from the Cilento, Agri and Basento river basins). The fourth is represented by multiple sub-populations with admixed genotype, that include genotypes from the Lao, Sinni and Abatemaco river basins, living in a landscape with the higher environmental permeability. Landscape genetic analysis could provide evidence of an unexpected ecological corridor: the seacoast, highlighted, for the first time as a new way for the dispersion of the South-Italian otters. Deepening the knowledge of these perspectives is crucial to identify solid strategies aimed at the future health of the populations of the Italian otters, by restoring dispersal corridors and managing the watercourses.

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Pulmonary hair embolism in a rescued free-ranging Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in Kinmen, Taiwan

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms ◽

10.3354/dao03532 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 ◽

pp. 55-61

Author(s):

WT Li ◽

YL Chiang ◽

TY Chen ◽

CL Lai

Keyword(s):

Foreign Body ◽

Traumatic Injury ◽

Lung Parenchyma ◽

Giant Cells ◽

Hair Shaft ◽

Lutra Lutra ◽

Lung Lobe ◽

Eurasian Otter ◽

Foreign Body Giant Cells ◽

Free Ranging

Eurasian otters Lutra lutra are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and are imperiled by habitat loss, water pollution, and poaching. Harassment and attacks by stray animals are also recognized threats to the health of wild Eurasian otters. Pulmonary hair embolism is a possible complication in animals with deep traumatic injury, but to date no cases have been reported in wildlife. A free-ranging, adult male Eurasian otter was rescued due to severe emaciation and multiple bite wounds. The otter died 3 d after rescue and was necropsied. Grossly, a 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm firm nodule was observed in the left cranial lung lobe. Histologically, a fragment of hair shaft surrounded by multinucleated foreign body giant cells was observed in a medium-sized vein, and extensive eosinophilic infiltration was noted in the adjacent vascular wall and lung parenchyma. Based on the gross and histological findings, the pulmonary lesion was consistent with eosinophilic pneumonia and vasculitis induced by hair embolism. The presence of well-formed multinucleated foreign body giant cells and eosinophils may imply a late stage of foreign body reaction, and thus the presumptive source of hair embolism is an animal bite. This is the first report of pulmonary hair embolism associated with animal bite in a rescued free-ranging Eurasian otter.

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The Baltic Sea Region and the Cold War

10.3726/978-3-653-01760-1 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Keyword(s):

Cold War ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

The Baltic ◽

The Cold War

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Tracing the SW border of the Svecofennian Domain in the Baltic Sea region: evidence from petrology and geochronology from a granodioritic migmatite

International Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s00531-021-02005-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Evgenia Salin ◽

Jeremy Woodard ◽

Krister Sundblad

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Short Distance ◽

Sedimentary Cover ◽

Crystalline Basement ◽

Drill Core ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

Drill Site ◽

Southwestern Margin ◽

The Baltic

AbstractGeological investigations of a part of the crystalline basement in the Baltic Sea have been performed on a drill core collected from the depth of 1092–1093 m beneath the Phanerozoic sedimentary cover offshore the Latvian/Lithuanian border. The sample was analyzed for geochemistry and dated with the SIMS U–Pb zircon method. Inherited zircon cores from this migmatized granodioritic orthogneiss have an age of 1854 ± 15 Ma. Its chemical composition and age are correlated with the oldest generation of granitoids of the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (TIB), which occur along the southwestern margin of the Svecofennian Domain in the Fennoscandian Shield and beneath the Phanerozoic sedimentary cover on southern Gotland and in northwestern Lithuania. It is suggested that the southwestern border of the Svecofennian Domain is located at a short distance to the SW of the investigated drill site. The majority of the zircon population shows that migmatization occurred at 1812 ± 5 Ma, with possible evidence of disturbance during the Sveconorwegian orogeny.

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The Effect of Abiotic Factors on Abundance and Photosynthetic Performance of Airborne Cyanobacteria and Microalgae Isolated from the Southern Baltic Sea Region

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010103 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 103

Author(s):

Kinga Wiśniewska ◽

Sylwia Śliwińska-Wilczewska ◽

Anita Lewandowska ◽

Marta Konik

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Photosynthetic Performance ◽

Culture Collection ◽

Terrestrial Environment ◽

Territorial Expansion ◽

Southern Baltic Sea ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

Colonization Potential ◽

Southern Baltic

Cyanobacteria and microalgae present in the aquatic or terrestrial environment may be emitted into the air and transported along with air masses over long distances. As a result of staying in the atmosphere, these organisms may develop a greater tolerance to stressful factors, but this topic is still relatively unknown. The main aim was to show an autecological characteristic of some airborne microalgae and cyanobacteria strains by a factorial laboratory experiment approach, including changes in irradiance, temperature, and salinity conditions. The additional purpose of this work was also to present part of the Culture Collection of Baltic Algae (CCBA) collection, which consists of airborne algae (AA) isolated from the atmospheric air of the southern Baltic Sea region. Altogether, 61 strains of airborne cyanobacteria and microalgae from the southern Baltic Sea region were isolated from May 2018 to August 2020. Selected microorganisms were tested in controlled laboratory conditions to identify their response to different irradiance (10–190 µmol photons m−2 s−1), temperature (13–23 °C), and salinity conditions (0–36 PSU). The highest numbers of cells (above 30 × 105 cell mL−1) were recorded for cyanobacterium Nostoc sp., and for diatoms Nitzschia sp., Amphora sp., and Halamphora sp. We found that for cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. as well as for green alga Coccomyxa sp. the maximum cell concentrations were recorded at the salinity of 0 PSU. Moreover, cyanobacteria Planktolyngbya contorta, Pseudanabaena catenata, Leptolyngbya foveolarum, Gloeocapsa sp., and Rivularia sp. were able to grow only at a salinity of 0 PSU. On the other hand, in the range of 16–24 PSU, the highest cell numbers of examined diatoms have been identified. Our research provided that deposited airborne microalgae and cyanobacteria showed full colonization potential. The present experiment suggests that the adaptive abilities of microorganisms, in particular those producing toxins, may contribute to the spread in the future. Thus, it may increase human exposure to their negative health effects. Any distinctive adaptations of the genera give them an additional competitive advantage and a greater chance for territorial expansion.

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A review of the cultivation potential of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus (L.)) in the Baltic Sea region: a promising candidate species for marine aquaculture in Russia

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/689/1/012040 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 689 (1) ◽

pp. 012040

Author(s):

D Pyanov

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Scophthalmus Maximus ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Promising Candidate ◽

Marine Aquaculture ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

Candidate Species ◽

Turbot Scophthalmus Maximus ◽

The Baltic

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Variation of growth and phenology traits in poplars planted in clonal trials in Northern Europe—implications for breeding

BioEnergy Research ◽

10.1007/s12155-021-10262-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anneli Adler ◽

Almir Karacic ◽

Ann-Christin Rönnberg Wästljung ◽

Ulf Johansson ◽

Kaspars Liepins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Selection Criterion ◽

Volume Index ◽

Northern Europe ◽

Bud Burst ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

European Climate ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

The Baltic

AbstractThe increased demand for wood to replace oil-based products with renewable products has lifted focus to the Baltic Sea region where the environment is favorable for woody biomass growth. The aim of this study was to estimate broad-sense heritabilities and genotype-by-environment (G×E) interactions in growth and phenology traits in six climatically different regions in Sweden and the Baltics. We tested the hypothesis that both bud burst and bud set have a significant effect on the early growth of selected poplar clones in Northern Europe. Provenance hybrids of Populus trichocarpa adapted to the Northern European climate were compared to reference clones with adaptation to the Central European climate. The volume index of stemwood was under low to medium genetic control with heritabilities from 0.22 to 0.75. Heritabilities for phenology traits varied between 0.31 and 0.91. Locally chosen elite clones were identified. G×E interactions were analyzed using pairwise comparisons of the trials. Three different breeding zones for poplars between the latitudes of 55° N and 60° N in the Baltic Sea Region were outlined. The studied provenance hybrids with origin from North America offer a great possibility to broaden the area with commercial poplar plantations in Northern Europe and further improve the collection of commercial clones to match local climates. We conclude that phenology is an important selection criterion after growth.

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Boosting urban health and well-being through cross-sectoral cooperation

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.376 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

A Liinamo ◽

K Matinheikki-Kokko ◽

I Gobina ◽

A Villeruša

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Baltic Sea ◽

Well Being ◽

The Self ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Baltic Sea Region ◽

The Baltic ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract In the future, health promotion would require developed strategies that lead to stronger cross-sectoral cooperation. Cross-sectoral cooperation enables the integration of fragmented resources and competencies, which benefit service solutions for urban health. Healthy Boost “Urban Labs for Better Health for All in the Baltic Sea Region”, funded by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region -program, aims to develop the Model for cross-sectoral cooperation, which will be tested in the cities of the Baltic Sea Region during 2020-21. The self-assessment tool for cross-sectoral cooperation was developed, and the self-assessment among the nine cities in seven countries from the Baltic Sea Region was conducted in 2019. The results indicated to what extent the staff (n = 329) in the cities have recognized the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing as strategically crucial in their policies, communication, and in the design of their organizational functions. The daily practices were evaluated in terms of how systematically cities have implemented cross-sector actions for health and wellbeing. The biggest challenges for cooperating across sectors for the cities were coordination and systematic identification of the community needs for health promotion. The cooperative actions were less systematic than expected in the strategic approach. The variation among respondents' assessments was high within the cities that lead to a conclusion about existing gaps in coordination, communication, and leadership of cross-sectoral work within the cities. The Likert type self-assessment measurement was statistically reliable in both strategic and operational dimensions of cooperation. Key messages Evaluation and measurements are needed to identify cross-sectoral actions to health and well-being. The evidence-based Model developed in the Healthy Boost project will guide partners towards systematic cross-sectoral cooperation processes.

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