Department of Natural History
Recent Submissions
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Glostatina, a new xyloctonine subtribe for Glostatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), based on clear genetic and morphological differences
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)An integrated taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Glostatus Schedl, 1939 is presented, which is based on multiple genetic markers and morphological characters. Both types of data clearly distinguish Glostatus from other ... -
Multiple paths toward repeated phenotypic evolution in the spiny-leg adaptive radiation (Tetragnatha; Hawai'i)
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)The repeated evolution of phenotypes provides clear evidence for the role of natural selection in driving evolutionary change. However, the evolutionary origin of repeated phenotypes can be difficult to disentangle as it ... -
Mitochondrial Genome Evolution in Annelida—A Systematic Study on Conservative and Variable Gene Orders and the Factors Influencing its Evolution
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)The mitochondrial genomes of Bilateria are relatively conserved in their protein-coding, rRNA, and tRNA gene complement, but the order of these genes can range from very conserved to very variable depending on the taxon. ... -
Complex sublinear burrows in the deep sea may be constructed by amphipods
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Trails, burrows, and other “life traces” in sediment provide important evidence for understanding ecology—both of the maker and of other users—and behavioral information often lacking in inaccessible ecosystems, such as ... -
Cryptic persistence and loss of local endemism in Lake Constance charr subject to anthropogenic disturbance
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)In the welcome circumstance that species believed extinct are rediscovered, it is often the case that biological knowledge acquired before the presumed extinction is limited. Efforts to address these knowledge gaps, in ... -
A Pleistocene origin of the strandflat coastal platform in southwestern Scandinavia
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)An impressively extensive shore platform, the strandflat, is cut 20–50 km into hard crystalline bedrock along most of the Norwegian coastline. Its age and origin have been debated for more than a century, including a model ... -
The era of reference genomes in conservation genomics
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Progress in genome sequencing now enables the large-scale generation of reference genomes. Various international initiatives aim to generate reference genomes representing global biodiversity. These genomes provide unique ... -
Relationships Between Soil Microbial Diversities Across an Aridity Gradient in Temperate Grasslands: Soil Microbial Diversity Relationships
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Soil microbes assemble in highly complex and diverse microbial communities, and microbial diversity patterns and their drivers have been studied extensively. However, diversity correlations and co-occurrence patterns between ... -
Preventing species extinctions: A global conservation consortium for Erica
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Societal Impact Statement Human-caused habitat destruction and transformation is resulting in a cascade of impacts to biological diversity, of which arguably the most fundamental is species extinctions. The Global ... -
Revision of the Cretaceous shark Protoxynotus (Chondrichthyes, Squaliformes) and early evolution of somniosid sharks
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Due to the peculiar combination of dental features characteristic for different squaliform families, the position of the Late Cretaceous genera Protoxynotus and Paraphorosoides within Squaliformes has long been controversial. ... -
Inclusion of juvenile stages improves diversity assessment and adds to our understanding of mite ecology – A case study from mires in Norway
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Arachnid orders, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, and Sarcoptiformes, commonly known as ‘mites’, are abundant in mires, both as adults and as juveniles. However, due to the challenges of identification, the juvenile forms are ... -
Habitat Protection Approaches Facilitate Conservation of Overlooked Fungal Diversity–A Case Study From the Norwegian Coastal Heathland System
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)European coastal heathlands are distinct ecosystems shaped by land use tradition and they have experienced an 80% area reduction from their historical maximum. These mosaics of mires and wind exposed patches have ericaceous ... -
Heterogeneity on the abyssal plains: A case study in the Bering Sea
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)The abyssal plains are vast areas without large scale relief that occupy much of the ocean floor. Although long considered relatively featureless, they are now known to display substantial biological heterogeneity across ... -
Diet of three sympatric species of granivorous songbirds in a Norwegian high mountain area during the early breeding season
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Stomach samples of Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus, Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis, and Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris were collected at Hardangervidda in an early phase of the breeding season (during egg-laying ... -
The distribution of lichens and mosses at Edward VII Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)This is the first detailed study of the distribution of mosses and lichens at Alexandra Mountains and Rockefeller Mountains, Edward VII Peninsula, Antarctica. A total of 418 samples was collected on 21 nunataks in the ... -
Spatio-temporal patterns in the woodiness of flowering plants
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Aim Woody and herbaceous habits represent one of the most distinct contrasts among angiosperms, and the proportion of woody species in floras (i.e., “woodiness” hereafter) represents a fundamental structural element of ... -
Two thousand years of Landscape—Human interactions at a coastal peninsula in Norway revealed through pollen analysis, shoreline reconstruction, and radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Human impact on long-term vegetation and biodiversity changes is often discussed on a general level, connecting palynological data to archaeological time periods. In the present paper we present environmental change during ... -
The Soursop Genome (Annona muricata L., Annonaceae)
(Chapter, 2022)The Annonaceae family contains important tropical crops, but the number of species used commercially is limited, and development of other promising species for cultivation is hindered by a lack of genomic resources to ... -
Walruses on the Dnieper: new evidence for the intercontinental trade of Greenlandic ivory in the Middle Ages
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Mediaeval walrus hunting in Iceland and Greenland—driven by Western European demand for ivory and walrus hide ropes—has been identified as an important pre-modern example of ecological globalization. By contrast, the main ... -
The great auk in Norway: From common to locally extinct
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)A total of 477 bones of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis) from 53 localities and 55 periods in Norway are studied. All but two, are archaeological sites from the Holocene, mainly from 6000–2000 cal years bp. The two ...