Popowics, T. E. & Fortelius, M. 1997: On the cutting edge: Tooth blade sharpness in herbivorous and faunivorous mammals. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 73–88.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf)
Rota, E. & Erséus, C. 1997: First record of Dendrobaena attemsi (Michaelsen) (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) in Scandinavia, with a critical review of its morphological variation, taxonomic relationships and geographical range. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 89–104.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf)
Bergeron, J.-M. 1997: Changes in habitat and in quality of food intake after a summer of grazing by fenced voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 105–113.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf )
Nakari, T. 1997: Seasonal changes in fish biomarkers. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 115–126.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf)
Ranta, E., Kaitala, V. & Lindström, J. 1997: External disturbances and population dynamics. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 127–132.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf)
Björklund, M. & Merilä, J. 1997: Why some measures of fluctuating asymmetry are so sensitive to measurement error. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 133–137.
Commentary, abstract not available
Full text (print quality pdf)
Polyakov, A. V., Borodin, P. M., Lukácová, L., Searle, J. B. & Zima, J. 1997: The hypothetical Old-Northern chromosome race of Sorex araneus found in the Ural Mts. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 139–142.
Abstract, Full text (print quality pdf )
ERRATA. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 143–144.
Text, Full text (print quality pdf)
Popowics, T. E. & Fortelius, M. 1997: On the cutting edge: Tooth blade sharpness in herbivorous and faunivorous mammals. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 73–88.
Sharp blade tips are advantageous to herbivorous and faunivorous mammals because bite forces are concentrated on the sharp blade tip and produce an initial tear in the tough foodstuff. We examine whether blade sharpness scales with body size and how tooth design and diet are related to the sharpness of the blade tip. Blade sharpness scales isometrically and the physical properties of food form a secondary influence. A high attrition/abrasion ratio is associated with sharp blades regardless of total wear rate, while high relative abrasion blunts the blades. The height of occlusal features is the main aspect of tooth design associated with sharpness.
Rota, E. & Erséus, C. 1997: First record of Dendrobaena attemsi (Michaelsen) (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) in Scandinavia, with a critical review of its morphological variation, taxonomic relationships and geographical range. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 89–104.
Specimens of Dendrobaena attemsi (Michaelsen, 1902) are reported from a relict natural forest habitat in ‘Nationalstadsparken’, an urban national park within the city of Stockholm, Sweden. They represent the northernmost record of the species and the first from Scandinavia. A morphological comparison of the new material with conspecific samples from Italy and Turkey, and with literature data, shows that the typical traits of the species (small body size, pigmentation pattern, long-stalked spermathecae, hooked nephridial bladders, lack of hearts in xi) remain virtually invariant throughout its geographic range. A constancy is also observed in the regular nephropore alternation between setal levels b and d as well as in several aspects of chaetotaxy, including the relative size distribution of the clitellar genital setae b and their ‘grooviness’ (mean length of grooves/mean total setal length). Other features, e.g., the relative intersetal distances, the location and number of genital setae in the spermathecal and male areas, show intraspecific variation. Based upon the apomorphic states of the nephridial features and the number of hearts, D. attemsi is tentatively regarded as an early branch of a clade comprising at least also the Balkan D. mahnerti, D. epirotica, D. pindonensis and D. rhodopensis. The superficially similar D. octaedra and D. decipiens do not belong to such a clade. Recent records of D. attemsi in natural habitats of the Czech Republic and Germany suggest the possibility that, as is hypothesized for the western part of its range, also in Central Europe the species re-expanded northwards in postglacial times. Alternatively, the species was introduced to Sweden by man, although a historical association with human settlements seems unlikely.
Bergeron, J.-M. 1997: Changes in habitat and in quality of food intake after a summer of grazing by fenced voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 105–113.
Nutritional components of individual plant species such as protein, nonstructural carbohydrates, neutral detergent fibers and total phenolics are commonly used to assess the quality of vole habitats and food selection. Although voles act individually on each plant species of their habitat, I question the use of such variables for following habitat manipulation by this small herbivore after a summer of grazing. I tested the reliability of using chemical analyses of green biomass from quadrat samples, and fecal matter of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) for determining changes in habitat quality and food quality by confined animals. Voles were introduced into fenced plots during early summer and reached peak numbers of 350 animals/ha. Green biomass did not vary among the grazed plots, nor between grazed and ungrazed (control) plots after a summer of grazing activity. Chemical components of green biomass did not differ significantly between grazed and ungrazed plots. As a whole, green biomass samples were unreliable for detecting habitat quality changes after vole grazing. Food habit determinations from fecal remains showed that five herbaceous species were selected by confined voles. Moreover, fecal matter contained significantly more carbohydrates, total phenolics, and neutral detergent fibers in the heavily grazed plot compared with samples collected in lightly grazed areas, indicating that consequences of heavy grazing could be detected from such analyses. I conclude that chemical analyses of fecal matter rather than green biomass represent a better way of measuring out changes in food quality of vole habitats. Further studies are needed to know which categories of animals make up the fecal dropping samples in the field, and how much information is lost when samples are collected directly from animals or on bi-weekly or monthly schedules from dropping boards.
Nakari, T. 1997: Seasonal changes in fish biomarkers. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 115–126.
Seasonal changes in the detoxification, hormone levels, energy metabolism and water content were measured in juvenile 2-year-old brown trout held in two environmentally different test conditions. In spite of the different test conditions, the course of seasonal changes in the measured biomarkers was quite similar in both test group fish. However, the measured values of these biomarkers differed significantly between the groups, and also between sexes. Although the fish were juveniles, seasonal changes similar to adults were observed in male gonadal growth and plasma testosterone concentration. Also, only in males, during the spawning period, the liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity was negatively correlated with the plasma testosterone concentration, which was at its highest at that time. The liver detoxification activity reached maximum in winter. Plasma osmotic concentration was also higher in winter than summer. During the entire year, the tissue-water content of the “laboratory” fish was significantly higher than that of the fish farm group. Energy resources of the fish increased during summer, and were high in autumn and early winter. Between the groups notable differences were observed only in winter.
Ranta, E., Kaitala, V. & Lindström, J. 1997: External disturbances and population dynamics. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 127–132.
Using a set of 10 randomly allocated populations in a coordinate space we subjected them to population renewal after the Ricker model and the Turchin model. Parameter values were selected so that the Ricker model yielded oscillations with Period 2 and the Turchin model with Period 10. The subpopulations were subjected to global disturbance (the Moran effect) with varying probability of occurrence and intensity. The populations were initially set out of phase, and the population renewal and the Moran effect was let to act for 1500 generations, the final 1000 were used to score the level of synchrony in dynamics among the 10 subpopulations. From these data we also estimated the parameter values of the Ricker and Turchin models. The Moran effect is capable of synchronising dynamics of the subpopulations regardless of the population renewal model. However, frequent enough disturbances do not yield synchronous dynamics. Also, the Moran effect, when frequent enough, or when strong enough, has a feature to alter the characteristics of the population dynamics.
Polyakov, A. V., Borodin, P. M., Lukácová, L., Searle, J. B. & Zima, J. 1997: The hypothetical Old-Northern chromosome race of Sorex araneus found in the Ural Mts.— Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 139–142.
Chromosomes of two populations of the common shrew, Sorex araneus L. (Mammalia, Insectivora, Soricidae), from the northern Ural Mts. were investigated. In both sites, homozygous, all-metacentric autosomal complements were revealed, with the autosomal arm combinations af, bc, go, hn, ip, jl, km, qr, tu. This karyotype is identical to that predicted by Halkka et al. (1994) as the hypothetical “Old-Northern” race connecting the northern and eastern ratial groups of Sorex araneus in Eurasia.
ERRATA. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 34: 143–144.
In the article of Ian J. Winfield, Colin E. Adams & Janice M. Fletcher 1996: Recent introductions of the ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) to three United Kingdom lakes containing Coregonus species. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 33: 459–466, the following errors occurred:— In Fig. 2 on page 461, the lower of the three figures should not have C. lavaretus in the x-axis labelling (as the other two have), but C. albula (see below).
— In Fig. 3 on page 462, the entire legend is missing. It should read: Fig. 3. Age structures and fitted growth curves for ruffe from Loch Lomond (N = 60), Llyn Tegid (N = 137) and Bassenthwaite Lake (N = 27).
In the article of Reiner Eckmann & Frauke Imbrock 1996: Distribution and diel vertical migration of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) during winter. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 33: 679–686, the following error occurred:
— In the text in parentheses for the caption of Fig. 4 (on page 684) instead of “(No. data available in the upper 20 m from 25 October to 10 January due to technical failure)”, should read (No data available in the upper 20 m from 25 October to 10 January due to technical failure)”.