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The more insects there are, the more food there is for insectivores and the higher the likelihood for insect-associated ecosystem services. Yet, we lack insights into the drivers of insect biomass over space and seasons, for both tropical and temperate zones. We used 245 Malaise traps, managed by 191 volunteers and park guards, to characterize year-round flying insect biomass in a temperate (Sweden) and a tropical (Madagascar) country. Surprisingly, we found that local insect biomass was similar across zones. In Sweden, local insect biomass increased with accumulated heat and varied across habitats, while biomass in Madagascar was unrelated to the environmental predictors measured. Drivers behind seasonality partly converged: In both countries, the seasonality of insect biomass differed between warmer and colder sites, and wetter and drier sites. In Sweden, short-term deviations from expected season-specific biomass were explained by week-to-week fluctuations in accumulated heat, rainfall and soil moisture, whereas in Madagascar, weeks with higher soil moisture had higher insect biomass. Overall, our study identifies key drivers of the seasonal distribution of flying insect biomass in a temperate and a tropical climate. This knowledge is key to understanding the spatial and seasonal availability of insects-as well as predicting future scenarios of insect biomass change.

Several studies have shown that the euryxenic trematode Derogenes varicus (Müller, 1784) represents a species complex. Four lineages have been designated (DV1-4) with the DV1 clade corresponding to D. varicus sensu stricto. Herein, we investigate newly collected specimens of D. varicus sensu lato from Scandinavian and Arctic waters using integrative taxonomy. The trematodes were collected from Melanogrammus aeglefinus, Eutrigla gurnardus, Trachinus draco, and Merluccius merluccius off the Atlantic coast of Sweden and from Hippoglossoides platessoides from Arctic Svalbard. 28S sequences of derogenids from Sweden were identical to D. varicus sensu stricto, confirming its euryxeny. The 28S sequences of Derogenes sp. from H. platessoides were identical to Derogenes DV2 and differed from D. varicus sensu stricto by 3% and from Derogenes DV3 by 2%. The 28S sequence divergences of Derogenes sp. from H. platessoides with D. ruber and D. lacustris were 3 and 10%, respectively. ITS2 and cox1 divergences between Derogenes sp. from H. platessoides and other Derogenes species/lineages were at levels of interspecific differences. The species from H. platessoides is described here as D. abba n. sp. We also examined the type material of Progonus muelleri (Levinsen, 1881), the type and only species of the genus Progonus, with redescription and designations of paralectotypes. Based on specimens from Theodor Odhner's collections at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, SMNH, Stockholm, we provide novel morphological and anatomical data for D. varicus sensu lato species complex. Lastly, we investigated Arthur Looss's "lost collection" of Trematodes at the SMNH and characterised a putative species Derogenes sp. "limula"., (© C. Bouguerche et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2024.)

Background: Polychlorinated alkanes (PCAs) constitute a large group of individual congeners originating from commercial chlorinated paraffin (CP) products with carbon chain lengths of PCAs-C 10-13 , PCAs-C 14-17 , and PCAs-C 18-32 , occasionally containing PCAs-C 6-9 impurities. The extensive use of CPs has led to global environmental pollution of PCAs. This study aimed to quantify PCAs in paired serum and breast milk of lactating Swedish mothers, exploring their concentration relationship., Methods: Twenty-five paired samples of mothers' blood serum and breast milk were analysed and concentrations were determined for PCAs C 6-32 and compared to 4,4'-DDE, the PCB congener 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB)., Results: The median concentrations of PCAs-C 6-9 , PCAs-C 10-13 , PCAs-C 14-17 , PCAs-C 18-32 and ΣPCAs in serum were 14, 790, 520, 16 and 1350 ng/g lipid weight (lw), respectively, and in breast milk 0.84, 36, 63, 6.0 and 107 ng/g lw. Levels of 4,4'-DDE, CB-153 and HCB were comparable in the two matrices, serum and breast milk at 17, 12 and 4.9 ng/g lw. The results show significant differences of PCAs-C 10-13 and PCAs-C 14-17 in breast milk with 22- and 6.2-times lower lw-based concentrations than those measured in serum. On wet weight the differences serum/breast milk ratios of PCAs-C 6-9 , PCAs-C 10-13 , PCAs-C 14-17 , PCAs-C 18-32 and ΣPCAs were 1.7, 3.2, 1.0, 0.4 and 1.6, respectively, while the ratio for 4,4'-DDE, CB-153 and HCB were each close to 0.1., Conclusion: Swedish lactating mothers had high serum concentrations of PCAs-C 10-13 and PCAs-C 14-17 , with the ΣPCAs median serum concentration of 1350 ng/g lw. The breast milk concentration, although considerably lower at 107 ng/g lw, still surpassed those of 4,4'-DDE, CB-153 and HCB, suggesting an exposure risk of infants to PCAs. The variation in blood and breast milk accumulation between PCAs and studied legacy POPs, is rarely discussed but warrants further studies on partitioning properties as well as associated toxicological implications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Ungulate species have experienced severe declines over the past centuries through overharvesting and habitat loss. Even if many game species have recovered thanks to strict hunting regulation, the genome-wide impacts of overharvesting are still unclear. Here, we examine the temporal and geographical differences in genome-wide diversity in moose (Alces alces) over its whole range in Sweden by sequencing 87 modern and historical genomes. We found limited impact of the 1900s near-extinction event but local variation in inbreeding and load in modern populations, as well as suggestion of a risk of future reduction in genetic diversity and gene flow. Furthermore, we found candidate genes for local adaptation, and rapid temporal allele frequency shifts involving coding genes since the 1980s, possibly due to selective harvesting. Our results highlight that genomic changes potentially impacting fitness can occur over short time scales and underline the need to track both deleterious and selectively advantageous genomic variation., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Temporal and spatial trends of 15 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were determined in white-tailed sea eagle (WTSE) eggs ( Haliaeetus albicilla ) from two inland and two coastal regions of Sweden between 1969 and 2021. PFAS concentrations generally increased from ∼1969 to ∼1990s-2010 (depending on target and site) and thereafter plateaued or declined, with perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) declining faster than most perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). The net result was a shift in the PFAS profile from PFOS-dominant in 1969-2010 to an increased prevalence of PFCAs over the last decade. Further, during the entire period higher PFAS concentrations were generally observed in coastal populations, possibly due to differences in diet and/or proximity to more densely populated areas. Fluorine mass balance determination in pooled samples from three of the regions (2019-2021) indicated that target PFAS accounted for the vast majority ( i.e. 81-100%) of extractable organic fluorine (EOF). Nevertheless, high resolution mass-spectrometry-based suspect screening identified 55 suspects (31 at a confidence level [CL] of 1-3 and 24 at a CL of 4-5), of which 43 were substances not included in the targeted analysis. Semi-quantification of CL ≤ 2 suspects increased the identified EOF to >90% in coastal samples. In addition to showing the impact of PFAS regulation and phase-out initiatives, this study demonstrates that most extractable organofluorine in WTSE eggs is made up of known (legacy) PFAS, albeit with low levels of novel substances.

Background: Birds can cross geographical and environmental barriers and thereby facilitate dispersal of tick-borne pathogens both as carriers of infected ticks and as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. Ixodes lividus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is an endophilic tick in the Palearctic region that is highly specialized on its host, the European sand martin Riparia riparia . The purpose of this study was to determine whether I. lividus ticks sampled from sand martin nests in Sweden carry vector-borne pathogens. Materials and Methods: Fed ticks were collected in the autumns of 2017 and 2019 from the nests of a European sand martin colony in southern Sweden. Ticks were identified morphologically to developmental stage and species and were tested for tick-borne pathogens using PCR-based methods. Results: None of the 41 ticks tested positive for five tick-borne pathogens including Borrelia spp., tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum , and Babesia spp. Thirty-seven (13 females, 23 nymphs and 1 larva) of the 41 ticks tested positive for the gltA gene of Rickettsia spp. The sequences of the 17 kDa and gltA genes were most closely related to Candidatus Rickettsia vini. Conclusion: Our study confirms other reports that I. lividus ticks associated with the European sand martin have high infection prevalence of Ca. R. vini.

The enigmatic acid-resistant mesofossil genus Kuqaia is emended, a new species (Kuqaia scanicus) is instituted, and three established species are described from the Lower Jurassic (lower Pliensbachian) of the Kävlinge BH-928 core, in southern Sweden. Kuqaia has a distribution across the middle northern latitudes of Pangaea and is restricted to Lower to lower Middle Jurassic strata. Morphological characters support Kuqaia being the ephippia (resting egg/embryo cases) of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda), and a probable early stem-group taxon of the Daphnia lineage. The paleoecology of the small planktonic crustaceans indicate purely fresh-water environments, such as lakes or ponds, all occurrences being in continental deposits, and the Kuqaia specimens possibly represent dry-season resting eggs. Chemical analyses of these and similar fossils, and of extant invertebrate eggs and egg cases are recommended to improve resolution of the biological affiliations of such mesofossil groups., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Peng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Both abiotic and biotic conditions may be important for biodiversity. However, their relative importance may vary among different diversity dimensions as well as across spatial scales. Spiders (Araneae) offer an ecologically relevant system for evaluating variation in the relative strength abiotic and biotic biodiversity regulation. We quantified the relative importance of abiotic and biotic conditions for three diversity dimensions of spider communities quantified across two spatial scales. Spiders were surveyed along elevation gradients in northern Sweden. We focused our analysis on geomorphological and climatic conditions as well as vegetation characteristics, and quantified the relative importance of these conditions for the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of spider communities sampled across one intermediate (500 m) and one local (25 m) scale. There were stronger relationships among diversity dimensions at the local than the intermediate scale. There were also variation in the relative influence of abiotic and biotic conditions among diversity dimensions, but this variation was not consistent across spatial scales. Across both spatial scales, vegetation was related to all diversity dimensions whereas climate was important for phylogenetic and functional diversity. Our study does not fully support stronger abiotic regulation at coarser scales, and conversely stronger abiotic regulation at more local scales. Instead, our results indicate that community assembly is shaped by interactions between abiotic constrains in species distributions and biotic conditions, and that such interactions may be both scale and context dependent., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Prof. Arthur Looss (1861-1923) was a prolific German parasitologist, who, among other things, authored descriptions of 22 new species of nematodes and 115 new species of trematodes. After his death, his collection (including type material) was split between several institutions: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington (USA), Natural History Museum in Berlin and the Natural History Museum in Leipzig (Germany), Gothenburg Museum of Natural History and Swedish Museum of Natural History (Sweden). Here we revise all type specimens of nematodes from the A. Looss collection that are currently preserved in the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Strongylus subtilis, Sclerostomum edentatum, S. vulgare, Cyathostomum labratum, C. coronatum, C. bicoronatum, C. calicatum, C. alveatum, C. catinatum, C. nassatum, C. radiatum, C. elongatum, C. auriculatum, Triodontus minor, T. serratus, C. labiatum and Uncinaria polaris), designate and describe lectotypes wherever deemed necessary and provide catalogue access numbers to all type materials. We also revise all notes and drawings associated with new species that A. Looss described and provide previously unpublished pencilled sketches and ink print-ready drawings of some of these species (Strongylus subtilis, Cyathostomum poculatum, C. radiatum, C. elongatum, C. calicatum, C. auriculatum, Triodontus serratus, Trichostrongylus vitrinus and possibly Necator africanus).

Derogenes varicus (Müller, 1784) is widely reported as a trematode with exceptionally low host specificity and a wide, bipolar distribution. However, several recent studies have suggested that D. varicus represents a species complex and based on molecular evidence, four genetic lineages (labeled as "DV1-4") have been designated within the D. varicus species complex. This possibility requires improved (ideally molecular) characterisation of specimens from the type-host (Salmo salar) and type-locality (off Denmark). During examination of trematode parasites of fish from Scandinavian and Arctic waters (Sweden and Norway), we found specimens of D. varicus in the stomach of Merlangius merlangus off the coast of Sweden, and in Gadus morhua off the coast of Sweden and Norway; we compared them to D. varicus from the type-host, the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from Norway, to verify their conspecificity. Newly generated sequences (28S rDNA, ITS2 and cox1) of Scandinavian and Arctic specimens consistent with D. varicus all formed a single clade, DV1. 28S sequences of D. varicus from S. salar from Norway, i.e., close to the Danish type locality, clustered within the DV1 clade along with sequences of D. varicus from various hosts including Limanda limanda, G. morhua and Myoxocephalus scorpius from the White Sea and the Barents Sea (Russia), without any host-related structuring. We thus consider that the lineage DV1 represents D. varicus sensu stricto. Additionally, specimens from M. merlangus had a similar morphology and anatomy to those of D. varicus from L. limanda, G. morhua and M. scorpius from T. Odhner's collection, supporting the presence of a single species in the DV1 lineage designated herein as D. varicus sensu stricto. We redescribe D. varicus sensu stricto, add new morphological characters and provide morphometric data. We infer that D. varicus types DV2-4 all relate to separate species. We also revise type-specimens of Derogenes minor Looss, 1901 from the A. Looss collection in the Swedish Museum of Natural History and provide redescriptions of it and of the type-species of the genus, Derogenes ruber Lühe, 1900. In light of their morphological distinctiveness relative to D. varicus sensu stricto, we reinstate D. parvus Szidat, 1950 and D. fuhrmanni Mola, 1912., (© C. Bouguerche et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2023.)

Telomeres are used as biomarkers of vertebrate health because of the link between their length, lifespan, and survival. Exposure to environmental stressors appears to alter telomere dynamics, but little is known about telomere length and persistent organic pollutant (POP) exposure in wildlife. The white-tailed eagle (WTE; Haliaeetus albicilla) is an avian top predator that accumulates high levels of POPs and may subsequently suffer adverse health effects. Here we study the Baltic WTE population that is well documented to have been exposed to large contaminant burdens, thereby making it a promising candidate species for analyzing pollutant-mediated effects on telomeres. We investigated telomere lengths in WTE nestlings (n = 168) over 19 years and examined legacy POP concentrations (organochlorines and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in whole blood and serum as potential drivers of differences in telomere length. Although we detected significant year-to-year variations in telomere lengths among the WTE nestlings, telomere lengths did not correlate with any of the investigated POP concentrations of several classes. Given that telomere lengths did not associate with POP contamination in the Baltic WTE nestlings, we propose that other environmental and biological factors, which likely fluctuate on a year-to-year basis, could be more important drivers of telomere lengths in this population., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Thunderstorm asthma is a term used to describe surges in acute respiratory illnesses following a thunderstorm and is often attributed to an intense exposure to aeroallergens. Several episodes of thunderstorm asthma have been observed worldwide; however, no such cases have been described in Sweden. In Sweden, the most prominent exposure to air-borne pollen occurs during the blooming of the birch. We aimed to explore the associations between respiratory health and the combined exposure to thunderstorms and birch pollen., Methods: We investigated the association between the daily numbers of outpatient visits due to respiratory cases and the combined exposure to thunderstorms and birch pollen during the period of 1 May-31 September in 2001-2017, in Stockholm County, Sweden, by using time series analysis with log linear models., Results: We detected noticeable increases in the number of outpatient visits on both the same day (max 26%; 95% CI 1.16-1.37) and the day after (max 50%; 95% CI 1.32-1.70) the occurrence of a thunderstorm, when the concentrations of birch pollen and the number of lightning discharges were within the highest categories., Conclusions: It is possible that co-exposure to heavy thunderstorms and high concentrations of birch pollen affects the respiratory health of the Stockholm population. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the thunderstorm-related respiratory illnesses in Sweden and the effects of birch pollen. Our study may be important for future public health advice related to thunderstorm asthma.

Temporal trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been extensively studied in various environmental compartments globally. However, despite the increasing use of alternative flame retardants following PBDE bans, the spatiotemporal trends of these replacements have rarely been studied, and the available results are often inconsistent. In the present study, we retrospectively investigated the spatiotemporal trends of PBDEs and a suite of alternative brominated FRs (aBFRs) and chlorinated FRs ( i.e. , dechloranes or DECs) in three harbor seal ( Phoca vitulina ) populations from the coasts of California, the Gulf of Maine, and southern Sweden during 1999-2016. We observed significantly decreasing trends of ΣPBDEs in all the three populations at an annual rate of 9-11%, which were predominantly driven by the declining concentrations of tetra- and penta-BDEs. The levels of ΣaBFRs decreased significantly in seals from California (mainly 1,3,5-tribromobenzene) and Sweden (mainly hexabromobenzene), while no trend was observed for those from Maine. By contrast, DECs (dominated by DEC 602) did not decrease significantly in any population. Compared with the consistent PBDE congener profiles across regions, aBFRs and DECs exhibited varying compositional profiles between regions, likely indicating region-specific sources of these alternative FR mixtures. Spatial analysis also revealed regional differences in the concentrations of PBDEs, aBFRs, and DECs in harbor seals. Our reconstructed spatiotemporal trends suggest the effective regulation of commercial penta-BDE mix in these regions and warrant further monitoring of the higher brominated BDEs and alternative FRs.

Exposure to lead (Pb) from ammunition in scavenging and raptorial birds has achieved worldwide recognition based on incidences of lethal poisoning, but exposure implies also sublethal levels with potential harmful effects. Background and elevated Pb levels in liver from 116 golden eagles (GE, Aquila chrysaetos) and 200 white-tailed sea eagles (WTSE, Haliaeetus albicilla) from Sweden 2003-2011 are here examined, with supporting data from a previous WTSE report and eagle owl (EO, Bubu bubo) report. GE and WTSE display seasonal patterns, with no Pb level exceeding a generally accepted threshold for subclinical effects during summer but strongly elevated levels from October. Fledged juveniles show significantly lower levels than all other age classes, but reach levels found in older birds in autumn after the start of hunting seasons. Pb levels in EO (non-scavenger) show no seasonal changes and indicate no influence from ammunition, and are close to levels observed in juvenile eagles before October. In all, 15% WTSE and 7% GE were lethally poisoned. In areas with high-exposure to hunting ammunition, 24% of WTSE showed lethal Pb levels, compared to 7% in both eagle species from low-exposure areas. Lethal poisoning of WTSE remained as frequent after (15%) as before (13%) a partial ban on use of Pb-based shotgun ammunition over shallow waters (2002). Pb levels increased significantly in WTSE 1981-2011, in contrast to other biota from the same period. A significant decrease of Pb in WTSE liver occurred below a threshold at 0.25 μg/g (dry weight), exceeded by 81% of the birds. Trend patterns in Pb isotope ratios lend further support to this estimated cut-off level for environmental background concentrations. Pb from spent ammunition affects a range of scavenging and predatory species. A shift to Pb-free ammunition to save wildlife from unnecessary harm is an important environmental and ethical issue., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no known competing personal or other interests that could have had an influence on the work and conclusions in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Following the advent of industrial-scale antibiotic production in the 1940s, 1 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been on the rise and now poses a major global health threat in terms of mortality, morbidity, and economic burden. 2 Because AMR can be exchanged between humans, livestock, and wildlife, wild animals can be used as indicators of human-associated AMR contamination of the environment. , However, AMR is a normal function of natural environments and is present in host-associated microbiomes, which makes it challenging to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural sources. 3 One way to overcome this difficulty is to use historical samples that span the period from before the mass production of antibiotics to today. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing of dental calculus, the calcified form of the oral microbial biofilm, to determine the abundance and repertoire of AMR genes in the oral microbiome of Swedish brown bears collected over the last 180 years. Our temporal metagenomics approach allowed us to establish a baseline of natural AMR in the pre-antibiotics era and to quantify a significant increase in total AMR load and diversity of AMR genes that is consistent with patterns of national human antibiotic use. We also demonstrated a significant decrease in total AMR load in bears in the last two decades, which coincides with Swedish strategies to mitigate AMR. Our study suggests that public health policies can be effective in limiting human-associated AMR contamination of the environment and wildlife.4 However, AMR is a normal function of natural environments and is present in host-associated microbiomes, which makes it challenging to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural sources. 4 , 5 One way to overcome this difficulty is to use historical samples that span the period from before the mass production of antibiotics to today. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing of dental calculus, the calcified form of the oral microbial biofilm, to determine the abundance and repertoire of AMR genes in the oral microbiome of Swedish brown bears collected over the last 180 years. Our temporal metagenomics approach allowed us to establish a baseline of natural AMR in the pre-antibiotics era and to quantify a significant increase in total AMR load and diversity of AMR genes that is consistent with patterns of national human antibiotic use. We also demonstrated a significant decrease in total AMR load in bears in the last two decades, which coincides with Swedish strategies to mitigate AMR. Our study suggests that public health policies can be effective in limiting human-associated AMR contamination of the environment and wildlife., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We investigated body burdens of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Swedish first-time mothers by measurements in breast milk, and followed up the temporal trends between 1996 and 2017. POPs were analysed in individual samples (n = 539) from participants from Uppsala county, Sweden. This made it possible to adjust temporal trends for age of the mother, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, weight loss after delivery, and education, the main determinants for POP body burdens, apart from sampling year. We also compared observed body burdens with the body burdens determined to be safe from a health perspective in the risk assessment of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Declining temporal trends in breast milk of on average -4 to 14% per year were observed 1996-2017 for PCBs, PCDD/Fs, chlorinated pesticides, and brominated flame retardants, except for the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) BDE-153 and BDE-209. The toxic equivalents (TEQs) for PCDD declined faster than PCDF TEQs, -6.6% compared to -3.5% per year. For CB-169, CB-180, PCDDs, PCDFs, Total TEQ, and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), a change point year (CP) was observed around 2008-2009 and after that, the decline in levels has slowed down. If breast milk levels follows the exponential declining trend of total TEQ estimated for the entire period (-5.7% per year), 97.5% of first time mothers from the Uppsala area will have body burdens below the estimated safe level in year 2022. If instead it follows the estimated % decline after the CP in 2008 (-1.6% per year), it will take until 2045 before 97.5% is below the estimated safe level. It is important to proceed with the monitoring of POPs in breast milk from Swedish mothers in order to further observe if the levels are stabilizing or continue to decline., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Unexpected increasing trends in the concentration of contaminants in European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and in activity of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) in European perch and eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) have been observed at a Swedish coastal reference site. This study uses data from different sources to investigate plausible explanations. The results showed that a change in diet and an improved overall condition coincide with an increase in mercury in European perch. Furthermore, an increase in several organic contaminants in European perch coincided with the introduction of an invasive deep-burrowing polychaete, which likely contributed to the release of contaminants through bioturbation. The increase in EROD-activity in both species seems to be related to contaminants that reach the fish through the water rather than the diet. The results show that for contaminants that are taken up via the diet, trends in contamination can be opposite for different species of fish in the same area., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Interspecific introgression is considered a potential threat to endangered taxa. One example where this has had a major impact on conservation policy is the lesser white-fronted goose (LWfG). After a dramatic decline in Sweden, captive breeding birds were released between 1981-1999 with the aim to reinforce the population. However, the detection of greater white-fronted goose (GWfG) mitochondrial DNA in the LWfG breeding stock led to the release program being dismantled, even though the presence of GWfG introgression in the actual wild Swedish LWfG population was never documented. To examine this, we sequenced the complete genomes of 21 LWfG birds from the Swedish, Russian and Norwegian populations, and compared these with genomes from other goose species, including the GWfG. We found no evidence of interspecific introgression into the wild Swedish LWfG population in either nuclear genomic or mitochondrial data. Moreover, Swedish LWfG birds are genetically distinct from the Russian and Norwegian populations and display comparatively low genomic diversity and high levels of inbreeding. Our findings highlight the utility of genomic approaches in providing scientific evidence that can help improve conservation management as well as policies for breeding and reinforcement programmes.

Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of legacy organochlorines (OCs) is often difficult because monitoring practices differ among studies, fragmented study periods, and unaccounted confounding by ecological variables. We therefore reconstructed long-term (1939-2015) and large-scale (West Greenland, Norway, and central Sweden) trends of major legacy OCs using white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) body feathers, to understand the exposure dynamics in regions with different contamination sources and concentrations, as well as the effectiveness of legislations. We included dietary proxies (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) in temporal trend models to control for potential dietary plasticity. Consistent with the hypothesised high local pollution sources, levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in the Swedish subpopulation exceeded those in the other subpopulations. In contrast, chlordanes (CHLs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) showed higher concentrations in Greenland, suggesting the importance of long-range transport. The models showed significantly decreasing trends for all OCs in Sweden in 1968-2011 except for CHLs, which only decreased since the 1980s. Nevertheless, median concentrations of DDTs and PCBs remained elevated in the Swedish subpopulation throughout the 1970s, suggesting that the decreases only commenced after the implementation of regulations during the 1970s. We observed significant trends of increasing concentrations of PCBs, CHLs and HCB in Norway from the 1930s to the 1970s/1980s and decreasing concentrations thereafter. All OC concentrations, except those of PCBs were generally significantly decreasing in the Greenland subpopulation in 1985-2013. All three subpopulations showed generally increasing proportions of the more persistent compounds (CB 153, p.p'-DDE and β-HCH) and decreasing proportions of the less persistent ones (CB 52, p.p'-DDT, α- and γ-HCH). Declining trends of OC concentrations may imply the decreasing influence of legacy OCs in these subpopulations. Finally, our results demonstrate the usefulness of archived museum feathers in retrospective monitoring of spatiotemporal trends of legacy OCs using birds of prey as sentinels., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

There is increasing evidence that the ∼20 routinely monitored perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) account for only a fraction of extractable organofluorine (EOF) occurring in the environment. To assess whether PFAS exposure is being underestimated in marine mammals from the Northern Hemisphere, we performed a fluorine mass balance on liver tissues from 11 different species using a combination of targeted PFAS analysis, EOF and total fluorine determination, and suspect screening. Samples were obtained from the east coast United States (US), west and east coast of Greenland, Iceland, and Sweden from 2000 to 2017. Of the 36 target PFASs, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) dominated in all but one Icelandic and three US samples, where the 7:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (7:3 FTCA) was prevalent. This is the first report of 7:3 FTCA in polar bears (∼1000 ng/g, ww) and cetaceans (<6-190 ng/g, ww). In 18 out of 25 samples, EOF was not significantly greater than fluorine concentrations derived from sum target PFASs. For the remaining 7 samples (mostly from the US east coast), 30-75% of the EOF was unidentified. Suspect screening revealed an additional 37 PFASs (not included in the targeted analysis) bringing the total to 63 detected PFASs from 12 different classes. Overall, these results highlight the importance of a multiplatform approach for accurately characterizing PFAS exposure in marine mammals.

Short-, medium-, and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs) were analyzed in human milk from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Scandinavia. Individual samples were collected from Shanghai, Jiaxing, and Shaoxing (China), Stockholm (Sweden), and Bodø (Norway) between 2010 and 2016. Mean concentrations (range) of SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs in samples from the YRD were 124 [-1 fat, respectively, all of which were significantly ( p < 0.05) higher than 15.9 (-1 fat, respectively, in samples from Scandinavia. MCCPs predominate in most samples, and LCCP concentrations exceed reported for polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human milk from the same regions. This study is the first to confirm LCCP exposure via breastfeeding. Principal component analysis showed that the YRD samples were more influenced by SCCPs than the Scandinavian samples, which mirror different exposures to CPs between the regions. Because of a large variation in concentrations among individuals, SCCP intake via breastfeeding indicated a potential health concern in the 90th percentile among Chinese infants. Further, CP concentrations in the YRD samples from first-time mothers were on average three times higher than from second-time mothers. In order to limit the worldwide CP contamination, the inclusion of SCCPs as persistent organic pollutants in the Stockholm Convention needs to be followed up, with the inclusion of MCCPs and LCCPs as well.

Background and Aims: The mosses Homalothecium lutescens and H. sericeum are genetically, morphologically and ecologically differentiated; mixed populations sometimes occur. In sympatric populations, intermediate character states among gametophytes and sporophytes have been observed, suggesting hybridization and introgression in such populations., Methods: We determined genotypes using bi-allelic co-dominant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, specific to either H. lutescens or H. sericeum, to estimate the degree of genetic mixing in 449 moss samples collected from seven sympatric and five allopatric populations on the island of Öland, south Sweden. The samples represented three generations: haploid maternal gametophytes; diploid sporophytes; and haploid sporelings., Key Results: Admixture analyses of SNP genotypes identified a majority as pure H. lutescens or H. sericeum, but 76 samples were identified as mildly admixed (17 %) and 17 samples (3.8 %) as strongly admixed. Admixed samples were represented in all three generations in several populations. Hybridization and introgression were bidirectional., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that admixed genomes are transferred between the generations, so that the populations behave as true hybrid zones. Earlier studies of sympatric bryophyte populations with admixed individuals have not been able to show that admixed alleles are transferred beyond the first generation. The presence of true hybrid zones has strong evolutionary implications because genetic material transferred across species boundaries can be directly exposed to selection in the long-lived haploid generation of the bryophyte life cycle, and contribute to local adaptation, long-term survival and speciation., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Despite more than 250 years of taxonomic research, we still have only a vague idea about the true size and composition of the faunas and floras of the planet. Many biodiversity inventories provide limited insight because they focus on a small taxonomic subsample or a tiny geographic area. Here, we report on the size and composition of the Swedish insect fauna, thought to represent roughly half of the diversity of multicellular life in one of the largest European countries. Our results are based on more than a decade of data from the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative and its massive inventory of the country's insect fauna, the Swedish Malaise Trap Project The fauna is considered one of the best known in the world, but the initiative has nevertheless revealed a surprising amount of hidden diversity: more than 3,000 new species (301 new to science) have been documented so far. Here, we use three independent methods to analyze the true size and composition of the fauna at the family or subfamily level: (1) assessments by experts who have been working on the most poorly known groups in the fauna; (2) estimates based on the proportion of new species discovered in the Malaise trap inventory; and (3) extrapolations based on species abundance and incidence data from the inventory. For the last method, we develop a new estimator, the combined non-parametric estimator, which we show is less sensitive to poor coverage of the species pool than other popular estimators. The three methods converge on similar estimates of the size and composition of the fauna, suggesting that it comprises around 33,000 species. Of those, 8,600 (26%) were unknown at the start of the inventory and 5,000 (15%) still await discovery. We analyze the taxonomic and ecological composition of the estimated fauna, and show that most of the new species belong to Hymenoptera and Diptera groups that are decomposers or parasitoids. Thus, current knowledge of the Swedish insect fauna is strongly biased taxonomically and ecologically, and we show that similar but even stronger biases have distorted our understanding of the fauna in the past. We analyze latitudinal gradients in the size and composition of known European insect faunas and show that several of the patterns contradict the Swedish data, presumably due to similar knowledge biases. Addressing these biases is critical in understanding insect biomes and the ecosystem services they provide. Our results emphasize the need to broaden the taxonomic scope of current insect monitoring efforts, a task that is all the more urgent as recent studies indicate a possible worldwide decline in insect faunas., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We reconstructed the first long-term (1968-2015) spatiotemporal trends of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using archived body feathers of white-tailed eagles ( Haliaeetus albicilla ) from the West Greenland ( n = 31), Norwegian ( n = 66), and Central Swedish Baltic coasts ( n = 50). We observed significant temporal trends of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (∑PFCAs) in all three subpopulations. Concentrations of FOSA and PFOS had started decreasing significantly since the mid-1990s to 2000 in the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations, consistent with the 3M phase-out, though in sharp contrast to overall increasing trends observed in the Swedish subpopulation. Moreover, ∑PFCA concentrations significantly increased in all three subpopulations throughout the study periods. These temporal trends suggest on-going input of PFOS in the Baltic and of ∑PFCAs in all three regions. Considerable spatial variation in PFAS concentrations and profiles was observed: PFOS concentrations were significantly higher in Sweden, whereas FOSA and ∑PFCA concentrations were similar among the subpopulations. PFOS dominated the PFAS profiles in the Swedish and Norwegian subpopulations, in contrast to the domination of FOSA and ∑PFCAs in the Greenland one. Our spatiotemporal observations underline the usefulness of archived bird of prey feathers in monitoring spatiotemporal PFAS trends and urge for continued monitoring efforts in each of the studied subpopulations.

The spatiotemporal trends of mercury (Hg) are crucial for the understanding of this ubiquitous and toxic contaminant. However, uncertainties often arise from comparison among studies using different species, analytical and statistical methods. The long-term temporal trends of Hg exposure were reconstructed for a key sentinel species, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Body feathers were sampled from museum collections covering 150 years in time (from 1866 to 2015) from West Greenland (n = 124), Norway (n = 102), and Sweden (n = 87). A significant non-linear trend was observed in the Norwegian subpopulation, with a 60% increase in exposure occurring from 1866 to 1957 followed by a 40% decline until 2015. In the Swedish subpopulation, studied at a later period, the Hg exposure showed a drastic decline of 70% from 1967 to 2011. In contrast, no significant trend could be observed in the Greenland subpopulation. The additional analysis of dietary proxies (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) in general increased performance of the temporal trend models, but this was dependent on the subpopulation and study period. The downward trend of Hg coincided with the decreasing δ 13 C and δ 15 N in the Norwegian subpopulation, suggesting a potential dietary mitigation of Hg contamination. Hg exposure in both the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations was consistently below the suggested threshold for adverse health effects (40.0 μg g -1 ), while the maximum exposure in the Swedish subpopulation was distinctively elevated (median: 46.0 μg g -1 ) and still remains well above natural background concentrations (maximum 5.0 μg g -1 )., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Patterns of lead and other trace metals were examined in 122 Eurasian eagle owls Bubo bubo found dead in Sweden in the period 1978-2013. Environmental lead (Pb) has decreased over recent decades from reduced anthropogenic emissions but mortality by Pb poisoning is still frequently reported for avian raptors and scavengers exposed to Pb ammunition. One objective here was to determine if Pb concentrations in a nocturnal non-scavenging raptor follow the general decline observed in other biota. Pb concentration in owl liver was significantly correlated with body weight, sex, latitude, longitude and season. Pb showed a significant decreasing trend towards north and west. Starved birds had significantly higher concentrations. Total Pb concentrations in liver averaged 0.179 μg g -1 dry weight (median 0.103) and decreased by 5.6% per year 1978-2013, or 5.3% after adjustment for confounding factors, similar to trends in other species. Among 14 other trace elements only antimony and arsenic showed decreasing trends. Lead isotope ratios 206 Pb/ 207 Pb and 208 Pb/ 207 Pb increased from 1.138 and 2.408 in 1978-1985 to 1.170 and 2.435 in 2010-2013, respectively, demonstrating that the decreasing Pb concentration in eagle owl is related to the phase-out of leaded gasoline in Europe, where Pb additives had much lower isotope ratios than natural lead in Swedish soils. Only one incidence of suspected Pb poisoning (40.7 μg g -1 in liver) was observed indicating that poisoning from ingestion of metallic lead is rare (< 1%) in eagle owl in Sweden, in contrast to what has been reported for eagles.

Sexual conflict is thought to be an important evolutionary force in driving phenotypic diversification, population divergence, and speciation. However, empirical evidence is inconsistent with the generality that sexual conflict enhances population divergence. Here, we demonstrate an alternative evolutionary outcome in which sexual conflict plays a conservative role in maintaining male and female polymorphisms locally, rather than promoting population divergence. In diving beetles, female polymorphisms have evolved in response to male mating harassment and sexual conflict. We present the first empirical evidence that this female polymorphism is associated with (i) two distinct and sympatric male morphological mating clusters (morphs) and (ii) assortative mating between male and female morphs. Changes in mating traits in one sex led to a predictable change in the other sex which leads to predictable within-population evolutionary dynamics in male and female morph frequencies. Our results reveal that sexual conflict can lead to assortative mating between male offence and female defence traits, if a stable male and female mating polymorphisms are maintained. Stable male and female mating polymorphisms are an alternative outcome to an accelerating coevolutionary arms race driven by sexual conflict. Such stable polymorphisms challenge the common view of sexual conflict as an engine of rapid speciation via exaggerated coevolution between sexes.

Levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in herring (Clupea harengus) remain high in several parts of the Baltic Sea, despite declines in PCDD/F emissions since the 1980s. The reasons behind this are not well understood. This study applied a statistical modeling approach where sources of PCDD/Fs that contaminate Baltic biota were quantitatively assessed by analyzing existing datasets. PCDD/F patterns were extracted from a herring dataset using positive matrix factorization (PMF). The extracted biota patterns were transformed into sediment patterns using fish-to-sediment transformation factors, and the resulting patterns were compared with known source PCDD/F patterns. The model distinguished three model patterns, which explained 85% of the data. These patterns were matched to tetra-chlorophenol (TCP), penta-chlorophenol/atmospheric background (PCP/AB), and thermal source patterns, respectively. The thermal source was the largest contributor to toxic equivalents (TEQ) in herring, but the level decreased from 42 ± 9.0 pg TEQ g -1 lipid weight (lw) before year 2000 (pre-2000) to 15 ± 2.4 pg TEQ g -1 lw post-2000, i.e., a decline of around one-third in the original TEQ concentration. The contribution of TCP more than doubled, from 2.1 ± 0.62 pg TEQ g -1 lw to 5.6 ± 1.1 pg TEQ g -1 lw, and the relative contribution of PCP/AB also increased. These increasing trends suggest that, as primary air emissions of PCDD/Fs are managed and levels decline, the impact of TCP and PCP/AB sources on Baltic Sea biota will become more important over time and that PCDD/F-contaminated sites in coastal areas and marine environments require more attention., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Borderline lichens are simple mutualistic symbioses between fungi and algae, where the fungi form loose mycelia interweaving algal cells, instead of forming a lichen thallus. Schizoxylon albescens shows two nutritional modes: it can either live as a borderline lichen on Populus tremula bark or as a saprotroph on Populus wood. This enables us to investigate the microbiota diversity in simple fungal-algal associations and to study the impact of lichenization on the structure of bacterial communities. We sampled three areas in Sweden covering the distribution of Schizoxylon, and using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and fluorescence in situ hybridization we characterized the associated microbiota. Bacterial communities in lichenized and saprotrophic Schizoxylon were clearly distinct, but when comparing the microbiota with the respective substrates, only the fruiting bodies show clear differences in composition and abundance from the communities in the substrates. The colonization by either lichenized or saprotrophic mycelia of Schizoxylon did not significantly influence the microbiota in the substrate. This suggests that in a morphologically simple form of lichenization, as represented by the Schizoxylon-Coccomyxa system, algal-fungal interactions do not significantly influence bacterial communities, but a more complex structure of the lichen thallus is likely required for hosting specific microbiota., (© FEMS 2019.)

In this study, an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Stockholm is introduced as a tool to capture the combined effects associated with multi-pollutant exposure. Public information regarding the expected health risks associated with current or forecasted concentrations of pollutants and pollen can be very useful for sensitive persons when planning their outdoor activities. For interventions, it can also be important to know the contribution from pollen and the specific air pollutants, judged to cause the risk. The AQHI is based on an epidemiological analysis of asthma emergency department visits (AEDV) and urban background concentrations of NO x , O₃, PM 10 and birch pollen in Stockholm during 2001⁻2005. This analysis showed per 10 µg·m ⁻3 increase in the mean of same day and yesterday an increase in AEDV of 0.5% (95% CI: -1.2⁻2.2), 0.3% (95% CI: -1.4⁻2.0) and 2.5% (95% CI: 0.3⁻4.8) for NO x , O₃ and PM 10 , respectively. For birch pollen, the AEDV increased with 0.26% (95% CI: 0.18⁻0.34) for 10 pollen grains·m ⁻3 . In comparison with the coefficients in a meta-analysis, the mean values of the coefficients obtained in Stockholm are smaller. The mean value of the risk increase associated with PM 10 is somewhat smaller than the mean value of the meta-coefficient, while for O₃, it is less than one fifth of the meta-coefficient. We have not found any meta-coefficient using NO x as an indicator of AEDV, but compared to the mean value associated with NO₂, our value of NO x is less than half as large. The AQHI is expressed as the predicted percentage increase in AEDV without any threshold level. When comparing the relative contribution of each pollutant to the total AQHI, based on monthly averages concentrations during the period 2015⁻2017, there is a tangible pattern. The AQHI increase associated with NO x exhibits a relatively even distribution throughout the year, but with a clear decrease during the summer months due to less traffic. O₃ contributes to an increase in AQHI during the spring. For PM 10 , there is a significant increase during early spring associated with increased suspension of road dust. For birch pollen, there is a remarkable peak during the late spring and early summer during the flowering period. Based on monthly averages, the total AQHI during 2015⁻2017 varies between 4 and 9%, but with a peak value of almost 16% during the birch pollen season in the spring 2016. Based on daily mean values, the most important risk contribution during the study period is from PM 10 with 3.1%, followed by O₃ with 2.0%.

The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a highly mobile cetacean found across the Northern hemisphere. It occurs in coastal waters and inhabits basins that vary broadly in salinity, temperature and food availability. These diverse habitats could drive subtle differentiation among populations, but examination of this would be best conducted with a robust reference genome. Here, we report the first harbour porpoise genome, assembled de novo from an individual originating in the Kattegat Sea (Sweden). The genome is one of the most complete cetacean genomes currently available, with a total size of 2.39 Gb and 50% of the total length found in just 34 scaffolds. Using 122 of the longest scaffolds, we were able to show high levels of synteny with the genome of the domestic cattle (Bos taurus). Our draft annotation comprises 22,154 predicted genes, which we further annotated through matches to the NCBI nucleotide database, GO categorization and motif prediction. Within the predicted genes, we have confirmed the presence of >20 genes or gene families that have been associated with adaptive evolution in other cetaceans. Overall, this genome assembly and draft annotation represent a crucial addition to the genomic resources currently available for the study of porpoises and Phocoenidae evolution, phylogeny and conservation., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Nondestructive sample cleanup and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis generated a massive amount of data that could be used for nontarget screening purposes. We present a data reduction and prioritization strategy that involves time-trend analysis of nontarget data. Sewage sludge collected between 2005 and 2015 in Stockholm (Sweden) was retrieved from an environmental specimen bank, extracted, and analyzed by GC×GC-HRMS. After data alignment features with high blank levels, artifacts and low detection frequency were removed. Features that appeared in four to six out of ten years were reprocessed to fill in gaps. The total number of compounds was reduced by more than 97% from almost 60 000 to almost 1500. The remaining compounds were analyzed for monotonic (log-linear) and nonmonotonic (smoother) time trends. In total, 192 compounds with log-linear trends and 120 compounds with nonmonotonic trends were obtained, respectively. Most compounds described by a log-linear trend exhibited decreasing trends and were traffic-related. Compounds with increasing trends included UV-filters, alkyl-phenols, and flavor and fragrances, which often could be linked to trade statistics. We have shown that nontarget screening and stepwise reduction of data provides a simple way of revealing significant changes in emissions of chemicals in society.

Speleothems are secondary mineral deposits normally formed by water supersaturated with calcium carbonate percolating into underground caves, and are often associated with low-nutrient and mostly non-phototrophic conditions. Tjuv-Ante's cave is a shallow-depth cave formed by the action of waves, with granite and dolerite as major components, and opal-A and calcite as part of the speleothems, making it a rare kind of cave. We generated two DNA shotgun sequencing metagenomic datasets from the interior of a speleothem from Tjuv-Ante's cave representing areas of old and relatively recent speleothem formation. We used these datasets to perform i) an evaluation of the use of these speleothems as past biodiversity archives, ii) functional and taxonomic profiling of the speleothem's different formation periods, and iii) taxonomic comparison of the metagenomic results to previous microscopic analyses from a nearby speleothem of the same cave. Our analyses confirm the abundance of Actinobacteria and fungi as previously reported by microscopic analyses on this cave, however we also discovered a larger biodiversity. Interestingly, we identified photosynthetic genes, as well as genes related to iron and sulphur metabolism, suggesting the presence of chemoautotrophs. Furthermore, we identified taxa and functions related to biomineralization. However, we could not confidently establish the use of this type of speleothems as biological paleoarchives due to the potential leaching from the outside of the cave and the DNA damage that we propose has been caused by the fungal chemical etching.

The genus Deontolaimus de Man, 1880 is revised and the genus Camacolaimus de Man, 1889 is considered a junior synonym of Deontolaimus based on re-examination of type material of Camacolaimus tardus de Man, 1889 and C. barbatus Warwick, 1970. Two known and three new species of Deontolaimus are described from bottom sediments collected in marine habitats of Sweden: Deontolaimus uniformis (Cobb, 1920) comb. n., D. longicauda (de Man, 1922) comb. n., Deontolaimus catalinae sp. n., D. paraguillei sp. n. and Deontolaimus timmi sp. n. Deontolaimus catalinae sp. n. is characterized by body length of 1.3-1.7 mm; anterior-most somatic sensilla located short distance posterior to amphid; cephalic sensilla equal to 0.2 labial region diameter in length; amphidial fovea ventrally-unispiral with one turn, located in front of cephalic sensilla bases; excretory pore located short distance posterior to onchiostyle base; onchiostyle with bluntly rounded tip and subcylindrical body; male with alveolar supplements extending from anterior end to middle of body, tubular supplements absent; spicules 36-40 µm long; and didelphic female reproductive system. Deontolaimus paraguillei sp. n. is characterized by body length of 1.4-1.8 mm; anterior-most somatic sensilla located at level with onchiostyle; cephalic sensilla equal to 0.2-0.3 labial region diameter in length; amphidial fovea ventrally-unispiral with one turn, located at level with cephalic sensilla bases; excretory pore located just posterior to nerve ring level; onchiostyle with bluntly rounded tip and subcylindrical body; male with alveolar supplements extending from anterior end to about three body diameters in front of cloaca, tubular supplements absent; spicules 42-46 µm long; and didelphic female reproductive system. Deontolaimus timmi sp. n. is characterized by body length of 0.7-0.9 mm; anterior-most somatic sensilla located at level with onchiostyle; cephalic sensilla equal to 0.2-0.3 labial region diameter in length; amphidial fovea ventrally-unispiral with one turn, located just in front of cephalic sensilla bases; excretory pore located just posterior to nerve ring level; onchiostyle with triangular tip with bluntly rounded apex and strongly sclerotized dorsal edge, and subcylindrical body; male with alveolar supplements extending from anterior end to anterior part of intestine, tubular supplements absent; spicules 28 µm long; and didelphic female reproductive system. The following nomenclatorial changes are proposed: genera Acontiolaimus Filipjev, 1918, Camacolaimoides De Coninck & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933, Camacolaimus de Man, 1889, Digitonchus Cobb, 1920 and Ypsilon Cobb, 1920 are synonimized with the genus Deontolaimus de Man, 1880; Camacolaimus reykjanesi De Coninck, 1943 and Camacolaimus glauxicola Allgén, 1951a are considered junior synonyms of Deontolaimus papillatus de Man, 1880; Camacolaimus barbatus apud Pastor de Ward, 1984 is described as the separate species Deontolaimus catalinae sp. n.; Camacolaimus tardus apud Lorenzen, 1969 is considered to be the separate species Deontolaimus lorenzeni nom. n.; Camacolaimus tardus apud Timm, 1963 is described as the separate species Deontolaimus timmi sp. n.; Camacolaimus barbatus Warwick, 1970 is considered a junior synonym of Deontolaimus tardus (de Man, 1889) comb. n.; Camacolaimus parvus Timm, 1961 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. parvus (Timm, 1961) comb. n.; Digitonchus cylindricaudatus Chitwood, 1951 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. cylindricaudatus (Chitwood, 1951) comb. n.; Ypsilon exile Cobb, 1920 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. exilis (Cobb, 1920) comb. n.; Camacolaimus guillei de Bovee, 1977 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. guillei (de Bovee, 1977) comb. n.; Camacolaimus longicauda de Man, 1922 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. longicauda (de Man, 1922) comb. n.; Camacolaimus monhystera Gerlach, 1967 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. monhystera (Gerlach, 1967) comb. n.; Camacolaimus pontollittoralis Uzunov, 1977 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. pontollittoralis (Uzunov, 1977) comb. n.; Camacolaimus praedator de Man, 1922 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. praedator (de Man, 1922) comb. n.; Camacolaimus prytherchi Chitwood, 1935 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. prytherchi (Chitwood, 1935) comb. n.; Camacolaimus tardus de Man, 1889 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. tardus (de Man, 1889) comb. n.; Camacolaimus trituberculatus Blome, 1982 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. trituberculatus (Blome, 1982) comb. n.; and Digitonchus uniformis Cobb, 1920 is transferred to the genus Deontolaimus as D. uniformis (Cobb, 1920) comb. n. A taxonomic review and identification key for species of the genus Deontolaimus are also given.

The genus Lathrolestes Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Northern Europe is reviewed. A new species, L. oelandinus sp. n. from Öland (Southern Sweden) is described. Illustrated diagnoses for 23 Northern European species are provided. Lathrolestes soperi Reshchikov, 2010 is recorded for the first time in the Palaearctic region (from the UK) and L. bipunctatus (Bridgman, 1886), L. citreus (Brischke, 1878), L. clypeatus (Zetterstedt, 1838) are new records for Denmark, and L. moravicus Habermehl, 1923 is a new record for Finland, France and Russia. Additionally L. ensator recorded newly from Belorus, L. erythrocephalus from Azerbaijan, L. macropygus and L. pictilis from Austria. Trophic interactions of the genus are discussed.

Background and Aims: Roughly half of the species of bryophytes have separate sexes (dioecious) and half are hermaphroditic (monoecious). This variation has major consequences for the ecology and evolution of the different species. In some sexually reproducing dioecious bryophytes, sex ratio has been shown to vary with environmental conditions. This study focuses on the dioecious wetland moss Drepanocladus trifarius, which rarely produces sexual branches or sporophytes and lacks apparent secondary sex characteristics, and examines whether genetic sexes exhibit different habitat preferences, i.e. whether sexual niche partitioning occurs., Methods: A total of 277 shoots of D. trifarius were randomly sampled at 214 locations and 12 environmental factors were quantified at each site. Sex was assigned to the individual shoots collected in the natural environments, regardless of their reproductive status, using a specifically designed molecular marker associated with female sex., Key Results: Male and female shoots did not differ in shoot biomass, the sexes were randomly distributed with respect to each other, and environmental conditions at male and female sampling locations did not differ. Collectively, this demonstrates a lack of sexual niche segregation. Adult genetic sex ratio was female-biased, with 2·8 females for every male individual., Conclusions: The results show that although the sexes of D. trifarius did not differ with regard to annual growth, spatial distribution or habitat requirements, the genetic sex ratio was nevertheless significantly female-biased. This supports the notion that factors other than sex-related differences in reproductive costs and sexual dimorphism can also drive the evolution of biased sex ratios in plants., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

In the 1960s, the Baltic Sea was severely polluted by organic contaminants such as PCBs, HCHs, HCB, and DDTs. Elevated concentrations caused severe adverse effects in Baltic biota. Since then, these substances have been monitored temporally and spatially in Baltic biota, primarily in herring (Clupea harengus) and in guillemot (Uria aalge) egg, but also in cod (Gadus morhua), perch (Perca fluviatilis), eelpout (Zoarces viviparous), and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). These chemicals were banned in Sweden in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Since the start of monitoring, overall significant decreases of about 70-90 % have been observed. However, concentrations are still higher in the Baltic Sea than in, for example, the North Sea. CB-118 and DDE exceed the suggested target concentrations (24 µg kg(-1) lipid weight and 5 µg kg(-1) wet weight, respectively) at certain sites in some of the monitored species, showing that concentrations may still be too high to protect the most sensitive organisms.

Four known and one new species of Onchium are described from bottom sediments collected in Skagerrak off the west coast of Sweden. The following known species are redescribed: Onchium ocellatum Cobb, 1920, O. metocellatum Wieser, 1956, O. parocellatum (Allgén, 1940) and O. robustum Gerlach, 1965. Onchium longispiculum sp. n. is characterised by the 1.34-1.77 mm long body, anterior body end without cephalic capsule, anteriormost somatic sensilla located posterior to onchiostyle base, ocelli absent, excretory pore located at basis of lips, onchiostyle uniformly cylindrical, alveolar supplements indistinct, tubular supplements absent, spicules arcuate and 44-65 µm long. The new species has a unique set of characters (absence of developed ocelli and very long somewhat asymmetrical spicules) separating it from all other known species of the genus Onchium. The following nomenclatorial changes are proposed: O. conicaudatum (Allgén, 1935) is considered a junior synonym of O. metocellatum; O. conicaudatum apud Wieser, 1951 is considered a synonym of O. minutum Kito, 1981. The diagnosis of the genus Onchium is emended and a tabular compendium and dichotomous identification key to species of the genus Onchium are provided.

Within Europe, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is aimed at addressing the chemical status and quality of the marine environment. One of the main goals is to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in the marine environment. Environmental monitoring of biota e.g., Baltic herring and guillemot eggs, is conducted annually in Sweden to follow temporal changes in environmental contaminants. To determine the suitability of guillemot eggs as a sentinel species for investigating GES, we compared temporal trends of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in these two species from single sampling sites within Sweden. Lipid content from guillemot eggs was consistently high and stable (yearly mean for >40 years, ∼12%) compared to that of herring (yearly mean for >20 years, ∼3%). A significant decreasing trend of ΣPCDD/F in TEQ WHO1998 was observed in guillemot eggs, but no trend was seen in herring. CB118 significantly decreased in both species, but in the last 10 years this decrease was not significant in herring. A number of advantages, such as high lipid content in the egg and a low coefficient of variation make guillemot suitable as a sentinel species. The advantages and disadvantages of using either guillemot eggs or Baltic herring are compared., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A new species of Setostephanolaimus, S. tchesunovi sp. n., is described from bottom sediments collected in the Skagerrak and Gullmarn Fjord off the west coast of Sweden. It is characterised by 1.0-1.3 mm long body, outer labial setae 6.5-8.5 µm long, cephalic setae 9-11 µm long, subcephalic setae 4-6 µm long, transversely-oval amphid, female with monodelphic opisthodelphic reproductive system, male with 6-9 tubular and without alveolar supplements, spicules arcuate and 54-64 µm long, gubernaculum with dorsal apophysis. A tabular compendium and dichotomous identification key to species of the genus Setostephanolaimus are provided.

A new genus Neocamacolaimus gen. n., with one new species N. parasiticus gen. n., sp. n. is described from the benthic polychaete Sphaerosyllis cf. hystrix collected in the Skagerrak off the west coast of Sweden. Neocamacolaimus gen. n. is placed in the family Camacolaimidae and is particularly characterised by having annulated cuticle with lateral alae; setiform cephalic sensilla located at level with amphids; amphidial fovea ventrally spiral; buccal cavity without armament; pharynx muscular; nerve ring located at base of pharynx; male reproductive system diorchic with outstretched testes; spicules weakly arcuate with straight manubrium; gubernaculum absent; alveolar supplements located in the pharyngeal region; tubular supplements absent; tail conoid; caudal glands and spinneret present. Juveniles of this genus are particularly characterised by their parasitic lifestyle and the following unique morphological features: lips form a dorso-ventrally elongated perioral disc with internal sclerotizations: one midventral and two dorsosublateral (right and left); cephalic sensilla setiform, subventral sensilla are noticeably longer than the subdorsal ones; intestine extends posterior to rectum and anal opening, forming a post-anal pouch.

Rapidly permineralized fossils can provide exceptional insights into the evolution of life over geological time. Here, we present an exquisitely preserved, calcified stem of a royal fern (Osmundaceae) from Early Jurassic lahar deposits of Sweden in which authigenic mineral precipitation from hydrothermal brines occurred so rapidly that it preserved cytoplasm, cytosol granules, nuclei, and even chromosomes in various stages of cell division. Morphometric parameters of interphase nuclei match those of extant Osmundaceae, indicating that the genome size of these reputed "living fossils" has remained unchanged over at least 180 million years-a paramount example of evolutionary stasis.

Leptolaimus timmi Vitiello, 1971 is redescribed from bottom sediments collected in the Skagerrak off the west coast of Sweden. New morphological data necessitate the transfer of this species to the genus Rhadinema Cobb, 1920. The main diagnostic characters of Rhadinema timmi (Vitiello, 1971) comb. n. include: 1.3-1.8 mm long body; rounded labial region weakly offset from body contour; cephalic setae 2-4 µm long; amphid located 12-19 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 22-30 µm from anterior end; lateral field absent; stoma tubular: cheilostom with six weakly cuticularised longitudinal rugae, gymnostom with sclerotized bar-shaped rhabdia, stegostom long, tubular; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male with 10-11 tubular and without alveolar supplements; spicules arcuate and 21-30 µm long.

In the middle of the 1960s low reproductive rate was found in several osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nests in Sweden. Therefore a project was started to investigate the production and to collect unhatched eggs and shell fragments in different regions of Sweden during 1971-2008. Measurements of osprey eggs from museum collections from 1840 to 1970 were included to study long-term changes in shell thickness. In total, eggshell thickness of whole eggs from 666 clutches and of shell fragments from 693 nests was measured. The thinnest shell fragments were recorded in 1973 (mean for 71 clutches: 0.438 mm), minus 15.0% compared to thickness of unaffected eggs before 1946 (0.515 mm). After 1973, shell thickness increased to reach background levels in 2003 (0.515 mm). Thus, it took 30 years to reach full thickness again. From the start of the decrease it took more than 50 years to reach unaffected conditions. The number of whole eggs remaining intact in the nest throughout incubation was reduced when shell thickness decreased. Great loss of eggs due to breakage seems to occur when the mean shell thickness in the clutch was below 0.40 mm. In 1971-1973, when shell thinning was most pronounced, the average thickness of shell fragments was 0.366 mm in nests with 0 intact eggs (minus 29% compared to the pre-1946 background value); 0.393 mm (minus 24%) in nests with 1 intact egg; 0.431 mm (minus 16%) in nests with 2 intact eggs and 0.450 mm (minus 12%) in nests with 3 intact eggs. Differences in thickness were significant for 1 versus 2 intact eggs, 2 vs. 3 intact eggs and for 0+1 vs. 2+3 intact eggs. Actual data from the period 1971-73 shows a decline in the production of young (4-5 weeks) of some 15% (0.25 young per nest)., (© 2013.)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been monitored in perch (Perca fluviatilis), pike (Esox lucius), and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in reference lakes since the late 1960s. Temporal trends and spatial patterns are currently monitored in nine and 32 lakes, respectively. Overall, PCB concentrations are decreasing. However, this is not consistent for all congeners across all lakes and species. Perch has comparatively low PCB concentrations relative to suggested target levels, but individual congener concentrations in some lakes are concerningly high. No temporal trend is seen for CB-118 and CB-153 in perch, but significant decreasing trends exist for Arctic char and pike, for which monitoring started earlier than for perch. The lower/higher chlorinated congener ratio decreased over time in most lakes, indicating fewer new emissions. CB-118 and CB-153 concentrations in perch show spatial gradients across Sweden, with higher concentrations found near urban/industrial areas.

The spermatic ducts (vasa deferentia) of 235 otters (Lutra lutra) found dead between 1999 and 2012 in Sweden were examined for presence of paraductular cysts. Single or multiple elongated uni- or bilateral cysts parallel to the spermatic duct were noted in 72% of the examined males. The cysts were adjacent to, but did not communicate with the lumen of the spermatic duct, and were usually located within a few centimeters of the testis and epididymis. The cysts are proposed to be congenital Müllerian duct remnants. Other morphologic abnormalities in the reproductive organs were not noted within this study. Possible causes of the incomplete regression of the embryonic female gonadal duct are exposure to environmental contaminants such as elevated concentrations of estrogen-like compounds (endocrine disrupting chemicals), inbreeding, or a naturally occurring anatomic defect. No obvious geographical pattern was observed for otters with or without cysts. This is the first study and description of cysts on the spermatic duct in otters.

Impacts are common geologic features on the terrestrial planets throughout the solar system, and on at least Earth and Mars impacts have induced hydrothermal convection. Impact-generated hydrothermal systems have been suggested to possess the same life supporting capability as hydrothermal systems associated with volcanic activity. However, evidence of fossil microbial colonization in impact-generated hydrothermal systems is scarce in the literature. Here we report of fossilized microorganisms in association with cavity-grown hydrothermal minerals from the 458 Ma Lockne impact structure, Sweden. Based on morphological characteristics the fossilized microorganisms are interpreted as fungi. We further infer the kerogenization of the microfossils, and thus the life span of the fungi, to be contemporaneous with the hydrothermal activity and migration of hydrocarbons in the system. Our results from the Lockne impact structure show that hydrothermal systems associated with impact structures can support colonization by microbial life.

Twelve known and nine new species of Leptolaimus are described from bottom sediments collected in marine habitats of Sweden, including the Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay, the Baltic Sea proper, Gullmarn Fjord and the Skagerrak. Three of these species have been previously recorded in Sweden while nine are new records for the Swedish fauna. The following known species are redescribed: Leptolaimus papilliger de Man, 1876, L. cupulatus Lorenzen, 1972, L. danicus Jensen, 1978, L. donsi (Allgén, 1946) comb. n., L. mixtus Lorenzen, 1972, L. pellucidus (Southern, 1914) comb. n., L. venustus Lorenzen, 1972, L. lorenzeni (Boucher & de Bovée, 1972) comb. n., L. alatus Vitiello, 1971, L. macer Lorenzen, 1972, L. septempapillatus Platt, 1973, L. elegans (Schuurmans Stekhoven & De Coninck, 1933) Gerlach, 1958. Leptolaimus primus sp. n. is characterised by the 319-472 µm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 1.5-2.0 µm long; amphid located 7.0-11.5 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 18.5-28.0 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 35 µm from anterior end; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male without tubular and with four alveolar supplements, alveolar supplements without sclerotized inner ring; spicules arcuate and 13.5-16.0 µm long. Leptolaimus secundus sp. n. is characterised by the 576-645 µm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 2.0 µm long; amphid located 6.5-7.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 23.0-28.5 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 18.0-23.0 µm from anterior end; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male with single tubular and 9-15 alveolar supplements, tubular supplement weakly arcuate with blunt tips, alveolar supplements with sclerotized lining; spicules arcuate and 23.0-26.5 µm long. Leptolaimus tertius sp. n. is characterised by the 576-579 µm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 2 µm long; amphid located 4-5 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 21.0-23.5 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 26-29 µm from anterior end; male with four tubular and 7-10 alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly arcuate with blunt tips, alveolar supplements with sclerotized inner ring; spicules arcuate and 25-26 µm long. Leptolaimus quartus sp. n. is characterised by the 597-686 mm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 2.0-3.5 µm long; amphid located 5.0-7.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 23.5-27.0 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 19.0-27.0 µm from anterior end; male with three tubular and 8-9 alveolar supplements, tubular supplements straight with blunt expanded tips, alveolar supplements with sclerotized inner ring; spicules arcuate and 23.0-25.0 µm long. Leptolaimus quintus sp. n. is characterised by the 443-528 µm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 1.0-2.0 µm long; amphid located 7.0-10.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 18.0-28.5 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 25.0-41.0 µm from anterior end; female with two tubular supplements (one just posterior to cardia and one in front of anus), vagina without pars refringens, vulva right-sublateral; male with 8-10 tubular and without alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly arcuate with anchor-like tips; spicules arcuate and 17.0-22.0 µm long. Leptolaimus sextus sp. n. is characterised by the 626-728 µm long body; truncated labial region offset from body contour; cephalic setae 1.5-2.0 µm long; amphid located 8.0-12.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 41.0-48.5 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 28.0-41.0 µm from anterior end; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male with five (rarely six) tubular and without alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly S-shaped with bifid tips; spicules arcuate and 39.0-46.0 µm long. Leptolaimus septimus sp. n. is characterised by the 679-850 µm long body; truncate labial region offset from body contour; cephalic setae 2.5-3.5 µm long; amphid located 8.5-11.5 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 37.0-44.0 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 26.5-37.0 µm from anterior end; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male with four (rarely five) tubular and without alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly S-shaped, with bifid or blunt tips; spicules arcuate and 31.0-33.5 µm long. Leptolaimus octavus sp. n. is characterised by the 541-638 µm long body; truncate labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 1.5-2.0 µm long; amphid located 8.5-12.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 31.5-41.0 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 26.0-40.0 µm from anterior end and expanding into bursa-like structures along the tail; female without supplements, vagina without pars refringens, vulva midventral; male with four tubular and without alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly S-shaped with dentate tips; spicules arcuate and 30.0-31.5 µm long. Leptolaimus nonus sp. n. is characterised by the 403-633 µm long body; rounded labial region continuous with body contour; cephalic setae 1.5-3.0 µm long; amphid located 8.0-10.0 µm from anterior end; first body pore located 16.5-29.0 µm from anterior end; lateral field originating 47.0-99.0 µm from anterior end and expanding into bursa-like structures along the proximal part of the tail; female without supplements, vagina with bacilliform pars refringens, vulva right-subventral; male with 4-5 tubular and without alveolar supplements, tubular supplements weakly arcuate with dentate tips; spicules arcuate and 17.0-26.0 µm long. The following nomenclatorial changes are proposed: Eutelolaimus donsi Allgén, 1947 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. donsi (Allgén, 1947) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus cangionensis Gagarin & Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. cangionensis (Gagarin & Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus harpaga Boucher & de Bovée, 1972 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. harpaga (Boucher & de Bovée, 1972) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus lorenzeni Boucher & de Bovée, 1972 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. lorenzeni (Boucher & de Bovée, 1972) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus pellucidus Southern, 1914 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. pellucidus (Southern, 1914) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus rivalis Gagarin & Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. rivalis (Gagarin & Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus marinus Kamran, Nasira & Shahina, 2010 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus as L. marinus (Kamran, Nasira & Shahina, 2010) comb. n. and considered a junior synonym of Leptolaimus rivalis (Gagarin & Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007) comb. n.; Halaphanolaimus sergeevae Ürkmez & Brennan, 2013 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus as L. sergeevae (Ürkmez & Brennan, 2013) comb. n.; Leptolaimus vitielloi nom. nov. is proposed for Leptolaimus minutus Vitiello, 1971 nec L. minutus (Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1942) comb. n.; Polylaimium exile Cobb, 1920 is transferred to the genus Leptolaimus, as L. exilis (Cobb, 1920) comb. n. and is considered species inquirendae. A taxonomic review, tabular compendium and identification key for species of the genus Leptolaimus are also given.

Liver samples from 140 otters (Lutra lutra) from Sweden and Norway were analyzed for 10 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs; C6-C15), 4 perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (PFSAs; C4,C6,C8,C10) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA). Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was the dominant compound accounting for approximately 80% of the fluorinated contaminants and showing concentrations up to 16 μg/g wet weight. Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was the dominant PFCA (up to 640 ng/g wet weight) closely followed by the C10 and C11 homologues. A spatial comparison between otters from southwestern Norway, southern and northern Sweden sampled between 2005 and 2011 revealed that the samples from southern Sweden had generally the largest contaminant load, but two PFCAs and FOSA were higher concentrated in the Norwegian samples. A temporal trend study was performed on otters from southern Sweden collected between 1972 and 2011. Seven PFCAs (C8-C14), PFOS and perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (PFDS) showed significantly increasing trends with doubling times between 5.5 and 13 years. The PFCAs also showed significantly increasing trends over the period 2002 to 2011. These findings together with the exceptionally high liver concentrations of PFOS are of great concern for the Scandinavian otter populations.