Little information exists about the ecological determinants of the mollusc species composition of Scandinavian fens. Therefore, we investigated water chemistry, hydrology, climate and vegetation composition of fens in southern and central Norway and in Sweden hosting mollusc assemblages. According to the results of the MDS ordination, variation in the mollusc composition was related to the hydrology of the studied sites, reflecting a transition from soligenous to topogenous fens. The second axis of the MDS reflected a complex gradient of mineral richness and climatic conditions. By analogy, cluster analysis revealed three main groups of sites, i.e. topogenous fens characterized by a frequent occurrence of Vertigo lilljeborgi, soligenous lowland fens characterized by Cochlicopa lubrica and Nesovitrea hammonis, and soligenous highland fens characterized by Columella columella. Results of the RDA closely resembled those of the MDS, suggesting that the selected explanatory variables defined mollusc assemblages well.

Land-use changes and the resulting habitat degradation have been regarded as the most important known causes of waterfowl population declines. We assessed the habitat requirements of waterbirds, including waterfowl, in a hemiboreal, agricultural watershed in southern Finland. We related the birds' species diversity, abundance and brood numbers on ten lakes to environmental variables, including land use characteristics as well as topographic and local biotic features. Both species diversity and pair numbers responded to land use characteristics, such as the area of agricultural land surrounding the lakes. Our results suggest that land use may reflect habitat quality, possibly in terms of resource availability and predation risk. The pair numbers of waterbirds grew along with the availability of invertebrates, an important food resource. The abundance of gulls affected the diversity, abundance and reproductive success of waterfowl positively in our study area, probably because they provided shelter from predators.

Birds are commonly used as tools in environmental monitoring. Bird population changes were studied during construction of the new Vuosaari harbour in 2001–2011. The aim of the monitoring programme was to determine the impacts of road construction on bird populations in the Österängen agricultural area (Helsinki, Finland). Our results indicate that the number of species and territories increased during and after construction, with more territories located closer to the road than before the road was constructed. Thus, road construction resulted in a momentary positive impact on bird populations. New grass and bush areas and even large rocky outcrops clearly benefited some species such as the threatened northern wheatear. The bird populations declined slightly several years later, probably as a result of habitat succession.

Fifteen new microsatellite markers for the beetle Lethrus apterus were developed and tested in 45 specimens from the North Hungarian Mountains. Fourteen of the markers developed were polymorphic, and the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to nine. The observed and expected heterozygosities of the polymorphic markers ranged from 0.178 to 0.578, and 0.201 to 0.698, respectively. One locus showed significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, probably due to null alleles. The primers were tested on four other Lethrus species (L. bituberculatus, L. scoparius, L. strymonensis and L. perun) and six other coleopteran species (Copris hispanus, Geotrupes stercorarius, Melolontha melolontha, Onthophagus taurus, Oryctes nasicornis and Protaetia affinis). Thirteen loci showed cross-amplification in the Lethrus species and only three loci could be amplified in some of the six other coleopteran species. The developed markers will be valuable in investigating the population genetic structure, behaviour and reproductive biology of L. apterus.

Genetic analyses of non-invasively collected samples are increasingly being used in the monitoring of wildlife populations and individuals. This study is the first describing the use of placentas as non-invasive genetic samples from a natural population. We collected 66 placentas from birth-lair sites of Saimaa ringed seals (Phoca hispida saimensis) after the breeding seasons, with the aim of obtaining DNA from both the pup and the mother. Umbilical cord samples proved to yield the pup genotypes, but mothers could not be genotyped with confidence. Comparisons with existing mtDNA and microsatellite reference data sets showed that placentas can be used for inferring population-level genetic parameters. Our microsatellite panel provided sufficient resolution for genetic identification of individuals but, due to the extremely low variability of the population, parentage and sibship could not be inferred reliably. Field-collected placentas could provide means for genetic monitoring of many other seal species as well.

In Norway, recovering populations of large carnivores commonly prey on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Understanding predator habitat use and ecology requires fine-scaled information on prey distribution and abundance. However, the massive spatial scales at which large carnivores use the landscape presents many practical and statistical challenges for developing functional prey distribution models. Pellet-count data from > 1000 km of transects gathered across southeastern Norway between 2005 and 2011 were used to derive a map of the relative prey abundance for roe deer. These data were modeled using zero-inflated hurdle models using both environmental and anthropogenic variables. Snow depth and agricultural fields were the most significant variables in explaining both presence and abundance. Internal k-cross validation of the model showed medium accuracy (Spearman's r = 0.35), whereas external evaluation carried out on the basis of independently collected snow-tracking data (Spearman's r = 0.37) and hunting statistics (Spearman's r = 0.88) showed higher accuracy. The map generated can facilitate both the study of broad scale processes linking predators and prey as well as roe deer management in southeastern Norway.

The wolf (Canis lupus) population in Finland is recolonizing its former range after an absence of about 100 years. During its absence, the boreal forest environment has been significantly altered by humans and has become a patchwork of managed forests and human-modified areas. Wolf recolonization has raised a need for information on the potential occurrence of wolf home ranges and habitat requirements. We used a logistic regression to compare a set of habitat features inside 20 known minimum convex polygon (MCP) home ranges of wolves in Finland with the same habitat features in random areas. Wolves tended to show strong avoidance of direct human presence. There did not appear to be a large difference in the occurrence of different forest types between wolf home ranges and random areas. An independent sample of ten wolf home ranges was used to evaluate the probabilities of wolf occurrence predicted by the models. According to our model, 90% of these home ranges had a probability of occurrence greater than 0.50. We also used logistic regression to compare the habitat composition of 50% kernels inside the MCP home ranges. The tendency to avoid human presence was also evident in smaller scale habitat selection.

Conservation physiology is an important tool used to understand how variation in the natural environment can evoke a physiological stress response in free-living animals. The aim of this study was to analyze how fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels vary in response to habitat type, prey abundance and interspecific competition in a free-living population of wildcats in northwest Spain. We collected 110 fresh fecal samples from 25 wildcats along 28 transects between May 2005 and June 2009. To determine habitat characteristics and competing carnivore abundance, we defined 110 circular plots with the fresh wildcat scat at the center. For each plot, we sampled habitat variables, competitor carnivore abundance (pine marten [Martes martes] and red fox [Vulpes vulpes]) and prey abundance (wood mice [Apodemus sylvaticus]). Our results indicate that habitat variables, interference competition and main prey abundance did not significantly affect FCM levels in wildcats.

The increasing Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population causes considerable damage to coastal fisheries. The aim of the present study was to compare the age, sex and blubber thickness of seals that cause problems to coastal fisheries (i.e. by-catch seals and those shot near the fishing gear) with those killed during regular hunting. This knowledge is essential for population management. We collected seal samples from hunters and fishermen from Finland, Sweden and Estonia in 2011–2013. Hunted seals included individuals of all age classes, whereas most by-catch seals were small pups (in spring) or sub-adult and adult males (in autumn). By-catch seals had a thinner blubber layer than hunted seals. Most seals shot near the fishing gear were adult males in good condition. The ‘problem seals' were thus not a random sample of the population. We suggest that hunting should be targeted especially at males to mitigate the damage to fisheries without threatening the population.

Related species showed different strategies when migrating south towards wintering grounds in the Sahel and southern Africa: the garden warbler steadily increased fuel reserves along the migration route, the blackcap showed mixed fattening strategy with high fat reserves just before the Sahara crossing, the common whitethroat accumulated large fat reserves well in advance (North Mediterranean) before crossing this barrier, while the lesser whitethroat starting from the northern part of the Mediterranean showed a stable level of fat reserves. Results of this study support the hypothesis that species-specific ecology, rather than phylogenetic relationships, plays the major role in the evolution and form of bird migration. There were also population-specific differences in the strategy of species based on migration distance (blackcap), as well as individual differences where some individuals of the same species were potentially able to cover larger distance than conspecifics (blackcap, common whitethroat).