Browsing by Title

I present a case study demonstrating how an integrative approach can be applied in systematics to describe a new lepidopteran species and genus. I apply several imaging techniques to provide unambiguous illustrations of diagnostic morphological characters with an emphasis in experimenting non-destructive imaging methods, especially the Micro CT scanning. We establish the taxonomic position and molecular phylogeny of the study species using a multigenetic dataset comprising the study species and 272 other terminal taxa from the superfamily Geometroidea. My study taxon is a largish and conspicuous geometrid moth from South Africa, which we classify to the looper moth family Geometridae, the subfamily Larentiinae of the tribe Xanthorhoini sensu lato. Based on the inspection of the study specimens and all other available information, we conclude that the study specimens belong to a yet undescribed genus and species. During the study, we found out that the species has been present in collections for at least 128 years but has not been formally described. Micro CT scanning was found to be a useful imaging method, particularly when the target structure is flat such as arthropod wing venation, and I recommend it to be applied when dealing with rare specimens. We provide images and description of the known distribution, habitat, host plant, adult and immature stages, and parasitoids of a new species, Chloecolora vergetaria sp. n. Englund & Staude. We intend to publish the formal description of the new genus and species in a separate forthcoming article. Tutkielmassani selitän tieteelle uuden perhossuvun ja -lajin soveltaen useita kuvantamis- ja muita menetelmiä, joiden avulla esitän uudelle lajille tunnusomaiset ulkoiset tuntomerkit. Erityisesti tutkin Micro CT skannauksen ja muiden näytteitä rikkomattomien kuvantamismenetelmien soveltamista integratiivisessa taksonomisessa tutkimuksessa. Selvitämme uuden lajin sukulaisuussuhteet ja taksonomisen paikan käyttäen uuden lajin ja 272 muun mittarimaisten perhosten (Geometroidea) yläheimoon kuuluvan lajin useista geenisekvensseistä koostettua tietokantaa. Tutkimuslajini on suurehko Etelä-Afrikkalainen yöperhonen, jonka luokittelemme kuuluvaksi heimoon mittarit (Geometridae), alaheimoon Larentiinae ja sukukuntaan Xanthorhoini sensu lato. Näyteyksilöiden tutkimuksiin ja kaikkeen muuhun käytössämme olleeseen aineistoon perustuen päättelemme, että näyteyksilöt kuuluvat aiemmin kuvaamattomaan sukuun ja lajiin. Tutkimuksen aikana selvisi, että lajin yksilöitä on ollut tieteellisissä kokoelmissa jo ainakin 128 vuoden ajan, mutta laji on jäänyt vaille muodollista kuvausta. Micro CT skannaus osoittautui käyttökelpoiseksi kuvantamismenetelmäksi erityisesti, kun kuvattava kohde on tasomainen, kuten esimerkiksi niveljalkaisen siipisuonitus - suosittelen sen käyttöä, kun kuvauksen kohteena on harvinainen näyteyksilö. Esitämme uuden lajin, Chloecolora vergetaria sp. n. Englund & Staude, aikuisten sekä sen tunnetun levinneisyyden, elinympäristön, ravintokasvin, kehitysasteiden sekä tunnettujen loisten kuvaukset. Aiomme julkaista uuden suvun ja lajin muodolliset kuvaukset erillisessä artikkelissa.

Northern aapa mires are important carbon sinks. Their CO2 exchange with the atmosphere is based on plant photosynthesis and respiration, and the decomposition of peat and other dead organic matter by microbial activity. The photosynthetic efficiency of plants depends on environmental factors and the amount and development of plant leaf area and biomass. There is not much research on the leaf area index and biomass of plants on aapa mires which makes them an interesting and important subject of research. This study investigated plant community composition, development and their effect on CO2 exchange at a northern aapa mire in Finland. The purpose of this study was to survey the biomass and leaf area index of plants within mire types and determine how they, together with water level and microbial activity, and explain the CO2 exchange between the mire and atmosphere. Another aim of this study was to construct regression models for predicting biomass and leaf area index using the plants height and coverage data. The study was conducted in summer 2014 at Halssiaapa, an aapa mire in Sodankylä. The mire was divided into oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic hummocks, lawns and hollows. The plant community species, their height and coverage were determined in early June, mid-July and mid-August. Moreover, the growth of plant groups was monitored weekly at 16 inventory squares between 6th June and 18th August. Biomass and leaf area samples were collected from different mire types in mid-July, and by the use of regression analysis, two equations were modelled for each plant group, one for predicting biomass and another for predicting leaf area index. The equations were used for predicting biomass and leaf area index for plant groups and mire types based on early June and mid-August data, and the weekly inventory squares. CO2 exchange, and factors controlling it, were measured via an eddy covariance method (measures exchange at ecosystem scale), and a closed chamber method (measures exchange from 1m2). Biomass, leaf area index, species composition, water level and soil factors (indicators of decomposer activity) were used to explain CO2 fluxes. The activity of decomposers in peat was measured via a decomposition test where litter bags containing tea or straw were placed at sampling sites on the mire. The regression models based on plant sample data explained well the biomass and leaf area indices of plant groups. The mire s overall and maximum biomass and leaf area indices were 147 g m-2 and 0,73 m2 m-2 respectively for vascular plants, and 351 g m-2 and 5,5 m2 m-2 respectively for mosses. Hollows displayed the lowest leaf area index and biomass values, whilst hummocks showed the highest values. Mesotrophic hummocks had the highest values for vascular plants and eutrophic lawns showed the highest values for mosses. Despite having a considerably higher level of biomass and leaf area index than vascular plants, Sphagnum mosses had a much lower gross photosynthetic capacity. Plant communities on lawns and hummocks with an abundancy of sedges (Cyperaceae) had a higher gross photosynthetic capacity and respiration level than plant communities in hollows. Factors leading to increased respiration were increasing vascular leaf area index, release of carbon from straw (indicating decomposer activity), decreasing water level (drier peat) and carbon content in surface peat. Factors leading to increased gross photosynthetic capacity were increasing vascular leaf area index, decreasing water level and decreased straw mass in surface peat (indicating decomposer activity). Temperature and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) explained 25 % of the variation in gross primary production and 39 % in respiration. The other environmental factors explained 55 % of the residual variation in gross primary production and 78 % in respiration. The mire s gross primary production showed highest increase rate in June and reached its maximum level in early August. Mean plant biomass and leaf area index had the same growth pattern as gross primary production, reaching peak levels at the end of July. The plants Menyanthes trifoliata , Potentilla palustris, Andromeda polifolia and the functional group containing sedges and Scheuchzeria palustris, had a similar growth pattern, but no change in biomass and leaf area index of Betula nana and Vaccinium oxycoccos was detected during the growing season. The models constructed in this study for predicting biomass and leaf area index can be used at Halssiaapa and other nearby aapa mires. Plant surveying and CO2 exchange measurements will be continued at the site in future. Longterm changes in plant community species and CO2 exchange can be researched by comparing results from year 2014 with in coming summers.

Ligniini on maakasveille hyvin tärkeä makromolekyyli. Se on olennainen osa esimerkiksi vettä ja ravinteita kuljettavien puusolukon solujen soluseinää. Ligniini on myös osallisena kasvien puolustuksessa muita organismeja vastaan. Lisäksi se on tärkeä osa metsien ekologiassa ja ihmisen hyödykkeenä. Prosessia, jossa kasvisolun seinään muodostuu ligniiniä, sanotaan puutumiseksi, eli lignifikaatioksi. Tällöin lignifikoituvan solun sisällä syntetoidut ligniinin monomeerit – monolignolit - kuljetetaan solukalvon yli soluseinään, jossa ne polymeroituvat ligniiniksi. Vähitellen kasvisolun soluseinän selluloosan, hemiselluloosien, pektiinien ja rakenne-proteiinien muodostama verkosto tukkiutuu ligniinistä. Lignifikoituessaan solu käy samalla läpi ohjelmoidun solukuoleman. Monolignolien synteesistä tiedetään suhteellisen paljon, samoin kuin ligniinin polymerisaatiosta. Monolignolien kuljetuksesta sen sijaan ei ole tietoa. Eri hypoteesien mukaan monolignolit voivat kulkeutua solukalvon yli joko diffuusion, golgin laitteen rakkuloiden tai kuljettajaproteiinien eli transportterien avulla. Teoria golgin laitteesta on osoitettu epätodennäköiseksi ja diffusiostakaan ei ole todisteita aidoilla solukalvoilla. Siksi pro gradu –tutkielmani tarkoituksena onkin testata hypoteesia transportterivälitteisestä kuljetuksesta. Tutkittavina ovat kasveissa hyvin yleiset ABC-transportterit, joiden tiedetään kuljettavan sekundaarisen aineenvaihdunnan tuotteita. Tutkielmassani testasin ABC-transportterihypoteesia kuusen (Picea abies) ligniiniä tuottavilla A3/85-liuosviljelmäsoluilla sekä bioninformatiikan keinoin. A3/85-soluille syötettiin radioaktiivista fenyylialaniinia – monolignolisynteesin raaka-ainetta – yhdessä ABC-transportteri-inhibiittoreiden (Reversin 121 ja vanadaatti) kanssa. Inhibiittoreilla ei kuitenkaan ollut vaikutusta solujen erittämien fenyylialaniinin fenolituotteiden tai näiden sokerijohdannaisten määrään. Bioinformatiikan keinoin taas yritettiin löytää kuusen (Picea spp.) ja männyn (Pinus spp.) EST-kirjastoista hyviä ABC-transportteriehdokkaita monolignolien kuljetukseen. Erityisesti lignifikoituvassa solukossa esiintyvää, ominaisuuksiltaan sopivaa ABC-transportteria ei kuitenkaan löytynyt. Tämän perusteella kuljetuksesta vastaa todennäköisesti jokin muu transportteri tai kuljetus ei tapahdu lainkaan transportterin välityksellä. Tutkielmassani oli testattavana myös usein esitetty ajatus monolignolien myrkyllisyydestä, josta ei kuitenkaan ole tehty asiaan kuuluvaa selvitystä. Monolignolien odotetulla myrkyllisyydellä saatetaan kasvitieteessä perustella erinäisiä väittämiä, joten ajatuksen paikkansapitävyys on syytä varmistaa. Hypoteesia monolignolien myrkyllisyydestä testasin lisäämällä ligniiniä tuottamattomien tupakan (Nicotiana tabacum) liuosviljelmäsolujen (BY-2) kasvatusalustaan monolignoli koniferyylialkoholia. Koniferyylialkoholi aiheutti solujen lignifikaation sekä tappoi solut korkeissa pitoisuuksissa. Näiden kokeiden perusteella voidaan myrkyllisyys-hypoteesin sanoa olevan mahdollinen, joskin koniferyylialkoholin mahdollinen osallisuus lignifikoituvassa solussa tapahtuvaan ohjelmoituun solukuolemaan täytyy ottaa huomioon.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide and in 2020 it was the fifth deadliest. In Finland 2019 more than 5000 breast cancer cases were diagnosed, 94% in women and 6% in men. Until now, the high-risk breast cancer susceptibility genes have been identified including BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53 as well as many of the moderate risk genes. Still, together all the identified genes explain only approximately half of the familial breast cancer cases. Furthermore, all the known breast cancer susceptibility genes are linked to the DNA repair mechanism. Serpina3 stands out as a non-DNA repair gene but as a gene that encodes a protease inhibitor which belongs to the serpin superfamily. Serpina3 has been associated with various diseases before and especially changes in its expression levels are linked to the tumor prognosis in many cancers including breast cancer. However, a previous study proposed that Serpina3 c.918-1G>C is a susceptibility variant for breast cancer in the Northern Finland population. This thesis a case-control study to investigate whether Serpina3 c.918-1G>C variant is associated with breast cancer in the Southern Finland population. In addition, the tumor histology and cellular markers of Serpina3 c.918-1G>C carriers were examined. This study utilized DNA collected from breast cancer patients as well as DNA from blood donors and healthy biobank controls. Breast cancer patients included both familial and unselected cases. The prevalence of Serpina3 c.918- 1G<C variant was studied by genotyping the cases and controls. Genotyping was done by TaqMan real-time PCR and carriers were further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Moreover, statistical tests were used in the data analyses. The studied Serpina3 c.918-1G>C variant was not found to be significantly (p>0.05) enriched in the breast cancer cases. The variant was found in 0.23 % of familial and 0.36 % of unselected cases, altogether in 0.28 % of all studied breast cancer cases, the frequency in controls was 0.27 %. The tumor histology was found to be ductal in 73 % of the Serpina3 c.918- 1G>C variant carriers and only 9 % had lobular tumor. In other words, the tumor histology followed the usual distribution. All the carriers had a HER2 negative tumor and all except one case were both ER and PR positive. About half of the carriers expressed the cellular proliferation marker Ki67. As a conclusion, the results from this study do not suggest Serpina3 c.918-1G>C as a breast cancer risk variant at least in the Southern Finland population.

Dog activities (urination and defecation) can be a source of nitrogen accumulation in the snowpack of urban parks. Urban parks are commonly visited by urban residents and excessive buildup of nitrogen in snowpack can be a health concern. This accumulation of nitrogen in snowpack may wash away during spring with the runoff of melting snow, which can cause the eutrophication and deterioration of lake ecosystems. In this study, I investigated the concentration of some nitrogen-related compounds along with a few physical parameters in the snowpack of urban parks and compared these between areas with high dog activities and areas with no dog activities. I hypothesized that, nitrogen concentrations will be higher in areas with high dog activities, like snowpack beside paths than in areas with no dog activities. The study was performed in 10 parks of two cities in Finland; Helsinki and Lahti. In these parks, samples were collected from snowpack immediately next to walking paths (path edge), and in control areas 8 m away from these paths, where dogs were unlikely to visit. Samples were collected from February to April of 2019. The concentration nitrogen from snow samples of both parts of parks were compared. The study showed that, the concentration of most nitrogen species, e.g. Total Nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4+), Total Organic Nitrogen (TON), and electrical conductivity followed a similar pattern of having higher values in snow from path edges where dog activities were the highest. However, the concentration of NO3 – and pH values were both slightly lower in the path edge samples compared to control areas undisturbed by dogs, but differences were not statistically significant. Information from this study can be useful for understanding the connection between dog activities and nitrogen build up in snowpack of urban parks, and can also be helpful for designing urban parks by considering environmental and health effects of nitrogen accumulation in the snow from dog activities. My findings can also be useful to urban waterbody related studies, e.g. eutrophication, and the accumulation of nutrients in lakes.

While there is no current consensus on what characterizes a heathy gut microbiome, there are evidence supporting the association of high microbial diversity with health stability in the host species. A growing literature suggests that microbial communities can withstand short-term anthropogenic changes with resilience, however enduring long-term changes might have a negative impact on the natural composition of host microbiome. Parasitism and anthropogenic disturbances resulting in habitat degradation might represent two of such long-term challenges to the invisible diversity of microbial communities, with consequences for the fitness of their host species. In this study, I tested whether parasitism by a specialist parasitoid and ecological changes due to anthropogenic habitat degradation affected the microbial community associated with the diapausing larvae of the Glanville Fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia). The larval samples were collected in September 2012 from seven different communes across the Åland islands, from two extreme types of habitat patches (i.e., highly human-impacted habitats versus natural meadows). The parasitoid wasp Hyposoter horticola naturally parasitize approximately a third of the M. cinxia larvae in Åland, giving an opportunity to further investigate how parasitism might affect the larvae-associated bacterial community in this system. The DNA from the gut of each larva was extracted, and the bacterial V5-V6 region of the 16S gene was amplified and sequenced at the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine. The sequencing data was prepared for analysis by processing it through Mothur and QIIME2 data cleaning protocols. According to alpha- and beta-diversity metrics analyses, anthropogenic degradation of the habitat did not cause significant changes in the bacterial composition of the microbiota associated with diapausing larvae of M. cinxia, however, parasitism with the parasitoid wasp has a significant negative effect on the beta diversity of the microbial communities associated with the diapausing larvae.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent health issue worldwide, yet one third of patients are unresponsive to first-line treatment. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a promising alternative treatment and better understanding of the neural network impairments associated with MDD could significantly improve its efficacy. Recent research has identified a ‘depression network’ involving key brain regions, suggesting that MDD symptoms arise from functional connectivity impairments within this network. This thesis aims to map the activity and functional connectivity of six bilateral regions of interest (ROIs) implicated in MDD: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), intraparietal sulci (IPS) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). The intention is to describe biomarkers of depression and map the depression network to identify connectivity impairments between these cortical sites. Literature on these ROIs was reviewed and rsEEG data from 24 MDD patients and 9 healthy controls was collected to analyze the activity and functional connectivity of selected ROIs. Our results suggest that MDD involves widespread connectivity impairment including in regions that have not previously been included in the research on depression, such as IFG and IPS. Most ROIs showed trends of reduced activity in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands. The effects were most noticeable in the theta band, especially in the IFG, dmPFC, and dlPFC. However, the functional connectivity impairments were more prominent and significant, particularly in the beta and alpha bands. Notably, the IPS and vmPFC stood out as key nodes with the most dysfunctional connections in MDD. These findings support the idea of a depression network characterized by connectivity abnormalities rather than localized activity impairments. This study emphasizes the importance of a network-based approach in understanding MDD. The search for biomarkers as well as novel stimulation targets should consider regions beyond the traditional dlPFC or the frontal cortex, to include regions such as IPS, IFG and vmPFC.

This study aims to understand how cities adapt to environmentally induced hazards, like floods. Extreme floods are interesting firstly, because climate change is predicted to increase flooding in several places globally in the future, and secondly, because even a small risk could be realised in the right conditions. The methods are a case study of flood adaptation in Helsinki, qualitative content analysis, interviews, and a scenario. Land use planning is chosen as the context of the case study, because densification challenges flood preparedness. The material consists of the zoning plan of Helsinki, its flood risk management related appendixes and interviews with city experts. The qualitative content analysis aims to answer the first research question: How does land use planning consider extreme floods in Helsinki? The scenario, in turn, aims to answer the second research question: In what ways might an extreme flood challenge the current land use planning in Helsinki? The interviews are mainly used to support the other methods. The results lead to one main argument, for which I present several justifications. The argument is that the flood risk management and land use planning in Helsinki, the urban structure of which is densifying, do not sufficiently consider the risk related to extreme floods, even though climate change is increasing the likelihood of such. In the end, I present some policy recommendations to change this.

Early life conditions have long-term effects on the fitness and survival of individuals. Foetal development is an especially crucial period and even small changes may have large impacts on the development of individuals. Mammal foetuses may be exposed to additional testosterone either from their male littermates or their mother. This additional prenatal androgen exposure leads to masculinization of female features and behavior. In males the effects of additional prenatal androgen exposure are less drastic due to their own testosterone production. The anogenital distance, defined as the distance between the anus and genitalia, has been used to determine the sex of young mammals since males have longer anogenital distances than females. An elongated anogenital distance is an indicator of additional prenatal androgen exposure in females, and in some species also in males. It correlates with for example increased aggressiveness in both females and males. In females a longer anogenital distance has also been connected to delayed puberty and decreased fertility. I studied the effects of additional prenatal androgen exposure on weight and important life-history traits in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) with data from a long-term study. Banded mongooses are small co-operatively breeding mammals living in family groups of 10-30 individuals across sub-Saharan Africa. Breeding is extremely synchronized within groups and in most cases all pregnant females give birth on the same day. The resulting communal litter is cared for by most adults in the group regardless of relatedness. Adults escort the pups until three months of age, providing the pup with food, grooming and protection. This early life care has long-term fitness benefits for the pups. Pregnant females may change the phenotype of their offspring via maternal effects. When the competition faced by breeding females is more intense, they compensate by investing more resources to their foetuses, making them bigger. Using the anogenital distance as a proxy for additional prenatal androgen exposure, I measured its effects on weight at early life and maturity, the amount of care received as pups and whether the individual reproduced in its lifetime or not. I hypothesized that a longer anogenital distance may be an indicator of increased competitiveness in the banded mongoose. It could lead to a cumulative advantage since more aggressive individuals may be able to access more food and care, which leads to higher maturity weight and lifetime reproductive success. I also measured the effects of resource abundance and intensity of competition during gestation on the anogenital distance of the pups. I hypothesized that mothers may prepare their offspring for future competitive environment by exposing them to androgens during gestation. In males a longer anogenital distance predicted higher weight both at early life and maturity. Higher weight at the beginning of the escorting increased the amount of care received, which in turn increased weight at maturity. A longer anogenital distance therefore has both direct and indirect fitness benefits in male banded mongooses. In females, a longer anogenital distance predicted lighter weight at maturity, suggesting that it may have negative effects on female growth and development. This study offers evidence that additional prenatal androgen exposure has long-term fitness consequences on banded mongooses and that these consequences are sex specific. Future research should focus on confirming the connection between additional prenatal androgen exposure and longer anogenital distance in this species, as well as assessing the effects of prenatal androgen exposure on survival, puberty and growth of especially female individuals.

Diets of wild owls have been studied by pellets, when the nutritional value of owl prey remains unclear. Fatty acids are an essential part of animal nutrition, acting as energy reserve, building blocks of membranes and precursors for signaling molecules. I studied whether Finnish owl species have species-specific characteristics in the fatty acid profiles of adipose tissue due to different diets and feeding habits. I also compared fatty acid profiles between wild and captive owls to elucidate if the diet of captive owls resembles the diet in the wild. Fatty acids from visceral adipose tissue and a liver were transesterified to fatty acid methyl esters, which were identified and quantified by gas-chromatographs linked to either a mass spectrometry or flame ionisation detector. The fatty acid compositions were compared with Principal Component Analysis and statistical significance of the separations between species, origins and tissues were studied by Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogies. Differences in the relative concentrations of individual fatty acids and their structural category sums were evaluated by the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Compared to wild owls, captive owl (snowy owl Bubo scandiacus and Eurasian eagle-owl Bubo bubo) adipose tissues had lower relative concentrations of many long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. The captive owls also had lower n-3 PUFA/n-6 PUFA ratio than the wild owls. I suggest that these differences arise from anthropogenic food given to the prey of the captive owls. In the future, the feeding and breeding of captive owls could be improved and potential health hazards prevented by giving the owls a diet rich in long-chain PUFAs, either by giving the prey more versatile diet or adding supplements to the owl’s diet. The adipose tissues of wild Eurasian eagle-owls contained higher total relative concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids than the species belonging to the Strix genus. On the other hand, long-chain PUFAs were more prominent in the Strix owls. I suggest that these differences in the fatty acid composition are due to the disparities in feeding behaviour: the Eurasian eagle-owls eat carrions and large prey that cannot be swallowed whole, which may lead to consuming more the body outer parts of the prey. The fatty acid composition of the eagle-owls can also be affected by urban prey that have consumed anthropogenic food. In the future, the fatty acid composition of wild prey should be examined to be able to evaluate the prey composition of owls and its effect on the owl fatty acid profile with physiological consequences, the knowledge that could be used in the future decision-making that supports the conservation of owls.