Two new articles were published in issue 29/2016 of the scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences and can be accessed at http://www.ias.is/landbunadur/wgsamvef.nsf/key2/bsinaawuad.html.
The first article is called "Strongyloides stercoralis found in imported dogs, household dogs and kennel dogs in Iceland"And is by Matthías Eydal and Karl Skírnisson.
The authors compiled an overview of cases that have been diagnosed by the parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis in dogs in Iceland but the worm has been detected in faecal samples from 20 (0.6%) dogs that were brought to the country via isolation centers in the years 1989-2016. In 2012, the worm was detected in many dogs at an Icelandic dog kennel and also in some puppies that have been bought there and in two domestic dogs that had been in contact with dogs from the dog kennel. in single faecal samples in recent years. The nematode is believed to have entered the kennel with an imported dog, despite repeated antiretroviral administration to the isolation center has been transmitted between dogs in the kennel and spread from there with sold dogs.
This article shows that we need to be constantly vigilant against imported diseases in animals in this country and the importance of keeping track of data is useful in finding ways to control this disease.
The second article is called "Geothermal ecosystems as natural climate change experiments: The ForHot research site in Iceland as a case study"By Bjarni D. Sigurðsson and 20 other authors.
The research study discussed here takes advantage of the special situation that the soil in a geothermal area has warmed up and it is possible to compare ecosystems there with soil without heat. The project aims to shed light on the effects of global warming on northern dryland ecosystems. The research took place at three locations in Ölfus, in the immediate vicinity of Hveragerði: i) in grasslands that have been under the influence of global warming for a long time for at least 50 years, ii) in similar grasslands that first started warming in the spring of 2008 after the South Iceland earthquake and iii) in planted a 50-year-old spruce forest that also started to heat up in the spring of 2008. We tried to choose so that the heating would be as close as possible to +1, +3, +5, +10 and +20 ° C. Chemical analyzes showed no evidence of geothermal water reaching the soils of the areas and the end result was that the geothermal areas of the ForHot project produced conditions comparable to various controlled soil heating experiments abroad that are used to study the effects of global warming on drylands.
This article tells about a large project that a number of people and institutions are involved in and already both MS and one doctoral dissertation as well as several articles have been published about it and many will surely come in the coming years. People's interest in this project extends far beyond the shores of Iceland shows the need for people to get acquainted with and study what the possible effects of a warmer climate may have on nature.