Karin BergmanResearch engineer
About me
I work as a research engineer and administrator for the PhD program in Environmental Science, where I support approximately 60 doctoral students. In addition, I am involved in the administration of our undergraduate and master’s programs and am a member of the department’s environmental group, and in the web group.
I am responsible for the department’s aquarium system, which has capacity for both freshwater and brackish water and is used for research and teaching.
Within the environmental monitoring group, we study amphipod crustaceans, particularly Monoporeia. Monitoring of these species has been ongoing since 1994, and we investigate how their reproduction and endocrine system are affected by both anthropogenic and natural environmental factors, such as pollutants, oxygen depletion, food quality, and temperature.
I am also responsible for the department’s newsletter, which is sent out five times a year. In this role, I collect contributions from various colleagues, including the head of department, head of administration, director of studies, and research communicator, and compile an informative and well-received newsletter for everyone at the department.
Publications
A selection from Stockholm University publication database
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Adult female European perch (Perca fluviatilis) from the Baltic Sea show no evidence of thiamine deficiency
2021. Johan Gustafsson (et al.). Journal of Sea Research 174
ArticleRead more about Adult female European perch (Perca fluviatilis) from the Baltic Sea show no evidence of thiamine deficiencyDeficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) has been demonstrated in several species in the northern hemisphere and is suggested as a cause for declining populations. European perch from the Baltic Sea show negative temporal trends for several health biomarkers and poor recruitment of unknown cause. In this study, thiamine status of perch liver from the Baltic Sea was studied with emphasis on seasonal variation. During spring the thiamine concentration increased, reached a higher level during the summer and then decreased again during autumn. Despite this variation the thiamine concentration was always sufficient in the perch liver. These results indicate that direct thiamine deficiency is an unlikely explanation for the health effects observed in adult female perch from the Baltic Sea.
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Widespread episodic thiamine deficiency in Northern Hemisphere wildlife
2016. Lennart Balk (et al.). Scientific Reports 6
ArticleRead more about Widespread episodic thiamine deficiency in Northern Hemisphere wildlifeMany wildlife populations are declining at rates higher than can be explained by known threats to biodiversity. Recently, thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency has emerged as a possible contributing cause. Here, thiamine status was systematically investigated in three animal classes: bivalves, ray-finned fishes, and birds. Thiamine diphosphate is required as a cofactor in at least five life-sustaining enzymes that are required for basic cellular metabolism. Analysis of different phosphorylated forms of thiamine, as well as of activities and amount of holoenzyme and apoenzyme forms of thiaminedependent enzymes, revealed episodically occurring thiamine deficiency in all three animal classes. These biochemical effects were also linked to secondary effects on growth, condition, liver size, blood chemistry and composition, histopathology, swimming behaviour and endurance, parasite infestation, and reproduction. It is unlikely that the thiamine deficiency is caused by impaired phosphorylation within the cells. Rather, the results point towards insufficient amounts of thiamine in the food. By investigating a large geographic area, by extending the focus from lethal to sublethal thiamine deficiency, and by linking biochemical alterations to secondary effects, we demonstrate that the problem of thiamine deficiency is considerably more widespread and severe than previously reported.
Show all publications by Karin Bergman at Stockholm University
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