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Waste paper is suitable for recycling back into paper or for incineration for energy recovery. If waste paper is used for recycling, secondary pulp replaces virgin pulp. Fiber recycling is limited, however, because of physical constraints—particularly the breakage of fiber in the recycling process—and a permanent input of virgin fiber to the system is required. Therefore one can expect that the relationship between recycling rates and resource requirements is represented by a curved line rather than a straight one. In this article, we present a mathematical model which confirms that the relationship between recycling rates and primary pulp requirements can be described as nonlinear. Furthermore, we show that this nonlinear relationship leads to an optimal recycling rate with regard to energy consumption: 93% for paper produced from chemical pulp, and 81% for paper produced from mechanical pulp. Sensitivity testing additionally reveals that at low recycling rates increasing waste paper recycling is energy efficient, but it becomes less efficient at higher recycling rates. Close to the optimum recycling rates (within 10%), increasing or decreasing the rate affects the total energy requirement less than 0.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To manage their increasingly ambitious environmental agendas successfully, companies need better and more versatile data, yet the elements and mechanisms through which businesses and the environment benefit from data remain poorly understood. A single‐case‐study setting was designed for examining the perceived value of data for environmental sustainability as seen by the customers of a tissue‐paper supplier. The findings, from material collected during interviews with customers in 2022, showcase the multifaceted nature of data's value for business operations and associated ability to support decisions and activities that encourage environment‐informed choices and environmental improvements. Also, fully exploiting data's potential for environmental sustainability requires greater volume and detail of product‐specific data, transparency of value chains and environmental impacts, and data's better management and sharing. The emerging insight related to the value of data strengthens understanding of how companies could, with data, support their customers' environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the field of ecology evolves, analyses synthesizing trends in key topics addressed over the decades can provide historical context for the development of novel theories and methods, identify "hot topics" over time, and guide future research directions. Such syntheses in a field that aims to diversify can also help quantify efforts to increase representation and authorship by underrepresented groups in STEM. To identify hot topics in ecology, we analyzed key themes in the top‐cited ecology papers in three two‐decade timeframes spanning 1960–2019. We also analyzed authorship trends (gender identity and nationality) in the top‐cited papers. We documented a shift from descriptive studies in single biological systems in the 1960–1970, to more synthesis‐based papers and studies discussing human impacts on the environment in the 1980–1990, while the 2000s were dominated by novel quantitative and macroecological approaches. The top‐cited papers were overwhelmingly from the United States and Europe, highlighting the need to make studies from across the globe more visible and accessible in the ecological literature. Finally, we detected a trend for more papers led by women authors, but a decline in papers with women last authors, indicating a need to retain women in leadership positions. Overall, our hot topics analysis highlights the expanding breadth and quantitative nature of ecology, but illustrates barriers to diversity in the perspectives represented in the top‐cited papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary changes in organisms are directly observable, and they can occur rapidly in the presence of strong natural selection. Here, we present the "airport ecology" to describe the rapid evolution of animals. The pygmy grasshopper Tetrix japonica exhibits significant variations in pronotum color and markings and is a good model organism for "airport ecology." There are trade‐offs in black‐spot markings in the pygmy grasshoppers; although it helps in camouflaging and reducing predation pressure, it stimulates overheating, resulting in a reduction in mating opportunities and foraging success under high solar irradiance. Therefore, the frequency of black‐spotted morphs is lower at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes along a latitudinal cline. However, in an airport where predation pressure is reduced by the removal of predatory bird populations, we predict that the frequency of black‐spotted morphs of T. japonica will be lower in habitats without predators than in those with predators at the same latitude; this demonstrates the anthropogenic effect on T. japonica polymorphism. As suggested here, predator‐free environments such as airports are valuable for illustrating the effects of anthropogenic activity on animal evolution. These findings can be extended to several other species that are found around airports and are potentially preferred by avian predators in terms of not only rapid evolution of color polymorphism but also evolution of various life‐history traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammals use sound for a variety of purposes, such as detecting the presence of others and maintaining social bonds. Much research on mammalian acoustics has been focussed on marine mammals and bats; less has considered terrestrial species.Our goal was to review knowledge about the role of acoustics in the behaviour and ecology of terrestrial mammals and to develop a conceptual framework that contextualises the knowledge. The purpose of the framework was to enable researchers to place their work in a broader understanding of the acoustics of terrestrial mammals, as well as to support them to articulate and explore new questions.We conducted a keyword search in Web of Science and removed papers that did not meet our criteria, resulting in 228 reviewed papers. We scored these for keywords and used concept maps to identify broad patterns.Of the 228 papers, 219 were focussed on acoustic communication. We therefore structured our Signaller–Receiver Conceptual Framework around factors that influence signallers (i.e. mammals producing sound) and receivers (i.e. mammals receiving sound). Factors that influence signallers were placed into two categories – those that influence call emission and those that influence call structure. Factors that influence receivers also fell into two categories – those that influence detection of sound and those that influence responses to sound. We added an additional receiver category – responses to sound. We present the framework in terms of five types of factors (environmental, social, morphological and physiological, state‐related factors, and other) and how they influence both signallers and receivers.Our review is the first to detail the range of factors influencing acoustic ecology of terrestrial mammals, and our framework provides context for the articulation of hypotheses that integrate multiple factors, and so can help researchers place their work in a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an introduction to a series of articles on several topics related to the environment. These topics include pulp and paper mill's effects on aquatic communities, patterns of a fish community structure in a watershed-scale study, study on the long-term receiving water study, and pattern of macroinvertebrate assemblages in a watershed-scale study. Other subjects are periphyton chlorophyll, fathead minnows, a multitrophic level study on pulp and paper mill, and effects of polychlorinated dibenzofurans on mink.

An industry-funded, long-term, receiving water study was initiated in 1998/1999 to address questions about the potential effects of pulp and paper mill effluent discharges on US receiving waters. Although the study continues, the knowledge gained to date provides an opportunity to reflect on the study development process, its progress, and its outcomes. As a backdrop to a series of articles in this special issue describing study results, this article describes the process by which study information objectives were identified as well as the process by which the experimental design was developed. A review of past literature and research identified gaps in long-term population/community data about effluent effects and that, consequently, emerged as a primary information objective. The selected streams for study included 1) Codorus Creek (Pennsylvania, USA), 2) Leaf River (Mississippi, USA), 3) McKenzie River (Oregon, USA), and 4) Willamette River (Oregon) represent a blend of mill process types, coldwater and warmwater stream types, and a range of effluent concentrations. Measurements included numbers of periphyton, macroinvertebrate, and fish communities; the assessment of water and effluent quality; laboratory bioassays; and fish full-life-cycle assays. Information objectives included addressing natural variability and, consequently, the study included long-term temporal (>10 y) and watershed-scale spatial frameworks. Regional-scale ecological risk assessments were performed for each site that aided in placing each site in an ecological and regulatory context. An adaptive-management process is described that allowed for modifications over time as a result of lessons learned as the study progressed. Results from the initial 7 to 8 y of monitoring, as described in the series of articles in this special issue, provide a unique data set with respect to addressing point-source pulp and paper mill effluent discharge concerns and may serve as a template for others to use in developing monitoring or management programs to assess or address water quality conditions or concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elasmus schmitti and Baryscapus elasmi have been recorded in southern Ukraine as gregarious parasitoids in the nests of the paper wasps Polistes dominulus and Polistes nimphus. Polistes dominulus nests infested with E. schmitti were less productive than uninfested nests in only one year (2004) of the three years of the present study, when an increase in the host population size occurred. Females of E. schmitti are synovigenic, and they lay their eggs on the skins of P. dominulus last instar larvae, without paralyzing the host. Rather, the parasitoid larvae feed on young host pupae. The pupae of E. schmitti are isolated from the host remnants by a thin fecal partition as in Elasmus polistis and Elasmus japonicus, other paper wasp parasitoids. Baryscapus elasmi is a pupal endoparasitoid of E. schmitti. The females of B. elasmi emerge without mature eggs in their ovaries and mate with males. They penetrate the paper wasp’s cells with their ovipositor and feed on the extracted hemolymph exudate. Pupation of B. elasmi occurs inside or outside the pupa of the host, E. schmitti. If inside, then the cranial end of the pupa and the adult emergence hole of B. elasmi are situated in the caudal ends of the pupae of their hosts. Comparative notes and illustrations on the morphology of adults are provided, and DNA sequences of three genes (nuclear 28S D2 rDNA, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and mitochondrial cytochrome b) were obtained for both parasitoid species. The similarity of the 28S D2 sequences of E. schmitti and E. polistis relative to other available Elasmus sequences suggests a single origin of parasitism on paper wasps in this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commentary on the papers of the special issue identifies and discusses four themes: 1) strategies to bridge the gap between science and practice, 2) sources of community science questions of interest, 3) choice and quality of methods, and 4) epistemology and useful language for community science. The commentary identifies some limitations in the models proposed by the special issue authors, and proposes renewed attention to ecology, context and process in community change initiatives, calling for a common set of community level measures as one strategy to advance a community centered science agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents recent research on nutrition and human health. A study has found a direct influence of the immediate meal environment on eating habits. A study evaluating the 'family information pack' element of the "Change4life" program, a social marketing campaign launched in England in 2009. The results showed a lack of engagement of the segment with the target population. Another study suggests a link between remembered enjoyment of food, food choices and tendency to overeat.

Background: In the digital environment, users' academic reading behaviour has changed, working with many articles simultaneously to search, filter, scan, link, annotate and analyse content fragments. The semantic enhancement environment has been widely set with semantic technologies to offer additional and handy support for users and thus facilitate the reading process. Despite many efforts devoted to developing a semantic enhancement environment, less attention has been paid to its actual effects. Objectives: This study aims to explore the effects of a semantic enhancement environment. Methods: Elaborating on cognitive load theory and focusing on academic reading, this study compared users' cognitive load and reading effect under the semantic enhancement environment and plain text environment and verified the three hypotheses. Results and conclusions: Through experiments and statistical analysis, this study found that, under a semantic enhancement environment, users had their cognitive load reduced and their reading effect improved. Consequently, a semantic enhancement environment promotes academic reading. Takeaways: This study adds to previous literature on semantic publishing by empirically corroborating the conducive effects of semantic enhancement environment in academic reading. Additionally, it justifies semantic publishing and provides a reference for the future design of semantically enhanced reading environments. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: The effects of a semantic enhancement environment are open to discuss.Academic reading is fundamental to researches and hence needs promotion.Limited studies investigated the effects of a semantic enhancement environment on academic reading.Publishers require effective reading environment designs. What this paper adds?: This study constructed a semantic enhancement reading environment to conduct a reading experiment.The experiment tested cognitive load, by using WP scale, and reading effects, by answer time and answer score.Semantic enhancement environment reduces users' cognitive load, promotes users' reading effects, and bolsters users' understanding of academic reading materials, especially in microstructure content.The design of semantic enhancement reading environments needs to fully consider the features of reading materials and give users a controllable way of interaction. The implications of study findings for practitioners: Compared to plain text environment, semantic enhancement environment is preferred in academic reading.Publishers are encouraged to add semantic enhancements to their publications.This study discussed how to design an effective learning and reading environment from the perspectives of reading resources, media forms of resources, and interaction modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to predict which areas of conservation importance are most vulnerable to transformation and to rank the relative damage that transforming land uses could cause to biodiversity are important components of an effective and realistic conservation planning process. We used the South African grassland biome as a case study to illustrate the assessment of vulnerability to land-use transformation through the construction of a “threat map.” We identified the dominant transforming land uses and created suitability models based on area appropriateness for each. Land uses were scored according to their expected relative impacts on biodiversity, with a framework that included compositional, structural, and functional components. This information, once combined, resulted in a map that highlighted the areas most vulnerable to transformation in terms of the likelihood of their transformation and the impact on their biodiversity. We propose that such an analysis of the threat of transformation, in combination with species-representation approaches, will aid the integration of conservation planning theory and decision making. This approach can be applied at any scale and in any region with a robustness and accuracy dependent on data quality, resultant suitability models, and comprehension of how land uses affect an area's biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The restoration of degraded ecosystems can be constrained by uncertainty over former conditions and the relevance of the past given recent changes. It can be difficult to differentiate among contrasting hypotheses about past ecosystem function, and restoration efforts can emphasize species reestablishment without integrating the ecological and cultural processes that once determined their occurrence. As a case study, we analyzed historical descriptions of an endangered oak grassland ecosystem in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, to determine former conditions and assess their validity for defining restoration targets. Twenty-three documents described this ecosystem from 1790 to 1951. Comparison of early survey records with contemporary occurrences suggests habitat loss of >95%. The identity and former range of most native plant species were poorly described, but accounts of ecosystem structure revealed a diversity of floral communities that has been much simplified. Fire, most likely set by indigenous peoples, interacted with edaphic and topographic factors to create this structural diversity. European settlers intensively modified the ecosystem with grazing, cultivation, and introduced flora. These transformations partly explain the current high levels of plant invasion. Restoration must target the ecosystems' former structural diversity and the ecological and cultural processes that maintained it. Given the recent impacts of fire suppression, habitat loss, and plant invasion, however, land managers must balance the reestablishment of historical processes with their potential negative effects in sites with numerous at-risk species. This ecosystem was, and remains, part of a culturally modified landscape, where human activity has maintained unforested areas for millennia but now promotes mostly exotic flora. Although pre-European conditions cannot be fully restored, the historical data provided restoration insights unobtainable from current biological studies emphasizing the end point of long-term ecological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the correspondence between current avian distributions in the lowlands of northern South America with respect to the hypothesized importance of sea level rise and other events over the past 15 million years on speciation. Tropical lowlands of north-western South America. To establish which bird taxa may have originated in each area of endemism, I examined the ranges of all bird species occurring in the Pacific and the Caribbean lowlands. To determine land and sea distribution during a sea level rise of 100 m in north-western South America and eastern Central America, I traced the 100 m contour line from the Geoatlas of Georama and the Global 30-Arc-Second Elevation Data (GTOPO30) produced by the US Geological Survey. During a sea level rise of ∼100 m, marine incursions would have occurred from the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Several areas of tropical forest and dry/arid vegetation would have been isolated, currently known as the Darién, Chocó, Nechí, Catatumbo, Tumbesian and Guajiran areas of animal and plant endemism. A large part of the high diversity of forest and nonforest birds and other animals and plants in the Pacific rain forest and the Caribbean woodland likely arose as the result of sea level rises, dispersal and other geological and climatic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the geographical variation in serotiny in a common New Zealand shrub as a contemporary indicator of past fire regimes. The distribution of serotiny could then be used to explore factors limiting the spread of fire-dependent vegetation. South Island, New Zealand. Serotiny was assessed as the proportion of closed capsules on a shoot of standard stem diameter for 5–35 plants in 45 widely scattered populations of Leptospermum scoparium. Site characteristics, including locality, altitude, rainfall, habitat type and minimum burnable area were recorded at sampling sites. Serotiny was distributed bimodally within and among populations with capsules either mostly closed or mostly open. There was considerable geographical variation in capsule behaviour, most of which we attribute to variation in fire history. In wetlands and other sites unsuitable for forest growth, populations were all serotinous above a minimum area of 30 km2 and nonserotinous below this threshold. In grassy habitats in the drier eastern areas, most populations were serotinous. The nonserotinous exceptions occurred in areas thought to have been cleared of forests by Polynesian settlers before the arrival of Europeans or in areas with numerous barriers to fire in the form of large rivers, floodplains, glaciers and barren mountain tops. We suggest that serotiny in L. scoparium is a reflection of a long history of fire in the South Island. As such, it provides a contemporary signature of a past fire regime. Landscape barriers to the spread of fire were major obstacles limiting the spread of serotiny and associated fire-dependent vegetation. Rivers, lakes, glaciers, and sparsely vegetated floodplains prevented the spread of fire in high rainfall regions more than the lack of dry weather. People, by igniting fires in small open areas seldom struck by lightning, could radically increase the importance of fire on islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To document the occurrence of vertical displacements of vegetation in the high plateaus of the Venezuelan Guayana ( tepuis) over the last c. 6000 years, and to discuss their significance for the origin of their flora, especially the endemism patterns observed in their flat summits. Two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the summit flora. One (the Lost World hypothesis) proposes a long history of evolution in isolation from the surrounding plains, while the other (the Vertical Displacement hypothesis) suggests that vertical movements of vegetation during the Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles would have resulted in floristic mixing within the lowlands, and genetic interchange among plateau summits. This work has been conducted on the flat summit of the Churí-tepui, in the Chimantá massif, at 5°15′ Lat. N and 62°01′ Long. W, around 2250 m altitude. Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating of two peat outcrops, using modern analogue technique and numerical methods for palaeoecological interpretation were used. The replacement of a high-altitude plant community (a paramoid Chimantaea shrubland) by a lower elevation (< 2300 m) Stegolepis meadow, occurred about 2500 years before present (yr bp). This vegetation change is inferred to have resulted from a regional climatic shift to higher temperature and moisture. A subsequent decrease in temperature and moisture led to the establishment of present conditions after about 1450 yr bp. The highland vegetation of the tepuis responded to climate shifts with vertical displacements, supporting the hypothesis of vertical mixing. However, a physiographical analysis shows that around half of the tepuis would never have been connected by lowlands. Therefore, both hypotheses are needed to explain the origins of the summit flora in the tepuis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout South-East Asia, droughts associated with ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) events have resulted in large-scale fires affecting millions of hectares of rain forest. However, the long-term impacts of these fires on the rain forest faunas are only poorly understood. Our aim was to study the recovery of rain forest butterfly assemblages following the 1997–98 ENSO event, which resulted in the largest-scale fires in the recorded history of the region. A 420-km2 area in the Balikpapan-Samarinda region of East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. Four landscapes were assessed after the 1997–98 ENSO event, including one landscape that was assessed prior to the event. Comparisons of species richness, species composition and guild abundance were made among landscapes and years. The relative importance of environment, geographical distance between sampling sites, and time between sampling years was quantified during the succession phase using a variance partitioning technique. The fires dramatically altered the butterfly community and resulted in a major decline in observed species richness within the landscape surveyed prior to the ENSO event. Following fires in 1998, butterfly assemblages in all landscapes were dominated by large-winged generalist species. During 1999 and 2000, assemblages became increasingly dominated by smaller specialist species. Species endemic to Borneo that were present before fires were absent in 2000, despite intensive sampling over enhanced spatial and environmental scales. Community similarity was significantly dependent upon local environmental variables, geographical distance between sampling sites, and time between sampling years. Together, these explained over 52% of the observed variation in samples. The importance of geographical distance between sampling sites indicates that recovery was dependent upon colonization from proximate habitats. Despite an apparent trend of return to pre-ENSO community structure, low species richness throughout the survey area indicates that full recovery had not taken place by 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explain the patterns of species richness and nestedness of a terrestrial bird community in a poorly studied region. Twenty-six islands in the Dahlak Archipelago, Southern Red Sea, Eritrea. The islands and five mainland areas were censused in summer 1999 and winter 2001. To study the importance of island size, isolation from the mainland and inter-island distance, I used constrained null models for the nestedness temperature calculator and a cluster analysis. Species richness depended on island area and isolation from the mainland. Nestedness was detected, even when passive sampling was accounted for. The nested rank of islands was correlated with area and species richness, but not with isolation. Idiosyncrasies appeared among species-poor and species-rich islands, and among common and rare species. Cluster analysis showed differences among species-rich islands, close similarity among species-poor and idiosyncratic islands, and that the compositional similarity among islands decreased with increasing inter-island distance. Thus, faunas of species-poor, smaller islands were more likely to be subsets of faunas of species-rich, larger islands if the distance between the islands was short. Species richness and nestedness were related to island area, and nestedness also to inter-island distances but not to isolation from the mainland. Thus, nestedness and species richness are not affected in the same way by area and distance. Moreover, idiosyncrasies may have been the outcome of species distributions among islands being influenced also by non-nested distributions of habitats, inter–specific interactions, and differences in species distributions across the mainland. Idiosyncrasies in nested patterns may be as important as the nested pattern itself for conservation – and conservation strategies based on nestedness and strong area effects (e.g. protection of only larger islands) may fail to preserve idiosyncratic species/habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the patterns of body-size changes of the north-western Mediterranean Plio-Pleistocene large mammal faunas (excluding rodents, bats, lagomorphs and insectivores) in order to identify the tempo and mode of the major shifts in body size distribution, and to put them in the context of Plio-Pleistocene environmental changes and the development of the Mediterranean climate. We analysed fossil faunas of Spain, France and Italy. A set of recent regional faunas from several macroclimatic regions was selected to serve as elements for comparison of the size distribution of past faunas, consisting of: Spain, France and Italy together, Florida, California, Central Chile, Indochina, India, Korea-Manchuria, Malawi, The Cape, North Africa, Turkey and Australia. Mammal species were grouped into five body size categories for carnivores and four categories for noncarnivore species. The number of species in each size category was computed and the resulting matrix of body weight classes × regions and time intervals was used as an input matrix in a Correspondence Analysis. Recent and fossil faunas strongly differ in body size structure. The distribution of recent faunas within the CA seems to reflect both ecological and historic factors, intertwined in a complex fashion. No clear relationship has been observed between body size structure and environmental factors. During the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene there were only minor changes in the pattern of size distribution, although plant communities were in a transition process from subtropical forests to Mediterranean woodlands and steppes. The major change in body size structure of the north-western Mediterranean fauna occurred at the Galerian, around 1 Ma ago. This marked the beginning of the modern fauna, and a general trend towards a larger body size, reduction in the number of medium sized herbivores, and an increase of large herbivores and megaherbivores. The Plio-Pleistocene faunas lack modern analogues. The body size structure of mammalian regional faunas appears to be strongly dependent on historical factors. The only major shift in body size distribution occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene, in the late Villafranchian-Galerian transition, coincident with the onset of the Pleistocene high intensity glacial cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local-regional (LR) species diversity plots were conceived to assess the contribution of regional and local processes in shaping the patterns of biological diversity, but have been used also to explore the scaling of diversity in terms of its alpha, beta, and gamma components. Here we explore the idea that patterns in the geographical ranges of species over a continent can determine the shape of small region to large region (SRLR) plots, which are equivalent to LR plots when comparing the diversity of sites at two regional scales. To test that idea, we analysed the diversity patterns at two regional scales for the mammals of North America, defined as the mainland from Alaska and Canada to Panama. We developed a theoretical model relating average range size of species over a large-scale region with its average regional point species diversity (RPD). Then, we generated a null model of expected SRLR plots based on theoretical predictions. Species diversities at two scales were modelled using linear and saturation functions for Type I and Type II SRLR relationships, respectively. We applied the models to the case of North American mammals by examining the regional diversity and the RPD for 21 large-scale quadrats (with area equal to 160,000 km2), arranged along a latitudinal gradient. Our model showed that continental and large-scale regional patterns of distribution of species can generate both types of SRLR relationship, and that these patterns can be reflected in LR plots without invoking any kind of local processes. We found that North American nonvolant mammals follow a Type I SRLR relationship, whereas bats follow a Type II pattern. This difference was linked to patterns in which species of the two mammalian groups distribute in geographical space. Traditional LR plots and the new SRLR plots are useful tools in exploring the scaling of species diversity and in showing the relationship between distribution and diversity. Their usefulness in comparing the relative role of local and regional processes is, however, very limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assess the importance of three relevant and readily obtainable life-history traits (dispersal syndrome, stem height and growth form) and biogeographical origin (European vs. non-European) on the local and regional abundance of over 400 exotic plant species across eight Mediterranean islands. The Mediterranean islands of Lesbos, Rhodes, Crete, Malta, Corsica, Sardinia, Majorca and Minorca. We adopt two abundance criteria for each exotic species: the proportion of islands in which the species occurs (regional abundance), and a qualitative estimate of species abundance within each of five islands (local abundance). Subsequently, we assess the relationship between local and regional abundance, as well as the role of key life-history traits on both regional and local abundance. These analyses were undertaken separately for the European exotics and the non-European exotics. Only 10.9% of the species occur on more than four islands, and only four species are present on all eight islands. Both local and regional abundances were higher for the non-European than the European species. Local and regional abundances were positively correlated, particularly for exotics with non-European origins. Wind-dispersed species tended to have higher regional abundance than species dispersed by other means but this trend only occurred for local abundance on two islands — Corsica and Majorca. Neither a species’ growth form nor its stem height explained trends in regional or local abundance. Although wind-dispersed exotics are more widespread in the Mediterranean, plant life-history traits appear to play a lesser role in invasion success than area of biogeographical origin. In general, exotic species of non-European origin were more abundant at both local and regional scales. Invasion patterns should be interpreted at both local and regional scales, but the stochastic nature of biological invasions may limit deterministic interpretations of invasion patterns, especially if islands are studied in isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioclimatic model is a new method for palaeoclimatic reconstruction built on the assumption of a significant correlation between climate and mammal community composition. The goal of this approach is to infer past climatic conditions using mammal fossil associations as source data. The study used mammal faunas from all over the world to develop the bioclimatic model. As an example of the potential of the model, we have applied it to Quaternary faunas from Eurasia. The proposed model was constructed by applying multivariate discriminant analysis to modern mammal faunas and climates from throughout the world. The model was validated with a different set of modern faunas than those used in the discriminant analysis, including some from transitional zones between different climates (ecotones). To test the reliability of the method in the Pleistocene, the results have been compared to those obtained with data from other disciplines, such as palaeobotany. The results obtained in the validation of the model show that more than 90% of the localities have been classified correctly. Comparisons of results in the late Pleistocene-Holocene of Barová between a palaeobotanical study and the bioclimatic analysis show the latter to be highly accurate. The results for early Pleistocene faunas show somewhat drier and more open climatic conditions for Europe than the present day, with larger areas of steppe environments. The bioclimatic model could be used to infer climatic conditions from mammal faunas. The results presented in this work provide a preliminary example of the potential that bioclimatic analysis has as a tool for palaeoclimatic inference. Finally, this method offers the opportunity to standardize data coming from vertebrate palaeontology for use in the construction and evaluation of climatic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent do the network structural characteristics and prominence of supply chain actors in the buyer firm's network enhance or hinder the ability of the buyer firm to undertake competitive actions? Public Policy Topic Area: How does a firm's non-market actions influence firm supply chain actions and firm behavior? Information Technology Area: How does a buyer firm's information technology capabilities enable the firm to leverage supply chain resources for competitive advantage purposes?. [Extracted from the article]

1. Many marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world are 'paper parks'. A key factor contributing to their ineffectiveness is non-compliance with the rules in place. 2. This paper contributes to the existing academic discussion on 'paper parks' by drawing on critical regulation scholarship to develop a theoretical framework to assess and address compliance gaps in MPAs. 3. The theoretical insights are then explored using a case study of the second largest Italian MPA (the 'Penisola del Sinis-Isola di Mal di Ventre'), employing a multidisciplinary perspective built on both biological and socio-legal expertise. 4. The biological study consists of a review including existing unpublished data on biological resources in the MPA coupled with new analyses on the effects of sea urchin harvesting restrictions. The socio-legal research consists of the analysis of primary qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with key stakeholders at the local and regional level in 2014, followed by two workshops (one with stakeholders and one with the general public) in 2015 to discuss the research findings collectively. 5. The results show that the Sinis MPA is not achieving its conservation goals, primarily because of actors' non-compliance with the rules. The interviews with key stakeholders reveal a number of interlinked social, normative and calculative motivations at the basis of non-compliance. Policy solutions are then offered. 6. This study offers a novel analysis on 'paper parks' that may be applicable to other MPAs experiencing similar compliance issues. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a criticism on the paper "Paternity analysis in the golden egg bug using AFLPs: do the males preferentially accept their true genetic offspring?" by F. García-González and colleagues in the previously published issue. The authors' criticism arises on the data presented in the study that points in the opposite direction as to what the researchers claim. They stress that the claim that females placed their eggs preferentially on males has not supported by any statistical test, nor do they derive an expected egg distribution. Other significant points of the study questioned by the authors are keyed out.

Litter decay dynamics of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) were assessed at the Aspen free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility in northern Wisconsin, USA. Leaf litter was decomposed for 12 months under factorial combinations of 360 vs. 560 μL CO2 L−1, crossed with 36 vs. 55 nL O3 L−1. To differentiate between substrate quality and environment effects, litterbags were placed in their Native Plots of origin or transplanted into the other treatments. CO2 enrichment, regardless of O3 concentration, produced poorer quality litter (high C/N, lignin/N and condensed tannins) than did ambient CO2 (low C/N, lignin/N and condensed tannins). Substrate quality differences were reflected in the mass loss rates (k-values), which were high for litter generated under ambient CO2 (0.887 year−1) and low for litter generated under elevated CO2 (0.674 year−1). The rate-retarding effects of CO2 enrichment were neither alleviated nor exacerbated by O3 exposure. Decay rates varied, however, depending on whether litter was placed back into its plot of origin or transplanted to Common Gardens. The results of this study are species specific, but they have important implications for understanding the processes regulating storage of fixed C and the release of CO2 from northern forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the conservation of marine habitat. Inclusion of marine conservation in conservation biology; Paradigms of marine resource management; Provision of conservation biology in marine ecological and fisheries.

Government policies attempting to slow the spread of COVID‐19 have reduced access to research laboratories and shifted many scholars to working from home. These disruptions will likely influence submissions to scholarly journals, and affect the time available for editors and reviewers to participate in peer review.In this editorial we examine how journal submissions, and editorial and peer review processes, have been influenced by the pandemic at six journals published by the British Ecological Society (BES).We find no evidence of a change in the geographic pattern of submissions from across the globe. We also find no evidence that submission of manuscripts by women has been more affected by pandemic disruptions than have submissions by men—the proportion of papers authored by women during the COVID period of 2020 has not changed relative to the same period in 2019.Editors handled papers just as quickly, and reviewers have agreed to review just as often, during the pandemic compared to pre‐pandemic. The one notable change in peer review during the pandemic is that reviewers replied more quickly to emails inviting them to review (albeit only 4% sooner), and those who agreed to review returned their reviews more quickly (17% sooner), during the pandemic.We thus find no evidence at these six ecology journals that submissions and peer review processes have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Also, contrary to analyses in other disciplines, we do not find evidence that there have been disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on female authors and reviewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of books and monographs about the ecology received by the publication through August 2015 is presented, which include "California Condors in the Pacific Northwest," by Jesse D'Elia and Susan M. Haig, "For the Love of Rivers: A Scientist's Journey," by Kurt D. Fausch, and "The Next Tsunami: Living on a Restless Coast," by Bonnie Henderson.

Focuses on industrial ecology in North America. Issues on the relationship of industrial ecology, ideology and culture; Illustration of issues on paper technology; Factors that need to be integrated in industrial ecology assessment.

The journal Fisheries Oceanography provides a global forum for fisheries scientists and oceanographers to understand how marine ecosystems, and the services they provide to society, are structured and shaped by environmental variability and climate change. With this special issue, as well as the 30th Anniversary Virtual Issue of the most influential papers from the journal's history, we commemorate 30 years of publishing leading research in the field of fisheries oceanography. These issues showcase the extent, depth and impact of the research published in Fisheries Oceanography. We also reflect on the evolution of research themes through the journal's history, and highlight key emergent themes in our field. We look forward to continuing to publish impactful research in the pages of Fisheries Oceanography in the years ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Information criteria (ICs) are used widely for data summary and model building in ecology, especially in applied ecology and wildlife management. Although ICs are useful for distinguishing among rival candidate models, ICs do not necessarily indicate whether the “best” model (or a model‐averaged version) is a good representation of the data or whether the model has useful “explanatory” or “predictive” ability. As editors and reviewers, we have seen many submissions that did not evaluate whether the nominal “best” model(s) found using IC is a useful model in the above sense. We scrutinized six leading ecological journals for papers that used IC to compare models. More than half of papers using IC for model comparison did not evaluate the adequacy of the best model(s) in either “explaining” or “predicting” the data. Synthesis and applications. Authors need to evaluate the adequacy of the model identified as the “best” model by using information criteria methods to provide convincing evidence to readers and users that inferences from the best models are useful and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authorship is intended to convey information regarding credit and responsibility for manuscripts. However, while there is general agreement within ecology that the first author is the person who contributed the most to a particular project, there is less agreement regarding whether being last author is a position of significance and regarding what is indicated by someone being the corresponding author on a manuscript. Using an analysis of papers published in American Naturalist, Ecology, Evolution, and Oikos, I found that: (1) the number of authors on papers is increasing over time; (2) the proportion of first authors as corresponding author has increased over time, as has the proportion of last authors as corresponding author; (3) 84% of papers published in 2016 had the first author as corresponding author; and (4) geographic regions differed in the likelihood of having the first (or last) author as corresponding author. I also carried out an online survey to better understand views on last and corresponding authorship. This survey revealed that most ecologists view the last author as the 'senior' author on a paper (i.e., the person who runs the research group in which most of the work was carried out), and most ecologists view the corresponding author as the person taking full responsibility for a paper. However, there was substantial variation in views on authorship, especially corresponding authorship. Given these results, I suggest that discussions of authorship have as their starting point that the first author will be corresponding author and the senior author will be last author. I also suggest ways of deciding author order in cases where two senior authors contributed equally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the fourth of a series of papers on the stages of critical systems practice. Critical systems practice is a multimethodology that seeks to employ the ideas of critical systems thinking to intervene in and improve complex real‐world 'messes'. It has four stages—Explore (the problem situation), Produce (an intervention strategy), Intervene (flexibly), and Check (on progress)—called to mind as EPIC. The aim is to set out where thinking has reached on the best way to carry out each of these stages and to invite comment on what more needs doing. This paper discusses the fourth stage, Check. During Check, decision makers, and other stakeholders, evaluate the intervention, reflect on what has happened with a view to improving future interventions, and discuss next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The paper comprises recommendations presented and discussed at several workshops of the 3rd International Marine Protected Areas Congress (Marseille, France, 21-27, October, 2013) to achieve effective management of marine protected areas in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas., It highlights the similarities but also differences between the two areas as a result of their distinct biogeographic and cultural characteristics., The biophysical setting, socioeconomic scenario and issues related to marine protected areas in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas are summarized and case studies from both regions are presented that illustrate the level of success thus far achieved by MPAs., Factors contributing to MPA success are related to ecological conditions, the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making processes, and to better governance, as well as improved communication and training., The SPAW and SPA regional environmental agreements administered by the UNEP Regional Seas Programmes in collaboration with government and non-government partners and the MPA managers' networks have provided technical assistance that has led to improved management., The experience of the last 3 years of contacts between both regional networks of MPA scientists and practitioners (i.e. MedPAN and CaMPAM) highlights the benefits of such an initiative and suggests the need to develop a robust transoceanic Exchange Programme to facilitate knowledge transfer., Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Interviews are a widely used methodology in conservation research. They are flexible, allowing in‐depth analysis from a relatively small sample size and place the focus of research on the views of participants. While interviews are a popular method, several critiques have been raised in response to their use, including the lack of transparency in sampling strategy, choice of questions and mode of analysis. In this paper, we analyse the use of interviews in research aimed at making decisions for conservation. Through a structured review of 227 papers, we explore where, why and how interviews were used in the context of conservation decision making The review suggests that interviews are a widely used method for a broad range of purposes. These include gaining ecological and/or socio‐economic information on specific conservation issues, understanding knowledge, values, beliefs or decision‐making processes of stakeholders, and strengthening research design and output. The review, however, identifies a number of concerns. Researchers are not reporting fully on their interview methodology. Specifically, results indicate that researchers are: failing to provide a rationale as to why interviews are the most suitable method, not piloting the interviews (thus questions may be poorly designed), not outlining ethical considerations, not providing clear guides to analysis and not critically reviewing their use of interviews. Based on the results of the review, we provide a detailed checklist aimed at conservation researchers who wish to use interviews in their research (whether experienced in using the methodology or not), and journal editors and reviewers to ensure the robustness of interview methodology use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to develop a non-reductionistic and transdisciplinary view on human knowing in the light of the growing development of transdisciplinary practices and sciences. Medicine is one of the oldest; ecology and information science are some of the newer examples of radical transdisciplinarity. I discuss the lack of a recognized place and value of phenomenological knowledge in relation to the general mechanistic scientific ontology that still seems to be the only generally accepted background for the transdisciplinary areas to build on. Ontologically we cannot say much about reality except that it is very complex and dynamic, but still has structures and causal relations of a certain stability, which can be modelled mathematically. We further have to admit that there are aspects of reality that are beyond measuring. I suggest that the dualistic idea of transcendental and eternal mathematical natural laws and an algorithmic programme behind intelligence and language is rejected for its lack of ability to include the phenomenological and existential perspective of science and the practical knowledge beyond words. Instead I am promoting an epistemology, which sees science as only one aspect of our knowledge and sees human knowledge as going beyond language. An opening for the phenomenological aspect is then created in our modern scientistic and mechanistic metaphysics. I suggest a view of knowledge seen as self-organized signification systems based on metaphysical frameworks in social practice. The interpretation of sign in a systematized knowledge framework is actually where the medical sciences started in the classical Greek tradition of Hippocrates. This non-reductionistic framework promises to open towards a non-Cartesian transdisciplinary understanding of the basis for the generation and communication of knowledge in society without giving up what we have gained through the rigour and the methods of the sciences and the logic of philosophical analysis. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful movement of individuals is fundamental to life. Facilitating these movements by promoting ecological connectivity has become a central theme in ecology and conservation. Urban areas contain more than half of the world's human population, and their potential to support biodiversity and to connect their citizens to nature is increasingly recognized. Promoting ecological connectivity within these areas is essential to reaching this potential. However, our current understanding of ecological connectivity within urban areas appears limited., We reviewed the published scientific literature to assess the state-of-the-art of ecological connectivity research in urban areas, summarized trends in study attributes and highlighted knowledge gaps., We found 174 papers that investigated ecological connectivity within urban areas. These papers addressed either structural (48) or functional connectivity (111), and some addressed both (15), but contained substantial geographic and taxonomic biases. These papers rarely defined the aspect of connectivity they were investigating and objective descriptions of the local urban context were uncommon. Formulated hypotheses or a priori predictions were typically unstated and many papers used suboptimal study designs and methods., We suggest future studies explicitly consider and quantify the landscape within their analyses and make greater use of available and rapidly developing tools and methods for measuring functional connectivity (e.g. biotelemetry or landscape genetics). We also highlight the need for studies to clearly define how the terms ' urban' and ' connectivity' have been applied., Knowledge gaps in ecological connectivity in urban areas remain, partly because the field is still in its infancy and partly because we must better capitalize on the state-of-the-art technological and analytical techniques that are increasingly available. Well-designed studies that employed high-resolution data and powerful analytical techniques highlight our abilities to quantify ecological connectivity in urban areas. These studies are exemplary, setting the standards for future research to facilitate data-driven and evidence-based biodiversity-friendly infrastructure planning in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets forth a proposal for an ecological pedagogy of embeddedness informed by place‐based, challenge‐based, and competency‐based methodologies. While some theological institutions have begun implementing principles from competency‐based models, theological educators have not adequately explored the resources within place‐based and challenge‐based systems. This paper will contribute to the literature on theological education in three distinct ways: first, this proposal will perform the oft‐overlooked task of bringing these three pedagogical models into conversation with one another; second, this proposal will aim the outcomes and effects of the three pedagogical models toward the flourishing of the communities in which institutions are embedded; and third, this proposal will break new ground in its application of these three pedagogical systems to the context of a theological seminary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the report from the editors-in-chief of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as of July 2016. Information given include centenary year of ESA and the "Bulletin" which provides articles on the Society's history, pictures and documents, the number of manuscripts submitted to the Ecological Monographs, and the growth of the journal "Ecosphere."

Given the current crisis in global fisheries, how well are we doing at managing fisheries? This short paper describes as summarises the results of a systematic assessment of the scientific papers presented at the Fourth World Fisheries Congress, the theme of which was ’Reconciling fisheries with conservation’. Over 200 papers were presented, 70% of which were based on natural sciences, focusing on issues such as biodiversity, species at risk, resiliency, ecosystem modelling, and ecosystem indicators. Encouragingly, over 60% of the papers scored medium to high for their potential contribution to reconciling fisheries with conservation. However, although the human dimensions of fisheries were recognized, few studies involved stakeholders beyond their roles of objects to study. Communication of scientific research findings, particularly to the general public, was notably absent and emphasised as one of the key challenges in achieving sustainability and in reconciling fisheries with conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journal of Animal Ecology now only accepts submissions online. When your manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the following instructions, please access the online submission site at You must select the Journal of Animal Ecology when you log on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litter decay dynamics of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) were assessed at the Aspen free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility in northern Wisconsin, USA. Leaf litter was decomposed for 12 months under factorial combinations of 360 vs. 560 μL CO2 L−1, crossed with 36 vs. 55 nL O3 L−1. To differentiate between substrate quality and environment effects, litterbags were placed in their Native Plots of origin or transplanted into the other treatments. CO2 enrichment, regardless of O3 concentration, produced poorer quality litter (high C/N, lignin/N and condensed tannins) than did ambient CO2 (low C/N, lignin/N and condensed tannins). Substrate quality differences were reflected in the mass loss rates (k-values), which were high for litter generated under ambient CO2 (0.887 year−1) and low for litter generated under elevated CO2 (0.674 year−1). The rate-retarding effects of CO2 enrichment were neither alleviated nor exacerbated by O3 exposure. Decay rates varied, however, depending on whether litter was placed back into its plot of origin or transplanted to Common Gardens. The results of this study are species specific, but they have important implications for understanding the processes regulating storage of fixed C and the release of CO2 from northern forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doubts have been raised as to whether papers published in Journal of Applied Ecology tend to influence management practice or policy, and questions asked as to what factors might influence this. Some patterns are suggested by examination of a small sample of 10 papers published by the journal at each of 6-year intervals. Many summaries in the sample lacked clear statements of the applied purpose of the paper or any recommendations for management. During the 30-year period covered, the proportion of papers which included explicit expression of applied purpose increased markedly but, throughout, many lacked any clear recommendations. Involvement of authors with addresses outwith universities or research institutes (such as organizations concerned with land management or policy development) was rare. In order to aid the application of ecological results to practice and policy, the editors will welcome: papers with clear applied purpose and (where appropriate) with clear recommendations relating to applied issues; investigations of whether such recommendations result in the desired effects; short review articles on the interaction of ecology and its potential ‘users’ and short contributions to fora debating these and other current issues, Steps are in hand to speed publication and thereby increase topicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although adults are known to play an important role in young children's development, little work has focused on the enactive features of scaffolding in informal learning settings, and the embodied dynamics of intergenerational interaction. To address this gap, this paper undertakes a microinteractional analysis to examine intergenerational collaborative interaction in a science museum setting. The paper presents a fine‐grained moment‐by‐moment analysis of video‐recorded interaction of children and their adult carers around science‐themed objects. Taking an enactive cognition perspective, the analysis enables access to subtle shifts in interactants' perception, action, gesture, and movement to examine how young children engage with exhibits, and the role adult action plays in supporting young children's engagement with exhibits and developing ideas about science. Our findings demonstrate that intergenerational "embodied scaffolding" is instrumental in making "enactive potentialities" in the environment more accessible for children, thus deepening and enriching children's engagement with science. Adult action is central to revealing scientific dimensions of objects' interaction and relationships in ways that expose novel types of perception and action opportunities in shaping science experiences and meaning making. This has implications for science education practices since it foregrounds not only "doing" science, through active hands‐on activities, but also speaks to the interconnectedness between senses and the role of the body in thinking. Drawing on the findings, this paper also offers design implications for informal science learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the greater popularity and recognition of the environment, social, and governance concept, it has increasingly become the focus of investors and enterprises in corporate valuation, capital allocation, strategic planning, and investment decision‐making. The environment, social, and governance framework covers many factors that affect a company's long‐term financial performance and sustainable development, so the environment, social, and governance characteristics of the company will reflect the long‐term value it can create in the future. Previous studies have rarely confirmed a strong positive correlation between corporate environment, social and governance performance, and valuation, and even if confirmed, they have not explained how environment, social, and governance performance affect valuation. Therefore, the originality of this paper lies in explaining how environment, social, and governance affect valuation, as well as discovering which factors in environment, social, and governance affect valuation, and which characteristics of the company will strengthen or weaken this impact. This paper uses a two‐way fixed effect model to study the impact of environment, social, and governance performance on the valuation of listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen A‐share markets from 2014 to 2021. Research findings: Enterprise environment, social, and governance performance can significantly improve its valuation, and the impact of environmental and social performance is more significant. Mediating effect test found that enterprise environment, social, and governance performance improves enterprise valuation by reducing the cost of capital, increasing investor attention, and reducing corporate financial risk. The moderating effect found that compared to state‐owned enterprises, the valuation of non‐state enterprises is highly influenced by environment, social, and governance performance, and corporate information transparency can also promote the transformation of environment, social, and governance performance to valuation. After a series of robustness and endogeneity tests, the results can still support the conclusions of this article. The contribution of this study is to provide empirical evidence for the positive economic consequences of environment, social, and governance performance, which has certain implications for enterprises and investors to attach importance to environment, social, and governance performance, and for government departments to improve environment, social and governance incentive policies. Due to the limitations of selecting only A‐share listed companies for the sample, further research is needed on the applicability of the conclusions of this article to other countries or small and medium‐sized enterprises. In future research, we need to continue to investigate whether there are any other influencing mechanisms that have not been discovered by us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]