| 1. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(författare)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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| 2. |
- Defeo, Omar, et al.
(författare)
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Co-management in Latin American small-scale shellfisheries : assessment from long-term case studies
- 2016
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Ingår i: Fish and Fisheries. - : Wiley. - 1467-2960 .- 1467-2979. ; 17:1, s. 176-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Co-management (Co-M), defined as the sharing of management tasks and responsibilities between governments and local users, is emerging as a powerful institutional arrangement to redress fisheries paradigm failures, yet long-term assessments of its performance are lacking. A comparative analysis of five small-scale Latin American shellfisheries was conducted to identify factors suggesting success and failure. In Chile, Uruguay and Mexico Co-M produced positive effects, including stabilization of landings at low levels, increase in abundance, CPUE, unit prices and revenues per unit of effort, and reduced interannual variability in several fishery indicators, particularly in landings. Co-M was successful because it was mainly bottom-up implemented and accompanied by-catch shares (spatial property rights and community quotas). By contrast, Co-M implementation was unable to prevent the collapse of the Galapagos sea cucumber fishery, as reflected by a decrease in abundance and CPUE. Negative effects were also observed in the Galapagos spiny lobster fishery during Co-M implementation. However, recovery was observed in recent years, reflected in a stabilization of fishing effort and the highest CPUE and economic revenues observed since the beginning of the Co-M implementation phase. The combined effects of market forces, climate variability and a moratorium on fishing effort were critical in fishery recovery. We conclude that Co-M is not a blueprint that can be applied to all shellfisheries to enhance their governability. These social-ecological systems need to be managed by jointly addressing problems related to the resources, their marine environment and the people targeting them, accounting for their socioeconomic and cultural contexts.
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| 3. |
- Duarte, H., et al.
(författare)
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On the Valorization of Arbutus unedo L. Pomace : Polyphenol Extraction and Development of Novel Functional Cookies
- 2023
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Ingår i: Foods. - : MDPI. - 2304-8158. ; 12:19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The fruits of Arbutus unedo L. have a crimson colour and are enriched with remarkable concentrations of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins and polyphenols. These fruits are commonly used in the production of a Portuguese Protected Geographical Indication distillate called “Aguardente de Medronho”. During this process, a solid pomace is generated and presently discarded without valuable applications. In this work, two strategies have been developed for the valorisation of A. unedo pomace. The first approach considers the extraction of polyphenols from this by-product through the optimization of an ultrasound-assisted method using a Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology. The results indicate that the temperature and the percentage of methanol, along with their interaction, significantly influence the total concentration of polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained. The optimal conditions identified consider the extraction of 0.5 g of sample with 20 mL of a solvent containing 74% MeOH (aq), at a pH of 4.8, maintained at 70 °C for 15 min. On the other hand, the second valorisation strategy considered the use of A. unedo pomace in the development of functional cookies. The incorporation of 15–20% pomace in the cookie formulation was well-received by consumers. This incorporation results in an intake of ca. 6.55 mg of polyphenols per gram of cookie consumed, accompanied by an antioxidant activity of 4.54 mg Trolox equivalents per gram of cookie consumed. Overall, these results encourage the employment of A. unedo pomace either as a reliable source of extracts enriched in polyphenols or as a nutraceutical active ingredient in functional cookies, thereby positively impacting human health.
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| 4. |
- Ellison, David, et al.
(författare)
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Trees, forests and water : Cool insights for a hot world
- 2017
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Ingår i: Global Environmental Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-3780 .- 1872-9495. ; 43, s. 51-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Forest-driven water and energy cycles are poorly integrated into regional, national, continental and global decision-making on climate change adaptation, mitigation, land use and water management. This constrains humanity's ability to protect our planet's climate and life-sustaining functions. The substantial body of research we review reveals that forest, water and energy interactions provide the foundations for carbon storage, for cooling terrestrial surfaces and for distributing water resources. Forests and trees must be recognized as prime regulators within the water, energy and carbon cycles. If these functions are ignored, planners will be unable to assess, adapt to or mitigate the impacts of changing land cover and climate. Our call to action targets a reversal of paradigms, from a carbon-centric model to one that treats the hydrologic and climate-cooling effects of trees and forests as the first order of priority. For reasons of sustainability, carbon storage must remain a secondary, though valuable, by-product. The effects of tree cover on climate at local, regional and continental scales offer benefits that demand wider recognition. The forest- and tree-centered research insights we review and analyze provide a knowledge-base for improving plans, policies and actions. Our understanding of how trees and forests influence water, energy and carbon cycles has important implications, both for the structure of planning, management and governance institutions, as well as for how trees and forests might be used to improve sustainability, adaptation and mitigation efforts.
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