| 1. |
- Logue, Jürg Brendan, et al.
(författare)
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Progress in the Ecological Genetics and Biodiversity of Freshwater Bacteria
- 2008
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Ingår i: BioScience. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 58:2, s. 103-113
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The field of microbial ecology has grown tremendously with the advent of novel molecular techniques, allowing the study of uncultured microbes in the environment, and producing a paradigm shift: now, rather than using bacteria cultures for evaluating cell-specific questions, researchers use RNA and DNA techniques to examine more broad-based ecological and evolutionary constructs such as biogeography and the long-debated biological species concept. Recent work has begun to relate bacteria functional genes to ecosystem processes and functioning, thereby enabling a better understanding of the interactive role of bacteria in different and often-changing environments. The field continues to mature and will most likely make substantial contributions in the future with additional efforts that include metagenomics and genomics. Here we review progress in the application of molecular techniques to study microbial communities in freshwater environments.
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| 2. |
- Ahnesjö, Ingrid
(författare)
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Equal Opportunity for Sexual Evolution
- 2011
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 61:8, s. 641-642
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Recension (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 3. |
- Anderson, N. John, et al.
(författare)
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The Arctic in the Twenty-First Century : Changing Biogeochemical Linkages across a Paraglacial Landscape of Greenland
- 2017
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67:2, s. 118-133
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Kangerlussuaq area of southwest Greenland encompasses diverse ecological, geomorphic, and climate gradients that function over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Ecosystems range from the microbial communities on the ice sheet and moisture-stressed terrestrial vegetation (and their associated herbivores) to freshwater and oligosaline lakes. These ecosystems are linked by a dynamic glacio-fluvial-aeolian geomorphic system that transports water, geological material, organic carbon and nutrients from the glacier surface to adjacent terrestrial and aquatic systems. This paraglacial system is now subject to substantial change because of rapid regional warming since 2000. Here, we describe changes in the eco-and geomorphic systems at a range of timescales and explore rapid future change in the links that integrate these systems. We highlight the importance of cross-system subsidies at the landscape scale and, importantly, how these might change in the near future as the Arctic is expected to continue to warm.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Enabling Green and Blue Infrastructure to Improve Contributions to Human Well-Being and Equity in Urban Systems
- 2019
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 69:7, s. 566-574
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The circumstances under which different ecosystem service benefits can be realized differ. The benefits tend to be coproduced and to be enabled by multiple interacting social, ecological, and technological factors, which is particularly evident in cities. As many cities are undergoing rapid change, these factors need to be better understood and accounted for, especially for those most in need of benefits. We propose a framework of three systemic filters that affect the flow of ecosystem service benefits: the interactions among green, blue, and built infrastructures; the regulatory power and governance of institutions; and people's individual and shared perceptions and values. We argue that more fully connecting green and blue infrastructure to its urban systems context and highlighting dynamic interactions among the three filters are key to understanding how and why ecosystem services have variable distribution, continuing inequities in who benefits, and the long-term resilience of the flows of benefits.
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| 5. |
- Baron, J. S., et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis Centers as Critical Research Infrastructure
- 2017
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67:8, s. 750-759
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Synthesis centers offer a unique amalgam of culture, infrastructure, leadership, and support that facilitates creative discovery on issues crucial to science and society. The combination of logistical support, postdoctoral or senior fellowships, complex data management, informatics and computing capability or expertise, and most of all, opportunity for group discussion and reflection lowers the "activation energy" necessary to promote creativity and the cross-fertilization of ideas. Synthesis centers are explicitly created and operated as community-oriented infrastructure, with scholarly directions driven by the ever-changing interests and needs of an open and inclusive scientific community. The last decade has seen a rise in the number of synthesis centers globally but also the end of core federal funding for several, challenging the sustainability of the infrastructure for this key research strategy. Here, we present the history and rationale for supporting synthesis centers, integrate insights arising from two decades of experience, and explore the challenges and opportunities for long-term sustainability.
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| 6. |
- Bauer, Silke, et al.
(författare)
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From Agricultural Benefits to Aviation Safety : Realizing the Potential of Continent-Wide Radar Networks
- 2017
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67:10, s. 912-918
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Migratory animals provide a multitude of services and disservices-with benefits or costs in the order of billions of dollars annually. Monitoring, quantifying, and forecasting migrations across continents could assist diverse stakeholders in utilizing migrant services, reducing disservices, or mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Radars are powerful tools for such monitoring as they can assess directional intensities, such as migration traffic rates, and biomass transported. Currently, however, most radar applications are local or small scale and therefore substantially limited in their ability to address large-scale phenomena. As weather radars are organized into continent-wide networks and also detect "biological targets," they could routinely monitor aerial migrations over the relevant spatial scales and over the timescales required for detecting responses to environmental perturbations. To tap these unexploited resources, a concerted effort is needed among diverse fields of expertise and among stakeholders to recognize the value of the existing infrastructure and data beyond weather forecasting.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Bried, Jason, et al.
(författare)
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Towards Global Volunteer Monitoring of Odonate Abundance
- 2020
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Ingår i: BioScience. - Cary, NC : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 70:10, s. 914-923
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Insects are reportedly experiencing widespread declines, but we generally have sparse data on their abundance. Correcting this shortfall will take more effort than professional entomologists alone can manage. Volunteer nature enthusiasts can greatly help to monitor the abundance of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata), iconic freshwater sentinels and one of the few nonpollinator insect groups appreciated by the public and amenable to citizen science. Although counting individual odonates is common in some locations, current data will not enable a global perspective on odonate abundance patterns and trends. Borrowing insight from butterfly monitoring efforts, we outline basic plans for a global volunteer network to count odonates, including organizational structure, advertising and recruiting, and data collection, submission, and synthesis. We hope our proposal serves as a catalyst for richer coordinated efforts to understand population trends of odonates and other insects in the Anthropocene. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.
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| 9. |
- Carpenter, Stephen R., et al.
(författare)
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Accelerate Synthesis in Ecology and Environmental Sciences
- 2009
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 59:8, s. 699-701
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecology is a leading discipline in the synthesis of diverse knowledge. Ecologists have had considerable experience in bringing together diverse, multinational data sets, disciplines, and cultural perspectives to address a wide range of issues in basic and applied science. Now is the time to build on this foundation and invest in ecological synthesis through new national or international programs. While synthesis takes place through many mechanisms, including individual efforts, working groups, and research networks, centers are extraordinarily effective institutional settings for advancing synthesis projects.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Chapron, Guillaume
(författare)
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Modernization, Risk, and Conservation of the World’s Largest Carnivores
- 2017
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67, s. 646-655
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large carnivores are threatened worldwide by a variety of human-driven factors, including persecution, which regularly results when they come into conflict with people. Although human activities are almost universally viewed as negatively affecting carnivore conservation, we contend that conservation outcomes for carnivores are improved when social and economic forces reduce the risks associated with these species and facilitate the acquisition of values favorable to their conservation. We make three specific propositions: (1) Societal tolerance for carnivores is affected by the distribution of risks and benefits associated with these species, (2) modernization and its associated social changes reduce the risks associated with large carnivores and their conservation, and (3) modernization induces lasting effects on conservation by changing societal values. We review existing evidence and present cross-sectional data showing that variation among nations in large carnivore conservation outcomes are related to three facets of modernization believed to reduce the risks associated with large carnivores.
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| 12. |
- Chapron, Guillaume
(författare)
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Saving the World's Terrestrial Megafauna
- 2016
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 66, s. 807-812
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 13. |
- Devlin, Robert H., et al.
(författare)
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Assessing Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Growth-Accelerated Genetically Engineered Fishes
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 65:7, s. 685-700
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetically engineered fish containing growth hormone (GH) transgenes have been synthesized for more than 25 years, now with modifications made in multiple aquacultured species. Despite significant improvements in production characteristics being realized, these fish have not yet entered commercial production. The very strong enhancement of growth rates that can arise from GH transgenesis in fish has generated public and scientific concern regarding ecological and food safety. Little ecological risk is anticipated from engineered strains kept in fully contained facilities, so the concern is largely directed toward the reliability of containment measures and determining whether robust ecological data, pertinent to nature, can be generated within research facilities to minimize uncertainty and allow reliable risk-assessment predictions. This article summarizes the growth, life history, and behavioral changes observed in GH-transgenic fish and discusses the environmental and evolutionary factors affecting the adaptation, plasticity, and fitness of transgenic fish and their potential consequences on natural ecosystems.
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| 14. |
- Doak, Daniel F., et al.
(författare)
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Recommendations for Improving Recovery Criteria under the US Endangered Species Act
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 65:2, s. 189-199
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recovery criteria, the thresholds mandated by the Endangered Species Act that define when species may be considered for downlisting or removal from the endangered species list, are a key component of conservation planning in the United States. We recommend improvements in the definition and scientific justification of recovery criteria, addressing both data-rich and data-poor situations. We emphasize the distinction between recovery actions and recovery criteria and recommend the use of quantitative population analyses to measure the impacts of threats and to explicitly tie recovery criteria to population status. To this end, we provide a brief tutorial on the legal and practical requirements and constraints of recovery criteria development. We conclude by contrasting our recommendations with other alternatives and by describing ways in which academic scientists can contribute productively to the planning process and to endangered species recovery.
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| 15. |
- D'Odorico, Paolo, et al.
(författare)
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Food Inequality, Injustice, and Rights
- 2019
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 69:3, s. 180-190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As humanity continues to grow in size, questions related to human rights and the existing unequal distribution of food resources have taken on greater urgency. Is inequality in food access unjust or a regrettable consequence of the geographic distribution of biophysical resources? To what extent are there obligations to redress inequalities in access to food? We draw from a human rights perspective to identify obligations associated with access to food and develop a quantitative framework to evaluate the fulfillment of the human right to food. We discuss the capacity of socioeconomic development to reduce inequalities in per capita food availability with respect to the distribution of biophysical resources among countries. Although, at the country level, international trade shows the capacity to reduce human rights deficits by increasing food availability in countries with limited food production, whether it actually improves the fulfillment of the right to food will depend on within-country inequality.
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| 16. |
- Erlandsson, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Increasing Dissolved Organic Carbon Redefines the Extent of Surface Water Acidification and Helps Resolve a Classic Controversy
- 2011
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 61:8, s. 614-618
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concentrations of organic acids in freshwaters have increased significantly during recent decades across large parts of Europe and North America. Different theories of the causes (e.g., recovery from acidification, climate change, land use) have different implications for defining the preindustrial levels for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which are crucial for assessing acidification and other aspects of water quality. We demonstrate this by classifying the acidification status of 66 lakes with long-term observations, representative of about 12,700 acid-sensitive lakes in nemoral and boreal Sweden. Of these lakes, 47% are classified as significantly acidified (Delta pH >= 0.4), assuming preindustrial DOC levels were equal to those observed in 1990. But if instead, the higher DOC levels observed in 2009 define preindustrial conditions, half as many lakes are acidified (24%). This emphasizes the need to establish reference levels for DOC and casts new light on the classic controversy about natural versus anthropogenic acidification.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Gavin, Michael C., et al.
(författare)
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Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Linguistic Diversity
- 2013
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 63:7, s. 524-535
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our species displays remarkable linguistic diversity. Although the uneven distribution of this diversity demands explanation, the drivers of these patterns have not been conclusively determined. We address this issue in two steps: First, we review previous empirical studies whose authors have suggested environmental, geographical, and sociocultural drivers of linguistic diversification. However, contradictory results and methodological variation make it difficult to draw general conclusions. Second, we outline a program for future research. We suggest that future analyses should account for interactions among causal factors, the lack of spatial and phylogenetic independence of the data, and transitory patterns. Recent analytical advances in biogeography and evolutionary biology, such as simulation modeling of diversity patterns, hold promise for testing four key mechanisms of language diversification proposed here: neutral change, population movement, contact, and selection. Future modeling approaches should also evaluate how the outcomes of these processes are influenced by demography, environmental heterogeneity, and time.
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| 19. |
- Guerrero-Bosagna, Carlos
(författare)
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Evolution with No Reason : A Neutral View on Epigenetic Changes, Genomic Variability, and Evolutionary Novelty
- 2017
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67:5, s. 469-476
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Explanations about the origin of evolutionary novelties are generally related to their adaptive value and are therefore based on ultimate causes. However, the current knowledge of genomics allows inquiry into the molecular mechanism involved in the generation of genomic evolutionary novelties, which is an approach based on proximate causes. Recent genomic evidence suggests that adaptive processes may not be as relevant as neutral (i.e., nonadaptive) processes in evolution. Based on the logic of understanding proximate causes of evolution, it is proposed here that environmentally induced germ-line epigenetic changes could be important in generating genomic evolutionary novelty. Moreover, epigenetically induced genetic variability would be in tune with the neutral theory of evolution, because this variability would be produced independent of fitness effects or adaptive value.
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| 20. |
- Gustafsson, Karin M, 1983-
(författare)
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Latest News on the Monarch Butterfly
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 65:12, s. 1190-1192
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Recension (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 21. |
- Gustafsson, Karin M., 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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The Monarch Butterfly through Time and Space : The Social Construction of an Icon
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 65:6, s. 612-622
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we explore the social construction of the monarch butterfly as a conservation icon in order to understand how the butterfly has come to be endowed with the power to shape public conversations and potentially alter policy and practice. Our analysis is guided by the sociological concepts of coproduction and boundary objects, which reveal how this butterfly has animated and sustained conversations across diverse organizational boundaries. We find that engagement with narratives of beauty, natural wonder, scientific discovery, conservation imperatives, and civic duty has allowed the monarch to enroll actors in a broad network that gives rise to surprising, emergent properties. These properties make the monarch a powerful communication vehicle and a potent ally in environmental politics. Our analysis of the historical and contemporary construction of the monarch as an icon contributes to ongoing efforts to bring resources from critical social science to bear on the strengthening of science-policy–practice interfaces.
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| 22. |
- Gustafsson, Lena
(författare)
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Retention Forestry to Maintain Multifunctional Forests: A World Perspective
- 2012
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 62, s. 633-645
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The majority of the world's forests are used for multiple purposes, which often include the potentially conflicting goals of timber production and biodiversity conservation. A scientifically validated management approach that can reduce such conflicts is retention forestry, an approach modeled on natural processes, which emerged in the last 25 years as an alternative to clearcutting. A portion of the original stand is left unlogged to maintain the continuity of structural and compositional diversity. We detail retention forestry's ecological role, review its current practices, and summarize the large research base on the subject. Retention forestry is applicable to all forest biomes, complements conservation in reserves, and represents bottom-up conservation through forest manager involvement. A research challenge is to identify thresholds for retention amounts to achieve desired outcomes. We define key issues for future development and link retention forestry with land-zoning allocation at various scales, expanding its uses to forest restoration and the management of uneven-age forests.
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| 23. |
- Himes, Austin, et al.
(författare)
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Correction to: Why nature matters : A systematic review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values
- 2023
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 74:1, s. 25-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we present results from a literature review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values of nature conducted for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as part of the Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuations of Nature. We identify the most frequently recurring meanings in the heterogeneous use of different value types and their association with worldviews and other key concepts. From frequent uses, we determine a core meaning for each value type, which is sufficiently inclusive to serve as an umbrella over different understandings in the literature and specific enough to help highlight its difference from the other types of values. Finally, we discuss convergences, overlapping areas, and fuzzy boundaries between different value types to facilitate dialogue, reduce misunderstandings, and improve the methods for valuation of nature's contributions to people, including ecosystem services, to inform policy and direct futureresearch.
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| 24. |
- Himes, Austin, et al.
(författare)
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Why nature matters : A systematic review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values
- 2023
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; , s. 1-19
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we present results from a literature review of intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values of nature conducted for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as part of the Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuations of Nature. We identify the most frequently recurring meanings in the heterogeneous use of different value types and their association with worldviews and other key concepts. From frequent uses, we determine a core meaning for each value type, which is sufficiently inclusive to serve as an umbrella over different understandings in the literature and specific enough to help highlight its difference from the other types of values. Finally, we discuss convergences, overlapping areas, and fuzzy boundaries between different value types to facilitate dialogue, reduce misunderstandings, and improve the methods for valuation of nature's contributions to people, including ecosystem services, to inform policy and direct future research.
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| 25. |
- Hjalten, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Forest–Stream Links, Anthropogenic Stressors, and Climate Change: Implications for Restoration Planning
- 2016
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 66:8, s. 646-654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The global extraction of forest and water resources has led to habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, and declines in ecosystem services. As a consequence, ecological restoration has become a global priority. Restoration efforts to offset this trend, however, are not always effective. One reason is that many restoration projects target single ecosystems and fail to acknowledge functional links between ecosystems. We synthesized current knowledge on links between forest and stream ecosystems, the effect of anthropogenic stressors on these links, and their implications for restoration planning. Many examples show that lateral subsidies, such as invertebrate prey and nutrients, are important in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Stressors such as commercial forestry, flow regulation, stream channelization, and climate change affect these links and should be considered in restoration planning. Restoration practitioners are encouraged to view adjacent forest and stream ecosystems as one entity.
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| 26. |
- Hoban, Sean, et al.
(författare)
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Global Commitments to Conserving and Monitoring Genetic Diversity Are Now Necessary and Feasible
- 2021
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 71:9, s. 964-976
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity-one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species' adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps in key areas, including the importance of genetic diversity and the trends in genetic diversity change; the perceived high expense and low availability and the scattered nature of genetic data; and complicated concepts and information that are inaccessible to policymakers. However, numerous recent advances in knowledge, technology, databases, practice, and capacity have now set the stage for better integration of genetic diversity in policy instruments and conservation efforts. We review these developments and explore how they can support improved consideration of genetic diversity in global conservation policy commitments and enable countries to monitor, report on, and take action to maintain or restore genetic diversity.
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| 27. |
- Hoban, Sean, et al.
(författare)
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Too simple, too complex, or just right? Advantages, challenges, and guidance for indicators of genetic diversity
- 2024
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Ingår i: BioScience. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measuring genetic diversity of wild species using DNA-based data remains resource intensive and time consuming for nearly all species. However, genetic assessments are needed for global conservation commitments, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, and for governments and managers to evaluate conservation progress, as well as prioritizing species and populations to preserve and recover genetic diversity (e.g., via genetic rescue). Recently, indicators were developed for tracking and reporting genetic diversity status and trends for hundreds of species. The indicators quantify two simple proxies of within-population and among-population genetic diversity and adaptive potential: small effective population size (Ne < 500) and the loss of genetically distinct populations. The indicators must balance scientific credibility, practicality, and simplicity. In the present article, we summarize the advantages of these pragmatic indicators, address critiques by scientists for simplifying assumptions and by policymakers for complexity, and propose potential solutions and next steps. We aim to support practitioners putting indicators into policy, action, legislation, and reporting.
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| 28. |
- Jørgensen, Dolly
(författare)
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Reintroduction and De-extinction
- 2013
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 63:9, s. 719-720
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 29. |
- Lavery, Tyrone H., et al.
(författare)
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Impact Indicators for Biodiversity Conservation Research : Measuring Influence within and beyond Academia
- 2021
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 71:4, s. 383-395
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measuring, reporting and forecasting research impact beyond academia has become increasingly important to demonstrate and understand real-world benefits. This is arguably most important in crisis disciplines such as medicine, environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation, where application of new knowledge is urgently needed to improve health and environmental outcomes. Increasing focus on impact has prompted the development of theoretical guidance and practical tools tailored to a range of disciplines, but commensurate development of tools for conservation is still needed. In the present article, we review available tools for evaluating research impact applicable to conservation research. From these, and via a survey of conservation professionals, we compiled and ranked a list of 96 impact indicators useful for conservation science. Our indicators apply to a logic chain of inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. We suggest the list can act as a clear guide to realize and measure potential impacts from conservation research within and beyond academia.
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| 30. |
- Leadley, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Interacting Regional-Scale Regime Shifts for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- 2014
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 64:8, s. 665-679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current trajectories of global change may lead to regime shifts at regional scales, driving coupled human-environment systems to highly degraded states in terms of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. For business-as-usual socioeconomic development pathways, regime shifts are projected to occur within the next several decades, to be difficult to reverse, and to have regional- to global-scale impacts on human society. We provide an overview of ecosystem, socioeconomic, and biophysical mechanisms mediating regime shifts and illustrate how these interact at regional scales by aggregation, synergy, and spreading processes. We give detailed examples of interactions for terrestrial ecosystems of central South America and for marine and coastal ecosystems of Southeast Asia. This analysis suggests that degradation of biodiversity and, ecosystem services over the twenty-first century could be far greater than was previously predicted. We identify key policy and management opportunities at regional to global scales to avoid these shifts.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Lin, Brenda B., et al.
(författare)
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A Transdisciplinary Framework to Unlock the Potential Benefits of Green Spaces for Urban Communities Under Changing Contexts
- 2023
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 73:3, s. 196-205
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- New urban models increasingly seek to create more sustainable, livable, and healthier cities by reinvigorating green space. In this article, we highlight and briefly review several main but disconnected areas of study in which the factors that frame human–environment interactions and therefore also influence the potential well-being outcomes of those interactions are studied. We then use the intersection of affordance theory and socio-institutional programming to provide a conceptual framework that ties together these spheres of research, and we discuss some critical keys for enabling different positive green space experiences. Urban communities are not homogeneous, and accounting for the intersection between individual differences and landscape programming opens up more diverse pathways for affording positive human–environment interactions and different well-being outcomes.
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| 33. |
- Luck, Gary W., et al.
(författare)
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Quantifying the Contribution of Organisms to the Provision of Ecosystem Services
- 2009
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 59:3, s. 223-235
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on ecosystem services has grown rapidly over the last decade. Two conceptual frameworks have been published to guide ecological assessments of organisms that deliver services-the concepts of service-providing units (SPUs) and ecosystem service providers (ESPs). Here, we unite these frameworks and present an SPU-ESP continuum that offers a coherent conceptual approach for synthesizing the latest developments in ecosystem service research, and can direct future studies at all levels of organization. In particular, we show how the service-provider concept call be applied tit the population, functional group, and community levels, We strongly emphasize the need to identify and quantify the organisms and their characteristics (e.g., functional traits) that provide services, and to assess service provision relative to the demands of human beneficiaries. We use key examples from the literature to illustrate the new approach and to highlight gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the impact of species interactions and ecosystem dynamics on service provision.
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| 34. |
- Marshall, John, et al.
(författare)
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Reconstructing Disturbances and Their Biogeochemical Consequences over Multiple Timescales
- 2014
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 64, s. 105-116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ongoing changes in disturbance regimes are predicted to cause acute changes in ecosystem structure and function in the coming decades, but many aspects of these predictions are uncertain. A key challenge is to improve the predictability of postdisturbance biogeochemical trajectories at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem ecologists and paleoecologists have generated complementary data sets about disturbance (type, severity, frequency) and ecosystem response (net primary productivity, nutrient cycling) spanning decadal to millennial timescales. Here, we take the first steps toward a full integration of these data sets by reviewing how disturbances are reconstructed using dendrochronological and sedimentary archives and by summarizing the conceptual frameworks for carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic responses to disturbances. Key research priorities include further development of paleoecological techniques that reconstruct both disturbances and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. In addition, mechanistic detail from disturbance experiments, long-term observations, and chronosequences can help increase the understanding of ecosystem resilience.
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| 35. |
- McPhearson, Timon, et al.
(författare)
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Advancing Urban Ecology toward a Science of Cities
- 2016
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 66:3, s. 198-212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban ecology is a field encompassing multiple disciplines and practical applications and has grown rapidly. However, the field is heterogeneous as a global inquiry with multiple theoretical and conceptual frameworks, variable research approaches, and a lack of coordination among multiple schools of thought and research foci. Here, we present an international consensus on how urban ecology can advance along multiple research directions. There is potential for the field to mature as a holistic, integrated science of urban systems. Such an integrated science could better inform decisionmakers who need increased understanding of complex relationships among social, ecological, economic, and built infrastructure systems. To advance the field requires conceptual synthesis, knowledge and data sharing; cross-city comparative research, new intellectual networks, and engagement with additional disciplines. We consider challenges and opportunities for understanding dynamics of urban systems. We suggest pathways for advancing urban ecology research to support the goals of improving urban sustainability and resilience, conserving urban biodiversity, and promoting human well-being on an urbanizing planet.
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| 36. |
- Munteanu, Catalina, et al.
(författare)
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The potential of historical spy-satellite imagery to support research in ecology and conservation
- 2024
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 74:3, s. 159-168
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Remote sensing data are important for assessing ecological change, but their value is often restricted by their limited temporal coverage. Major historical events that affected the environment, such as those associated with colonial history, World War II, or the Green Revolution are not captured by modern remote sensing. In the present article, we highlight the potential of globally available black-and-white satellite photographs to expand ecological and conservation assessments back to the 1960s and to illuminate ecological concepts such as shifting baselines, time-lag responses, and legacy effects. This historical satellite photography can be used to monitor ecosystem extent and structure, species' populations and habitats, and human pressures on the environment. Even though the data were declassified decades ago, their use in ecology and conservation remains limited. But recent advances in image processing and analysis can now unlock this research resource. We encourage the use of this opportunity to address important ecological and conservation questions.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Nilsson, Christer, et al.
(författare)
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Ecological Restoration as a Means of Managing Inland Flood Hazards
- 2018
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 68:2, s. 89-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many streams and rivers experience major floods. Historically, human societies have responded to such floods by moving away from them or by abating them, the latter with large negative impacts on stream and river ecology. Societies are currently implementing a strategy of "living with floods,"which may involve ecological restoration. It further involves flood mapping, forecasting, and warning systems. We evaluate 14 different stream-and river-restoration measures, which differ in their capacity to modify water retention and runoff. We discuss these restoration measures in the light of predicted changes in climate and flooding and discuss future restoration needs. We focus on the Nordic countries, where substantial changes in the water cycle are foreseen. We conclude that sustainable solutions require researchers to monitor the effect of flood management and study the relative importance of individual restoration measures, as well as the side effects of flood attenuation.
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| 39. |
- Polasky, Stephen, et al.
(författare)
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Corridors of Clarity : Four Principles to Overcome Uncertainty Paralysis in the Anthropocene
- 2020
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 70:12, s. 1139-1144
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global environmental change challenges humanity because of its broad scale, long-lasting, and potentially irreversible consequences. Key to an effective response is to use an appropriate scientific lens to peer through the mist of uncertainty that threatens timely and appropriate decisions surrounding these complex issues. Identifying such corridors of clarity could help understanding critical phenomena or causal pathways sufficiently well to justify taking policy action. To this end, we suggest four principles: Follow the strongest and most direct path between policy decisions on outcomes, focus on finding sufficient evidence for policy purpose, prioritize no-regrets policies by avoiding options with controversial, uncertain, or immeasurable benefits, aim for getting the big picture roughly right rather than focusing on details.
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| 40. |
- Polvi, Lina E, et al.
(författare)
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Biotic drivers of stream planform : implications for understanding the past and restoring the future
- 2013
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 63:6, s. 439-452
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Traditionally, stream channel planform has been viewed as a function of larger watershed and valley-scale physical variables, including valley slope, the amount of discharge, and sediment size and load. Biotic processes serve a crucial role in transforming channel planform among straight, braided, meandering, and anabranching styles by increasing stream-bank stability and the probability of avulsions, creating stable multithread (anabranching) channels, and affecting sedimentation dynamics. We review the role of riparian vegetation and channel-spanning obstructions-beaver dams and logjams-in altering channel-floodplain dynamics in the southern Rocky Mountains, and we present channel planform scenarios for combinations of vegetation and beaver populations or old-growth forest that control logjam formation. These conceptual models provide understanding of historical planform variability throughout the Holocene and outline the implications for stream restoration or management in broad, low-gradient headwater valleys, which are important for storing sediment, carbon, and nutrients and for supporting a diverse riparian community.
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| 41. |
- Raudsepp-Hearne, Ciara, et al.
(författare)
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The Paradox Persists : how to Resolve It?
- 2011
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 61:1, s. 11-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The environmentalist's paradox refers to two apparently contra-dictory trends: declining supplies of ecosystem services and increasing human well-being. If humans are truly dependent on nature, then human well-being should deteriorate as ecosystem services are degraded. Our article (Raudsepp-Hearne et al. 2010) examined the evidence for and against four proposed explanations of this paradox. By evaluating multiple explanations, we aimed to contribute to a stronger science of sustainability by encouraging dialogue among the disciplines that address sustainability but emphasize different ways of explaining this paradox. In our article, we critically reviewed empirical evidence from a broad multidisciplinary literature about the relationship between human well-being and ecosystem services and identified areas for future research to address the important gaps in our understanding of this relationship. Consequently, we broadly agree with both Nelson and Duraiappah (see Viewpoints, this issue) that more research and data at multiple scales are needed to resolve the environmentalist's paradox. However, our perspectives differ from theirs in terms of trends in well-being, stocks and flows of ecosystem services, and the role of technology in mediating the relationship between ecosystems and human well-being.
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| 42. |
- Raudsepp-Hearne, Ciara, et al.
(författare)
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Untangling the Environmentalist's Paradox : Why Is Human Well-being Increasing as Ecosystem Services Degrade?
- 2010
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 60:8, s. 576-589
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmentalists have argued that ecological degradation will lead to declines in the well-being of people dependent on ecosystem services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment paradoxically found that human well-being has increased despite large global declines in most ecosystem services. We assess four explanations of these divergent trends: (1) We have measured well-being incorrectly; (2) well-being is dependent on food services, which are increasing, and not on other services that are declining; (3) technology has decoupled well-being from nature; (4) time lags may lead to future declines in well-being. Our findings discount the first hypothesis, but elements of the remaining three appear plausible. Although ecologists have convincingly documented ecological decline, science does not adequately understand the implications of this decline for human well-being. Untangling how human well-being has increased as ecosystem conditions decline is critical to guiding future management of ecosystem services; we propose four research areas to help achieve this goal.
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| 43. |
- Raymond, Christopher
(författare)
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Incorporating Sociocultural Phenomena into Ecosystem-Service Valuation: The Importance of Critical Pluralism
- 2017
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Ingår i: Bioscience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67, s. 233-244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystem-services scholarship has largely focused on monetary valuation and the material contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. Increasingly, research is calling for a deeper understanding of how less tangible, nonmaterial values shape management and stakeholder decisions. We propose a framework that characterizes a suite of sociocultural phenomena rooted in key social science disciplines that are currently underrepresented in the ecosystem-services literature. The results from three example studies are presented to demonstrate how the tenets of this conceptual model can be applied in practice. We consider the findings from these studies in light of three priorities for future research: (1) complexities in individual and social functioning, (2) the salience and specificity of the perceived benefits of nature, and (3) distinctions among value concepts. We also pose a series of questions to stimulate reflection on how ecosystem-services research can adopt more pluralistic viewpoints that accommodate different forms of knowledge and its acquisition.
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| 44. |
- Reidy Liermann, Catherine, et al.
(författare)
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Implications of dam obstruction for global freshwater fish diversity
- 2012
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 62:6, s. 539-548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dams are obstructing rivers worldwide, impairing habitat and migration opportunities for many freshwater fish species; however, global data linking dam and fish distributions have been limited. Here, we quantify dam obstruction at the biogeographic scale of freshwater ecoregion, which provides the spatial framework necessary to assess the risk of fish species loss due to dams and allows us to identify both ecoregions and genera at risk. Nearly 50% of the 397 assessed freshwater ecoregions are obstructed by large- and medium-size dams, and approximately 27% face additional downstream obstruction. A synthesis of obstruction data and fish traits indicates that taxa such as lampreys (Lampetra spp.), eels (Anguilla spp.), and shads (Alosa spp.) are at particular risk of species loss. Threatened ecoregions with heavy dam obstruction and above-average counts of total, diadromous, or endemic species are found on all continents and include the Murray-Darling Province, Southern Italy, the Lower and Middle Indus Basin, West Korea, the South Atlantic region of the United States, the Upper Parana, and Mobile Bay ecoregions.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Rieb, Jesse T., et al.
(författare)
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When, Where, and How Nature Matters for Ecosystem Services : Challenges for the Next Generation of Ecosystem Service Models
- 2017
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 67:9, s. 820-833
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many decision-makers are looking to science to clarify how nature supports human well-being. Scientists' responses have typically focused on empirical models of the provision of ecosystem services (ES) and resulting decision-support tools. Although such tools have captured some of the complexities of ES, they can be difficult to adapt to new situations. Globally useful tools that predict the provision of multiple ES under different decision scenarios have proven challenging to develop. Questions from decision-makers and limitations of existing decision-support tools indicate three crucial research frontiers for incorporating cutting-edge ES science into decision-support tools: (1) understanding the complex dynamics of ES in space and time, (2) linking ES provision to human well-being, and (3) determining the potential for technology to substitute for or enhance ES. We explore these frontiers in-depth, explaining why each is important and how existing knowledge at their cutting edges can be incorporated to improve ES decision-making tools.
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- Soininen, Janne, et al.
(författare)
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Toward More Integrated Ecosystem Research in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments
- 2015
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 65:2, s. 174-182
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are tightly linked through the fluxes of organisms and matter. However, aquatic and terrestrial ecologists have mainly studied these ecosystems separately, a "splendid isolation" historically fostered by disciplinary boundaries between institutes and funding schemes. Here, we synthesize the progress made in joint aquatic and terrestrial research and suggest new approaches to meeting future research challenges in changing environments. Aquatic and terrestrial organisms use cross-system subsidies to a comparable extent and addressing reciprocal subsidies is therefore necessary in order to understand biodiversity and functioning of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. We suggest that the metaecosystem framework could be expanded to explicitly consider cross-system fluxes of matter differing in magnitude and quality. We further advocate the inclusion of cross-system analyses at broader spatial extents, for which remote-sensing applications would be a useful tool in environmental research at the land-water interface. A cross-ecosystem approach would therefore be valuable for a more thorough understanding of ecosystem responses to various stressors in the face of rapid environmental change.
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
- Tengö, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Creating Synergies between Citizen Science and Indigenous and Local Knowledge
- 2021
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Ingår i: BioScience. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-3568 .- 1525-3244. ; 71:5, s. 503-518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Citizen science (CS) is receiving increasing attention as a conduit for Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in ecosystem stewardship and conservation. Drawing on field experience and scientific literature, we explore the connection between CS and ILK and demonstrate approaches for how CS can generate useful knowledge while at the same time strengthening ILK systems. CS invites laypersons to contribute observations, perspectives, and interpretations feeding into scientific knowledge systems. In contrast, ILK can be understood as knowledge systems in its own right, with practices and institutions to craft legitimate and useful knowledge. Such fundamental differences in how knowledge is generated, interpreted, and applied need to be acknowledged and understood for successful outcomes. Engaging with complementary knowledge systems using a multiple evidence base approach can improve the legitimacy of CS initiatives, strengthen collaborations through ethical and reciprocal relationships with ILK holders, and contribute to better stewardship of ecosystems.
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