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- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(author)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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In: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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- Brussaard, Lijbert, et al.
(author)
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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in soil
- 1997
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In: Ambio: a Journal of Human Environment. - 0044-7447. ; 26:8, s. 563-570
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We review the current knowledge on biodiversity in soils, its role in ecosystem processes, its importance for human purposes, and its resilience against stress and disturbance. The number of existing species is vastly higher than the number described, even in the macroscopically visible taxa, and biogeographical syntheses are largely lacking. A major effort in taxonomy and the training of a new generation of systematists is imperative. This effort has to be focussed on the groups of soil organisms that, to the best of our knowledge, play key roles in ecosystem functioning. To identify such groups, spheres of influence (SOI) of soil biota - such as the root biota, the shredders of organic matter and the soil bioturbators - are recognized that presumably control ecosystem processes, for example, through interactions with plants. Within those SOI, functional groups of soil organisms are recognized. Research questions of the highest urgency are the assignment of species to functional groups and determining the redundancy of species within functional groups. These priorities follow from the need to address the extent of any loss of functioning in soils, associated with intensive agriculture, forest disturbance, pollution of the environment, and global environmental change. The soil biota considered at present to be most at risk are species-poor functional groups among macrofaunal shredders of organic matter, bioturbators of soil, specialized bacteria like nitrifiers and nitrogen fixers, and fungiforming mycorrhizas. An experimental approach in addressing these research priorities is needed, using longterm and large-scale field experiments and modern methods of geostatistics and geographic information systems.
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| 3. |
- De Palma, Adriana, et al.
(author)
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Predicting bee community responses to land-use changes : effects of geographic and taxonomic biases
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 6, s. 1-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Land-use change and intensification threaten bee populations worldwide, imperilling pollination services. Global models are needed to better characterise, project, and mitigate bees' responses to these human impacts. The available data are, however, geographically and taxonomically unrepresentative; most data are from North America and Western Europe, overrepresenting bumblebees and raising concerns that model results may not be generalizable to other regions and taxa. To assess whether the geographic and taxonomic biases of data could undermine effectiveness of models for conservation policy, we have collated from the published literature a global dataset of bee diversity at sites facing land-use change and intensification, and assess whether bee responses to these pressures vary across 11 regions (Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe; North, Central and South America; Australia and New Zealand; South East Asia; Middle and Southern Africa) and between bumblebees and other bees. Our analyses highlight strong regionally-based responses of total abundance, species richness and Simpson's diversity to land use, caused by variation in the sensitivity of species and potentially in the nature of threats. These results suggest that global extrapolation of models based on geographically and taxonomically restricted data may underestimate the true uncertainty, increasing the risk of ecological surprises.
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| 5. |
- Healey, Patrick G. T., et al.
(author)
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When Words Fail: Collaborative Gestures During Clarification Dialogues
- 2015
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In: Turn-Taking and Coordination in Human-Machine Interaction. Papers from the 2015 AAAI Spring Symposium, March 23–25 2015, Palo Alto, USA. - 9781577357117 ; , s. 23-29
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research on co-speech gestures has primarily focussed on speakers. However, in conversation non-speaking addressees can also gesture. Often this is to provide concurrent feedback such as backchannels but sometimes it involves gestures that relate to the specific content of the speaker's turn. We hypothesise that non-speakers should contribute most actively during clarification sequences i.e. at the moments when mutual-understanding is threatened. We test this hypothesis using a corpus of story-telling dialogues, captured using video and motion capture. The results show that during clarification sequences speaker and non-speaker behaviours tend to merge. Non-speakers in particular move their hands faster and produce more than twice as many content-specific specific gestures in overlap with speaker turns. These results underline the collaborative nature of conversation, the strategic importance of non-verbal resources for sustaining mutual-understanding and the critical role of clarification and repair in successful communication.
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| 10. |
- Lavelle, Mary, et al.
(author)
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Are we having a laugh? Conversational laughter in schizophrenia
- 2018
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In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Dialogue and Perception, Gothenburg, 14–15 June 2018.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Social exclusion and social dysfunction are persistent and debilitating aspects of schizophrenia. The interactional impact of patients’ social deficits during actual dialogue is poorly understood. Through analysis of a corpus of patients’ triadic interactions we explored laughter as a marker of discomfort or coalition in patients’ interactions. Patient interactions did not differ from controls in terms of laughter production. However, patients who were more symptomatic laughed less frequently, while their partners showed a trend for displaying more shared laughter, potentially indicating coalition formation.
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