The new concept of relational values (RVs) is gaining more and more attention in environmental research, but empirical analyses are still rare. However, this type of research is necessary because the ...RVs have an influence on environmental behavior. To evaluate the impact of biological education on attributing higher importance to RVs and connectedness to nature, we compared the connection to nature scores (using the inclusion of nature scale (INS) and connectedness to nature scale (CNS)) and RV scores of biologically interested high school students (n = 417) with first year (n = 593) and advanced biology (n = 223) students. While high school students showed significant lower connection to nature scores than university students, there was no significant difference in RVs between the test groups. These results suggest that there is a lack of factors in the university study of biology that can change RVs. The gender comparison of RVs and connection to nature showed a significant higher RV score for females while INS and CNS did not show a gender difference. Thus, the study makes an important contribution to the research, as it was able to prove that gender has an influence on a person's RVs but not on their connection to nature.
In recent environmental research, relational values (RVs) have emerged as a new group of values to explain environmental behavior. Although this new concept is attracting attention, empirical studies ...on the subject are still rare. On this basis, we have conducted three studies to analyze an existing measurement tool for RVs and compared the construct with the concept of connection to nature. In study 1, we confirmed convergent and discriminant validity of the RV scale by comparing it with the Two Factor Model of Environmental Values (2-MEV) model using a sample of
= 350 university students. Additionally, study 1 verified reliability using test-retest reliability on three different groups of students (
= 53;
= 37;
= 48). In study 2, principal component analyses were performed to examine the structure of RVs and to compare it to the concept of connection to nature by reusing the sample 350 university students from study 1. The results show that RVs and connection to nature are not fundamentally distinct constructs, but overlap. However, if the structure of the RV measurement is forced to a single factor, no perfect fit is found, making a multidimensional solution more likely. A third study was conducted to review the results from study 2 using confirmatory factor analysis on a new sample of 878 university and high school students. Study 3 confirmed RVs as a multidimensional construct with three factors: care, community, and connection. It also proved the overlap of the connection to nature and RV concepts to some extent.
Human–nature relationships are in a critical state, characterized by increasing environmental problems caused by humans. Thus, it is essential to know how to motivate people for environmental ...protection. Motivation can arise from intrinsic, instrumental or relational perceptions of why nature is valuable. The present study investigates empirically how university students differ in their view of nature’s value. For this purpose, students from 13 different majors across Germany as well as students engaged in the environmental protection organization Health-for-Future (HfF) were surveyed via an online survey (
N
= 1885). The majors were divided into four thematic groups (environmental, people-aligned, structures-exploring as well as economics and political science). While all groups showed high levels of agreement with intrinsic and instrumental values, the groups differed strongly in their relational perception of nature. Environmental disciplines were characterized by a stronger relational view, followed by people-aligned disciplines, while disciplines not directly associated with either people or nature agreed less with relational and also intrinsic values. HfF as a conservation organization showed the highest level of agreement in all three value components. Further we found that gender plays a role in value perception, with women holding stronger intrinsic and relational values than men. The study concludes that among students in Germany, regardless of major, there is a pluralistic understanding of values: ecosystem services (instrumental values) and the intrinsic value of nature are both appreciated, whereas relational values appear to be more group specific. Since students will be future decision-makers of society, relational values have special significance for the understanding of conservation.
Abstract
Background
Through the rapid development in DNA sequencing methods and tools, microbiome studies on a various number of species were performed during the last decade. This advance makes it ...possible to analyze hundreds of samples from different species at the same time in order to obtain a general overview of the microbiota. However, there is still uncertainty on the variability of the microbiota of different animal orders and on whether certain bacteria within a species are subject to greater fluctuations than others. This is largely due to the fact that the analysis in most extensive comparative studies is based on only a few samples per species or per study site. In our study, we aim to close this knowledge gap by analyzing multiple individual samples per species including two carnivore suborders Canoidea and Feloidea as well as the orders of herbivore Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla held in different zoos. To assess microbial diversity, 621 fecal samples from 31 species were characterized by sequencing the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using Illumina MiSeq.
Results
We found significant differences in the consistency of microbiota composition and in fecal microbial diversity between carnivore and herbivore species. Whereas the microbiota of Carnivora is highly variable and inconsistent within and between species, Perissodactyla and Ruminantia show fewer differences across species boundaries. Furthermore, low-abundance bacterial families show higher fluctuations in the fecal microbiota than high-abundance ones.
Conclusions
Our data suggest that microbial diversity is significantly higher in herbivores than in carnivores, whereas the microbiota in carnivores, unlike in herbivores, varies widely even within species. This high variability has methodological implications and underlines the need to analyze a minimum amount of about 10 samples per species. In our study, we found considerable differences in the occurrence of different bacterial families when looking at just three and six samples. However, from a sample number of 10 onwards, these within-species fluctuations balanced out in most cases and led to constant and more reliable results.
Interest is an important factor for successful learning that has been the subject of intensive research for decades. Although interest in nature is of great importance for environmental education, to ...date there is no valid and reliable measurement tool. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a scale for interest in nature, the Nature Interest Scale (NIS). In study 1, nine items were selected based on the three dimensions of the psychological interest construct to represent interest in nature. The factor structure of this new measurement instrument, was tested using confirmatory factor analyses. The results show that the instrument represents the three dimensions of the interest construct well. In study 2 the validity (discriminant and convergent validity) as well as the reliability (internal consistency, composite reliability, test-retest reliability) of the NIS were demonstrated. In study 3, the applicability of the NIS was tested with a different target group, students with learning disabilities. The results of this factor analysis also confirm the factor structure of the scale. Thus, this study provides a valid and reliable measurement tool for individual interest in nature that can be used for future research.
Fecal microbiota variability and individuality are well studied in humans and also in farm animals (related to diet‐ or disease‐specific influences), but very little is known for exotic zoo‐housed ...animals. This includes a wide range of species that differ greatly in microbiota composition and variation. For example, herbivorous species show a very similar and constant fecal microbiota over time, whereas carnivorous species appear to be highly variable in fecal microbial diversity and composition. Our objective was to determine whether species‐specific and individual‐specific clustering patterns were observed in the fecal microbiota of wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and tigers (Panthera tigris). We collected 95 fecal samples of 11 animal individuals that were each sampled over eight consecutive days and analyzed those with Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16SrRNA gene. In order to identify species or individual clusters, we applied two different agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithms – a community detection algorithm and Ward's linkage. Our results showed that both, species‐specific and individual‐specific clustering is possible, but more reliable results were achieved when applying dynamic time warping which finds the optimal alignment between different time series. Furthermore, the bacterial families that distinguish individuals from each other in both species included daily occurring core bacteria (e.g., Acidaminococcaceae in wildebeests or Clostridiaceae in tigers) as well as individual dependent and more fluctuating bacterial families. Our results suggest that while it is necessary to consider multiple consecutive samples per individual, it is then possible to characterize individual abundance patterns in fecal microbiota in both herbivorous and carnivorous species. This would allow establishing individual microbiota profiles of animals housed in zoos, which is a basic prerequisite to quickly detect deviations and use microbiome analysis as a non‐invasive and cost‐effective tool in animal welfare.
Our objective was to characterize species‐specific and individual‐specific abundance patterns in the fecal microbiota of herbivores and carnivores, represented by wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus) and tigers (Panthera tigris). In order to identify individual variations, we applied two different clustering algorithms with and without prior dynamic time warping. Our results suggest that while it is necessary to consider multiple consecutive samples per individual, it is then possible to characterize individual abundance patterns in fecal microbiota in both herbivorous and carnivorous species.
The UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs), which aim to solve important economic, social, and environmental problems of humanity, are to be supported by education for sustainable development ...(ESD). Empirical studies on the success of the implementation of the SDGs in the field of education are still pending. For this reason, using the loss of global biodiversity as an example, this study examined the extent to which high school students, teacher trainees in biology, and biology bachelor students can identify the causes of the global biodiversity loss. A new questioning tool was developed and tested on 889 participants. In addition, the relationship between connection to nature and the personal assessment about biodiversity threats was examined. The factor analysis of the scale used showed that 11 out of 16 items were assigned to the intended factor. The comparison between high school students, teacher trainees in biology, and biology bachelor students showed no significant difference in overall assessment of the reasons for global biodiversity loss. When comparing the three risk levels in which the risk factors for biodiversity could be divided, across the three student groups, only minor differences were found. Therefore, a specific education of prospective teachers is necessary, as they have to pass on the competence as multipliers to their students. No significant difference could be found when examining the relationship between connection to nature and the overall scores of the assessment scale for the reasons of biodiversity loss. However, it was found that people who felt more connected to nature were more capable of assessing the main causes of risk for global biodiversity, while people who felt less connected to nature achieved better scores for the medium factors.
Abstract
To fight the global problems of humanity, the United Nations has adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve these goals, it is necessary that future decision-makers and ...stakeholders in society consider these goals to be important. Therefore, in this study, we examined how important students in 41 countries directly related to the environmental sector rated each of the 17 SDGs. Based on the analysis of these ratings, it was possible to categorize the SDGs into three higher-level factors that reflect the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental). These three pillars are considered to be of varying importance in different countries. We also correlated the ratings of these higher-level factors with country-specific indicators, such as the Human Development Index. The correlations between the indicators and the higher-level factors revealed that in countries with higher indices, the SDGs are rated as less important compared to in countries with lower indices. These results provide stakeholders with important guidance on how the SDGs should be promoted in their country.
Locating a vocalizing animal can be useful in many fields of bioacoustics and behavioral research, and is often done in the wild, covering large areas. In zoos, however, the application of this ...method becomes particularly difficult, because, on the one hand, the animals are in a relatively small area and, on the other hand, reverberant environments and background noise complicate the analysis. Nevertheless, by localizing and analyzing animal sounds, valuable information on physiological state, sex, subspecies, reproductive state, social status, and animal welfare can be gathered. Therefore, we developed a sound localization software that is able to estimate the position of a vocalizing animal precisely, making it possible to assign the vocalization to the corresponding individual, even under difficult conditions. In this study, the accuracy and reliability of the software is tested under various conditions. Different vocalizations were played back through a loudspeaker and recorded with several microphones to verify the accuracy. In addition, tests were carried out under real conditions using the example of the giant otter enclosure at Dortmund Zoo, Germany. The results show that the software can estimate the correct position of a sound source with a high accuracy (median of the deviation 0.234 m). Consequently, this software could make an important contribution to basic research via position determination and the associated differentiation of individuals, and could be relevant in a long-term application for monitoring animal welfare in zoos.
The behavior of zoo carnivores has received intense attention due to their propensity for locomotor stereotypies. We observed two adult male tiger (Panthera tigris) siblings kept together for the ...duration of 104 days by round‐the‐clock video observation. The period consisted of three baseline periods with the zoo's regular feeding regime of five feeding days per week interrupted by two individual fasting days, with feeding occurring in the evening (B1–B3 of 14 days each). These periods were interrupted by two intervention periods (I1: randomized feeding times, 28 days; I2: gorge‐feeding with three 10‐day fasting periods, 34 days). As expected, day and night‐time behavior was different, with the majority of sleep occurring at night. Pacing, which was mainly considered anticipatory, significantly decreased from 88 ± 132 min/day during B1 to 20 ± 33 min/day during B3. Pacing did not increase during the fasting days of I2. Over the course of whole study, lying time decreased and nonpacing locomotion increased. A major difference was observed between gorge‐feeding and the subsequent first fasting days: during gorge‐feeding, tigers spent a large part of the day feeding and locomoting (and less sleeping); on the subsequent day, they locomoted about 4.5 h less and slept about 4.3 h more. We suggest that interrupting routines by fasting periods of several days may be effective for reducing regular anticipatory behavior and creates an across‐day structure that may correspond to the evolved psychological disposition of large carnivores.
Effect of changing the feeding management in captive tigers (Panthera tigris).
Research Highlights
We observed the behavior of two tigers for 104 days.
Changes in feeding and fasting schedules reduced pacing from 6% to 3% of the day.
A gorge‐fast schedule structured time beyond a daily rhythm.
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