Ecological citizenship cannot be fully articulated in either liberal or civic republican terms. It is, rather, an example and an inflection of ‘post‐cosmopolitan’ citizenship. Ecological citizenship ...focuses on duties as well as rights, and its conception of political space is not the state or the municipality, or the ideal speech community of cosmopolitanism, but the ‘ecological footprint’.Ecological citizenship contrasts with fiscal incentives as a way of encouraging people to act more sustainably, in the belief that the former is more compatible with the long‐term and deeper shifts of attitude and behaviour that sustainability requires. This book offers an original account of the relationship between liberalism and sustainability, arguing that the former's commitment to a plurality of conceptions of the good entails a commitment to so‐called ‘strong’ forms of the latter.How to make an ecological citizen? The potential of formal high school citizenship education programmes is examined through a case study of the recent implementation of the compulsory citizenship curriculum in the UK.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, and the number of reported cases has increased in many regions as landscapes have been ...altered. Although there has been extensive work on the ecology and epidemiology of this disease in both Europe and North America, substantial uncertainty exists about fundamental aspects that determine spatial and temporal variation in both disease risk and human incidence, which hamper effective and efficient prevention and control. Here we describe areas of consensus that can be built on, identify areas of uncertainty and outline research needed to fill these gaps to facilitate predictive models of disease risk and the development of novel disease control strategies. Key areas of uncertainty include: (i) the precise influence of deer abundance on tick abundance, (ii) how tick populations are regulated, (iii) assembly of host communities and tick-feeding patterns across different habitats, (iv) reservoir competence of host species, and (v) pathogenicity for humans of different genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi. Filling these knowledge gaps will improve Lyme disease prevention and control and provide general insights into the drivers and dynamics of this emblematic multi-host–vector-borne zoonotic disease.
This article is part of the themed issue ‘Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications'.
Over the past few decades, land-use and climate change have led to substantial range contractions and species extinctions. Even more dramatic changes to global land cover are projected for this ...century. We used the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scenarios to evaluate the exposure of all 8,750 land bird species to projected land-cover changes due to climate and land-use change. For this first baseline assessment, we assumed stationary geographic ranges that may overestimate actual losses in geographic range. Even under environmentally benign scenarios, at least 400 species are projected to suffer >50% range reductions by the year 2050 (over 900 by the year 2100). Although expected climate change effects at high latitudes are significant, species most at risk are predominantly narrow-ranged and endemic to the tropics, where projected range contractions are driven by anthropogenic land conversions. Most of these species are currently not recognized as imperiled. The causes, magnitude and geographic patterns of potential range loss vary across socioeconomic scenarios, but all scenarios (even the most environmentally benign ones) result in large declines of many species. Whereas climate change will severely affect biodiversity, in the near future, land-use change in tropical countries may lead to yet greater species loss. A vastly expanded reserve network in the tropics, coupled with more ambitious goals to reduce climate change, will be needed to minimize global extinctions.
Highlights • Bats experience morbidity to many extracellular but few intracellular infections. • Bats control intracellular pathogens via cellular pathways to apoptosis/autophagy. • These ROS ...mitigation pathways promote longevity and tumor avoidance. • Extracellular pathogen-associated morbidity in bats results from immunopathology.
Conservation value of small reserves Volenec, Zoe M.; Dobson, Andrew P.
Conservation biology,
February 2020, 2020-Feb, 2020-02-00, 20200201, Letnik:
34, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The importance of large reserves has been long maintained in the scientific literature, often leading to dismissal of the conservation potential of small reserves. However, over half the global ...protected‐area inventory is composed of protected areas that are <100 ha, and the median size of added protected area is decreasing. Studies of the conservation value of small reserves and fragments of natural area are relatively uncommon in the literature. We reviewed SCOPUS and WOK for studies on small reserve and fragment contributions to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, and fifty‐eight taxon‐specific studies were included in the review. Small reserves harbored substantial portions (upward of 50%) of regional species diversity for many taxa (birds, plants, amphibians, and small mammals) and even some endemic, specialist bird species. Unfortunately, small reserves and fragments almost always harbored more generalist and exotic species than large reserves. Community composition depended on habitat quality, surrounding land use (agricultural vs. urban), and reserve and fragment size, which presents opportunities for management and improvement. Small reserves also provided ecosystem services, such as pollination and biological pest control, and cultural services, such as recreation and improved human health. Limitations associated with small reserves, such as extinction debt and support of area‐sensitive species, necessitate a complement of larger reserves. However, we argue that small reserves can make viable and significant contributions to conservation goals directly as habitat and indirectly by increasing landscape connectivity and quality to the benefit of large reserves. To effectively conserve biodiversity for future generations in landscapes fragmented by human development, small reserves and fragments must be included in conservation planning.
Article impact statement: Small reserves make meaningful contributions to biodiversity conservation and provisioning of ecosystem services.
Valor de Conservación de las Pequeñas Reservas
Resumen
La importancia de las reservas muy extensas se ha mantenido durante mucho tiempo dentro de la literatura científica, lo que comúnmente lleva a la desestimación del potencial de conservación de las reservas pequeñas. Sin embargo, más de la mitad del inventario mundial de áreas protegidas está compuesto por zonas resguardadas con un tamaño menor a las 100 ha, y el tamaño promedio de área protegida añadida está disminuyendo. Los estudios sobre el valor de conservación de las reservas pequeñas y los fragmentos de área natural son relativamente poco comunes en la literatura. Revisamos estudios sobre las contribuciones de las reservas pequeñas y los fragmentos a la conservación de la biodiversidad y los servicios ambientales en SCOPUS y en WOK. Se incluyeron 58 estudios específicos de taxón en la revisión. Las reservas pequeñas albergaron porciones sustanciales (más del 50%) de diversidad de especies regionales para muchos taxones e incluso algunas especies de aves endémicas y especialistas. Desafortunadamente, las reservas pequeñas y los fragmentos casi siempre albergaron más especies exóticas y generalistas que las reservas grandes. La composición de la comunidad dependió de la calidad del hábitat, el uso de suelo (urbano versus agrícola) adyacente y el tamaño de la reserva o el fragmento, lo que presenta oportunidades de manejo y mejora. Las reservas pequeñas también proporcionaron servicios ambientales, como la polinización y el control biológico de plagas, y servicios culturales, como la recreación y una mejor salud humana. Las limitaciones asociadas con las reservas pequeñas, como la deuda de extinción y el respaldo a especies sensibles al área, requieren de un complemento de reservas más grandes. Sin embargo, argumentamos que las reservas pequeñas pueden tener contribuciones viables y significativas para las metas de conservación directamente como hábitat e indirectamente con el incremento de la conectividad y la calidad de paisajes para el beneficio de las reservas más grandes. Para conservar efectivamente a la biodiversidad para generaciones futuras en paisajes fragmentados por el desarrollo humano, se debe incluir a las reservas pequeñas y a los fragmentos en la planeación de la conservación.
摘要
长期以来, 科学研究都在强调大型保护区的重要性, 这常常导致人们忽视了小型保护区的保护潜力。然而, 全球保护区列表中超过一半的保护区面积不足 100 公顷, 且新增保护区大小的中位数也在逐渐下降。文献中很少有关于小型保护区及破碎化的自然景观的保护价值的研究。因此, 我们综述了 SCOPUS 及 WOK 数据库的研究中, 小型保护区和破碎化的自然景观对生物多样性保护及生态系统服务的贡献, 其中包含了 58 项针对明确类群的研究。许多类群 (鸟类、植物、两栖类、小型哺乳动物), 甚至是特有的区域性鸟类物种多样性中, 很大一部分 (超过 50%) 都来自小型保护区。不幸的是, 小型保护区和自然景观碎片相比于大型保护区通常有更多的广布种和外来物种。群落组成依赖于生境质量、周围的土地利用类型 (农业或城市) 和保护区及碎片大小, 这为小型保护区的管理和提升提供了机会。小型保护区还提供了生态系统服务, 如传粉、生物害虫防治、文化服务 (休闲娱乐、改善人类健康) 等。而小型保护区存在的限制, 如灭绝债务、来自区域敏感物种的支持, 则需要大型保护区进行弥补。尽管如此, 我们认为小型保护区既可以提供栖息地, 又可以提高景观连接度和质量来支持大型保护区, 因而直接或间接地为保护目标作出了切实可行的重要贡献。为了有效地为子孙后代保护这些人类发展导致的破碎景观中的生物多样性, 保护规划必须涵盖小型保护区和自然景观碎片。【翻译: 胡怡思; 审校: 聂永刚】
Comparative research on food web structure has revealed generalities in trophic organization, produced simple models, and allowed assessment of robustness to species loss. These studies have mostly ...focused on free-living species. Recent research has suggested that inclusion of parasites alters structure. We assess whether such changes in network structure result from unique roles and traits of parasites or from changes to diversity and complexity. We analyzed seven highly resolved food webs that include metazoan parasite data. Our analyses show that adding parasites usually increases link density and connectance (simple measures of complexity), particularly when including concomitant links (links from predators to parasites of their prey). However, we clarify prior claims that parasites "dominate" food web links. Although parasites can be involved in a majority of links, in most cases classic predation links outnumber classic parasitism links. Regarding network structure, observed changes in degree distributions, 14 commonly studied metrics, and link probabilities are consistent with scale-dependent changes in structure associated with changes in diversity and complexity. Parasite and free-living species thus have similar effects on these aspects of structure. However, two changes point to unique roles of parasites. First, adding parasites and concomitant links strongly alters the frequency of most motifs of interactions among three taxa, reflecting parasites' roles as resources for predators of their hosts, driven by trophic intimacy with their hosts. Second, compared to free-living consumers, many parasites' feeding niches appear broader and less contiguous, which may reflect complex life cycles and small body sizes. This study provides new insights about generic versus unique impacts of parasites on food web structure, extends the generality of food web theory, gives a more rigorous framework for assessing the impact of any species on trophic organization, identifies limitations of current food web models, and provides direction for future structural and dynamical models.
This year, the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will meet to finalize a post 2020-framework for biodiversity conservation, necessitating critical analysis of current ...barriers to conservation success. Here, we tackle one of the enduring puzzles about the U.S. Endangered Species Act, often considered a model for endangered species protection globally: Why have so few species been successfully recovered? For the period of 1992–2020, we analyzed trends in the population sizes of species of concern, trends in the time between when species are first petitioned for listing and when they actually receive protection, and trends in funding for the listing and recovery of imperiled species. We find that small population sizes at time of listing, coupled with delayed protection and insufficient funding, continue to undermine one of the world’s strongest laws for protecting biodiversity.
1. A population model for the tick Ixodes ricinus, the most significant vector of pathogens in Europe, is used to explore the relative impact of changes in climate, host density and acaricide-treated ...hosts on tick abundance and seasonality. 2. A rise in temperature of the sort witnessed since 1989 speeds up the inter-stadial development of ticks, thereby reducing the cumulative effect of constant daily mortality rates and potentially raising population levels. The predicted earlier onset of tick-questing activity in the spring, due to stage-specific temperature thresholds, could increase contact between ticks and humans during recreational visits to the countryside in spring holidays. These tick population effects vary geographically with background climate. 3. The significant increase in deer abundance across Europe, including the UK, in recent decades is predicted to drive tick population increases, the effect varying with the initial density of hosts. In areas only recently colonized by deer, tick numbers are predicted to rise dramatically (given suitable climatic conditions). Where host densities are already high, however, further increases may reduce numbers of questing ticks; unfed ticks leave the questing population more rapidly, even though the overall tick population (and therefore pathogen transmission potential) increases. 4. Culling high-density deer populations as a control measure could, therefore, initially cause an apparent increase in questing ticks, with the predicted long-term population trajectory depending on the severity of the cull. 5. Conversely, the further addition of large hosts (e.g. sheep) would effectively reduce the number of questing ticks and therefore the risk to humans. If such sheep were treated with acaricide, tick populations are predicted to decrease rapidly, to an extent that depends on the relative abundance of wild (untreated) and treated hosts. Tick control in designated areas may be achieved by using sheep in this way as 'lethal mops', as used to occur in the past when sheep were regularly dipped. 6. Synthesis and applications. Both abiotic and biotic environmental changes witnessed recently could have contributed to apparent increases in tick populations, especially where these environmental factors were limiting in the past. The release of additional hosts treated with long-lasting acaricide is potentially an effective control strategy.
The current perception that climate change is the principal threat to biodiversity is at best premature. Although highly relevant, it detracts focus and effort from the primary threats: habitat ...destruction and overexploitation. We collated causes of vertebrate extinctions since 1900, threat information for amphibia, birds, and mammals from the IUCN Red List, and scrutinized others’ attempts to compare climate change with commensurate anthropogenic threats. In each analysis, none of the arguments founded on climate change's wide‐ranging effects are as urgent for biodiversity as those for habitat loss and overexploitation. Present conservation efforts must refocus on these issues. Conserving ecosystems by focusing on these major threats not only protects biodiversity but is the only available, economically viable, global strategy to reverse climate change.
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