A Human Security Framework for the Management of Invasive Nonindigenous Plants

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Tanentzap ◽  
Dawn R. Bazely ◽  
Peter A. Williams ◽  
Gunhild Hoogensen

AbstractFew individuals or governments have suggested that invasions by nonindigenous species are relevant to the broader issue of human security, despite a growing awareness of the ecological, economic, and societal impacts associated with invasive nonindigenous species (INIS). We propose that by framing management actions in a human and environmental security context, the threats (and benefits) posed by INIS to individuals and communities can be explicitly articulated and debated. This framework allows multiple stakeholders to bring their concerns to bear upon specific policy, and attempts to integrate broad environmental concerns within its parameters. We use the case of ecosystem-based management of invasive nonindigenous plants as an example of the utility of a human security framework. The dominant management approach to these species remains focused on the individual species, despite increasing calls for the implementation of ecosystem-based management strategies. Ecosystem-based management is supported by generalized and widely accepted mechanisms of plant community dynamics, such as succession, disturbance, and interspecific competition, but these scientific arguments do not consistently carry weight at the policy level and with the broader public. A human security framework may provide an approach for overcoming this resistance by placing the debate over management within the social and political context of the wider community. Overall, human security can allow applied ecologists to be better positioned to meet the challenges of communicating the need for science-based management.

Author(s):  
David Cutter ◽  
Martin Scott-Brown

The variety of conditions that are considered to be ‘cancer’ is extremely wide, with marked variation in the management approach from disease to disease. A common feature in the management of malignant conditions, however, is the involvement of a wide range of medical professionals at different stages of the patient pathway. This commonly includes physicians, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and specialist nurses, as well as a plethora of other allied disciplines. As such, a practice that has been widely adopted is to work as a multidisciplinary team (MDT), with regular meetings to decide the appropriate treatment for each patient with a cancer diagnosis, on an individual and case-by-case basis. The main treatment modalities for the treatment of cancer are surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. While these are often combined to form a multimodality therapy, they are all, in isolation, potentially radical (curative) therapies for certain conditions. For example, surgery (in the case of a Stage I colon adenocarcinoma), radiotherapy (in the case of early laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma), and chemotherapy (in the case of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) are all curative as single-modality treatments. It is commonly the case, however, for a patient to require more than one mode of therapy to achieve the best outcome, for example a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for early breast cancer. It can also be the case that two or more different management strategies are thought to give equivalent oncological results, for example surgery or radiotherapy for early prostate cancer. In this situation, the MDT and the patient need to decide on the ‘best’ management plan for the individual, based on their personal and professional opinions and on the differing toxicity profiles of the alternate treatments.


1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1415-1428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Mills

The community concept has had a long, complex history in plant and animal ecology. Divergent views about the nature of communities have been most marked in plant ecology: the Zurich–Montpellier school regarded plant communities as largely abstract, based on a mosaic of vegetation, whereas the Uppsala school and other northern plant ecologists regarded communities as concrete, quantifiable units. The analogy between communities and organisms has been used often, particularly in American dynamic ecology, although the analogy can only be a loose one. Communities have also been regarded as abstractions from independent continuous distributions of the individual species. This idea has been used in recent gradient analysis of plant communities.Similar and equally variant ideas have been used in marine zoology. Many studies in marine ecology have been based on Möbius' concept of the biocoenosis, or on Petersen's use of dominant or conspicuous index species, with added theoretical notions which apparently originated in plant ecology. New evidence is presented that some marine benthic communities may be characterized in terms of dominants while also allowing analysis as parts of continua of distribution along gradients. In addition, although stability usually increases as communities evolve, some types are intrinsically unstable because of the activities of the organisms themselves, rather than because of changes in the physical environment alone.Because there are different kinds of marine "communities" a single rigorous definition seems impossible. A definition is proposed which avoids theoretical suppositions about community dynamics to allow the variety of phenomena in community relations to be investigated in a relatively unbiased way.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Niccoli ◽  
Veronica De Micco ◽  
Simona Castaldi ◽  
Riccardo Valentini ◽  
Giovanna Battipaglia

<p>In the Mediterranean Basin, fire incidence has increased dramatically during the past decades and fire is expected to become more severe in the future due to climate change. The effects of fires on forest ecosystems can last several years: the survival of fire-injured trees depend not only on the adaptive traits of individual species, but also on the ability of trees to tolerate post-fire environmental constraints.</p><p>Several trees, although initially resisting the strong heat injury caused by the high temperatures of the flames, can reduce their vigor and finally die after a few years after fire, due to serious damage at the canopy level or due to the difficult conditions arising in the surrounding stands. The study of long-term trends of the eco-physiological processes in plants subjected to fire are of fundamental importance in planning management actions and restoration strategies of burned areas.</p><p>In this context, our research aims to identify and understand the impacts that post-fire conditions can have on the growth and eco-physiology of <em>Pinus pinaster</em> Aiton, through the study of a forest stand hit by a devastating fire that affected the Vesuvius National Park, in Southern Italy, in July 2017. This study combines the dendrochronological analyses with the monitoring of xylogenesis, supported by the measurements in<em> continuum</em> of the eco-physiological parameters of the individual plants through the use of the innovative TreeTalker device.</p><p>The results of the dendrochronological analyses showed that, at the end of 2018, despite the strong stress suffered and a significant decrease in growth, the plants showed a very limited mortality rate: only 2-10% of the individuals reduced their vigor. However, preliminary data on xyologenesis, collected from spring 2019 to nowadays, suggest how, after two years, the fire of 2017 is still influencing the cambium activity of individual plants: the productivity and the differentiation kinetics of xylem cells are strongly influenced by the damages suffered at the canopy level.</p><p>The monitoring activities will continue for the next few years in order to identify the recovery times of the plant to return to normal vital functions, as well as, eventually, understand the eco-physiological processes that lead to a reduction in productivity or even to death.</p>


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Isobel Elliff

Coral reefs provide important ecosystem services to coastal communities. The Archipelago of Tinhar?e andBoipeba, Bahia, Brazil, are mostly surrounded by fringing reefs, which have undergone several chronichuman impacts. The objective of the present study was to apply an ecosystem-based approach byanalyzing the ecosystem services provided by the coral reefs of the Archipelago of Tinhar?e and Boipeba inorder to support management actions and serve as a tool for coastal management. Ecosystem serviceswere assessed through the observation of environmental indicators of their occurrence and by using asuite of models from the Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) softwarecombined with data from the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocol database. Theservices of greatest occurrence were food provision, habitat maintenance, shoreline protection andrecreation. While the main stressful factors were tourism activities, the absence of a sewage system andfisheries. The coral reefs presented potential for shoreline protection along 50.5% of the islands. Moreover,46.8% of the shoreline would present moderate to high vulnerability in case of coral reef disappearance.The coincidence of areas with high risk of loss in the capacity to provide services and highvulnerability in the scenario of absence of reefs is concerning. Thus, the current model for tourism usedin the area should be altered, as should new management strategies be implemented, which can bringbenefits and avoid reef decline.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 797
Author(s):  
Davide Mugetti ◽  
Mattia Tomasoni ◽  
Paolo Pastorino ◽  
Giuseppe Esposito ◽  
Vasco Menconi ◽  
...  

The Mycobacterium fortuitum group (MFG) consists of about 15 species of fast-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). These globally distributed microorganisms can cause diseases in humans and animals, especially fish. The increase in the number of species belonging to MFG and the diagnostic techniques panel do not allow to clarify their real clinical significance. In this study, biomolecular techniques were adopted for species determination of 130 isolates derived from fish initially identified through biochemical tests as NTM belonging to MFG. Specifically, gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were used based on a fragment of the gene encoding the 65 KDa heat shock protein (hsp65). The analyzes made it possible to confirm that all the isolates belong to MFG, allowing to identify the strains at species level. Phylogenetic analysis substantially confirmed what was obtained by gene sequencing, except for six strains; this is probably due to the sequences present in NCBI database. Although the methodology used cannot represent a univocal identification system, this study has allowed us to evaluate its effectiveness as regards the species of MFG. Future studies will be necessary to apply these methods with other gene fragments and to clarify the real pathogenic significance of the individual species of this group of microorganisms.


1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Aronsson

The aim of this article is to examine how increased worker control-on the individual as well as on the collective level-may be a means to reduce the risk of work environment-related stress and diseases. Control is also an important element in socialization processes and in work reform activities directed to a democratization of working life. The concept of control connects a number of research perspectives. It deals with the individual and the collective level, as well as the relationship between them, and it may be a bridge between a social psychological and a psychobiological perspective. In this article, the author considers the control concept primarily from a stress perspective, but also examines how production techniques, legislation, and management strategies create the structure of control at work.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Craig Albert ◽  
Amado Baez ◽  
Joshua Rutland

Abstract Research within security studies has struggled to determine whether infectious disease (ID) represents an existential threat to national and international security. With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), it is imperative to reexamine the relationship between ID and global security. This article addresses the specific threat to security from COVID-19, asking, “Is COVID-19 a threat to national and international security?” To investigate this question, this article uses two theoretical approaches: human security and biosecurity. It argues that COVID-19 is a threat to global security by the ontological crisis posed to individuals through human security theory and through high politics, as evidenced by biosecurity. By viewing security threats through the lens of the individual and the state, it becomes clear that ID should be considered an international security threat. This article examines the relevant literature and applies the theoretical framework to a case study analysis focused on the United States.


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Kwok

This descriptive, mixed methods study of one interim certification program explores first year urban teachers’ classroom management actions. This study investigates what strategies teachers implement to manage the classroom from programmatic surveys of 87 first-year teachers and interviews, field visits, video recordings, and journals of five case participants. Results indicate that teachers used behavioral, academic, and relational strategies to manage the classroom and they tend to refine several of these actions over time. Findings suggest that teacher preparation should promote beginning teachers to implement a range of classroom management strategies and support teachers in how to refine their actions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110219
Author(s):  
Andréanne Fortin ◽  
Alison Paradis ◽  
Martine Hébert ◽  
Andréanne Lapierre

Physical dating violence (DV) is a widespread problem among adolescents. A growing body of literature demonstrates that physical DV often occurs during disagreements when partners use destructive conflict management strategies, such as conflict engagement (e.g., losing control, criticizing) or withdrawal (e.g., acting cold, being distant). However, little is known regarding how the individual daily variability on the use of destructive conflict management strategies can influence the probability of perpetrating day-to-day physical DV, especially if the other partner is also perceived as using destructive behaviors. Using an intensive longitudinal approach, the current study first aimed to examine the daily associations between the use of various conflict management strategies and physical DV perpetration in adolescent dating relationships. A second objective was to investigate if perceived partner’s conflict behaviors moderated the relation between self-reported conflict management strategies and day-to-day physical DV perpetration. A sample of 216 adolescents ( Mage = 17.03, SD = 1.49) involved in a dating relationship, completed a baseline assessment followed by 14 daily diaries. Results of multilevel logistic analyses revealed that using conflict engagement strategies significantly increased the probability of day-to-day physical DV perpetration. Furthermore, the probability of perpetrating physical DV was significantly higher on days in which teens reported using high levels of conflict engagement while also perceiving their partner as using high levels of conflict engagement or withdrawal. These findings yield new insights on the daily context in which disagreements might escalate into aggression. Evidence from this study further supports the conflict escalation pattern and the demand/withdraw communication pattern in the context of adolescent dating relationships. Preventive initiatives should address the interplay of perceptions and conflict behaviors concerning physical DV perpetration.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
SHIVANI KASHYAP ◽  
CHANDAN KUMAR SAHU ◽  
ROHIT KUMAR VERMA ◽  
LAL BABU CHAUDHARY

Due to large size and enormous morphological plasticity, the taxonomy of the genus Astragalus is very complex and challenging. The identification and grouping of species chiefly based on macromorphological characters become sometimes difficult in the genus. In the present study, the micromorphology of the seeds of 30 species belonging to 14 sections of Astragalus from India has been examined applying scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with light microscopy (LM) to evaluate their role in identification and classification. Attention was paid to colour, shape, size and surface of seeds. The overall size of the seeds ranges from 1.5–3.2 × 0.8–2.2 mm. The shape of the seeds is cordiform, deltoid, mitiform, orbicular, ovoid and reniform. The colour of seeds varies from brown to blackish-brown to black. Papillose, reticulate, ribbed, rugulate and stellate patterns were observed on the seed coat surface (spermoderm) among different species. The study reveals that the seed coat ornamentations have evolved differently among species and do not support the subgeneric and sectional divisions of the genus. However, they add an additional feature to the individual species, which may help in identification in combination with other macro-morphological features.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document