scholarly journals The Role of Flies as Pollinators of Horticultural Crops: An Australian Case Study with Worldwide Relevance

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F Cook ◽  
Sasha C Voss ◽  
Jonathan T D Finch ◽  
Romina C Rader ◽  
James M Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Single Species ◽  
High Potential ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Australian Case

Australian horticulture relies heavily on the introduced managed honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), to pollinate crops. Given the risks associated with reliance upon a single species, it would be prudent to identify other taxa that could be managed to provide crop pollination services. We reviewed the literature relating to the distribution, efficiency and management potential of a number of flies (Diptera) known to visit pollinator-dependent crops in Australia and worldwide. Applying this information, we identified the taxa most suitable to play a greater role as managed pollinators in Australian crops. Of the taxa reviewed, flower visitation by representatives from the dipteran families Calliphoridae, Rhiniidae and Syrphidae was frequently reported in the literature. While data available are limited, there was clear evidence of pollination by these flies in a range of crops. A review of fly morphology, foraging behaviour and physiology revealed considerable potential for their development as managed pollinators, either alone or to augment honey bee services. Considering existing pollination evidence, along with the distribution, morphology, behaviour and life history traits of introduced and endemic species, 11 calliphorid, two rhiniid and seven syrphid species were identified as candidates with high potential for use in Australian managed pollination services. Research directions for the comprehensive assessment of the pollination abilities of the identified taxa to facilitate their development as a pollination service are described. This triage approach to identifying species with high potential to become significant managed pollinators at local or regional levels is clearly widely applicable to other countries and taxa.

scholarly journals A New Approach to Inform Restoration and Management Decisions for Sustainable Apiculture

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6109
Author(s):  
Joanne Lee Picknoll ◽  
Pieter Poot ◽  
Michael Renton
Keyword(s):  
Floral Resources ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Honey Production ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Colony Loss ◽  
Supply Potential ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Stocking Rates

Habitat loss has reduced the available resources for apiarists and is a key driver of poor colony health, colony loss, and reduced honey yields. The biggest challenge for apiarists in the future will be meeting increasing demands for pollination services, honey, and other bee products with limited resources. Targeted landscape restoration focusing on high-value or high-yielding forage could ensure adequate floral resources are available to sustain the growing industry. Tools are currently needed to evaluate the likely productivity of potential sites for restoration and inform decisions about plant selections and arrangements and hive stocking rates, movements, and placements. We propose a new approach for designing sites for apiculture, centred on a model of honey production that predicts how changes to plant and hive decisions affect the resource supply, potential for bees to collect resources, consumption of resources by the colonies, and subsequently, amount of honey that may be produced. The proposed model is discussed with reference to existing models, and data input requirements are discussed with reference to an Australian case study area. We conclude that no existing model exactly meets the requirements of our proposed approach, but components of several existing models could be combined to achieve these needs.

scholarly journals 4D visualization to bridge the knowing-doing gap in megaprojects: an Australian case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijnan Datta ◽  
Johan Ninan ◽  
Shankar Sankaran
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Critical Part ◽  
Safety Program ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Australian Case

The literature on megaprojects are oriented towards ‘knowing’ the problems and ‘knowing’ the solutions, and there is a dearth in literature aimed at explaining strategies adopted in ‘doing’ or implementing that knowledge. Particularly, the literature highlights communication as important as part of the ‘knowing,’ while there is a gap in ‘doing,’ as performance improvements are still not evident. This research aims to explore how this knowing-doing gap in the communication of risk information was addressed by using 4D visualization. This article discusses the vent facility of a megaproject in Australia as a case study to illustrate the innovation. The 4D model developed for the facility helped the project team to visualize the construction of a critical part of the project, discuss the construction methodology, identify the risks in the construction process and persuade the non-technical decision-makers of the project to take appropriate action. The risks identified through the visualization covered safety, program, and interface risks. This study offers insights into the role of visualization in bridging the knowing-doing gap in the construction industry in the context of a megaproject.

scholarly journals Agricultural Water Allocation under Cyclical Scarcity: The Role of Priority Water Rights

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1835 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Gómez-Limón ◽  
Carlos Gutiérrez-Martín ◽  
Nazaret M. Montilla-López
Keyword(s):  
Water Allocation ◽  
Allocative Efficiency ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
Proportional Rule ◽  
Efficient Allocation ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Pareto Efficient

Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource worldwide, suggesting that water rationing methods should be revised to improve water allocation efficiency, especially during cyclical scarcity events (droughts). The proportional rule is the most widely used rationing method to allocate water in cases of water scarcity. However, this method fails to achieve Pareto-efficient allocation arrangements. Economic theory and international experience demonstrate that implementing security-differentiated water rights could improve allocative efficiency during cyclical scarcity periods. Moreover, it has been proven that this kind of priority rights regime is an efficient instrument to share risks related to water supply reliability, and can thus be considered as an adaptation measure to climate change. This evidence has enabled the development of an operational proposal for the implementation of security-differentiated water rights in the irrigation sector in Spain, as an alternative to the current rights based on the proportional rule. This proposal draws on the Australian case study, which is the most successful experience worldwide. Nevertheless, the insights obtained from the analysis performed and the proposal for reforming the water rights regime are applicable to any country with a mature water economy.

Why Community? Reading Difference and Singularity with Community

2005 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1589-1611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Panelli ◽  
Richard Welch
Keyword(s):  
Australian Case ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Human Construction

Geographers have increasingly recognised that communities are not homogeneous social formations but contain great diversity and are meaningful in a variety of material, relational and political ways. This has resulted in the apparently contradictory notion of “community with difference”; that community may be performed even while heterogeneity and disagreement are present. But geographers have yet to address satisfactorily the question of why communities continue to be the subject of fascination and study when attempts at definition have proved so problematic. Following on from Young's critique of community, this paper first engages the work of Nancy and Secomb to consider Nancy's conceptualisation of ‘singularity’ as a way to explain the human construction of—and possible need for—notions of community. In short we address the why community? question. Using a rural Australian case study, we demonstrate that meanings of community reflect many differences. This case also illustrates the role of human singularity in the negotiation of these differences, defining the manner in which individual perspectives of community are articulated as well as underpinning people's responses and struggles when ideas of community are challenged.

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