scholarly journals A framework for improving understanding of volunteers' motivations to monitor and control invasive alien species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Anđelković ◽  
Lori Lawson Handley ◽  
Elizabete Marchante ◽  
Tim Adriaens ◽  
Peter Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
And Control ◽  
Volunteer Motivations

Citizens make an important contribution to the study and management of biological invasions, as many monitoring and control projects rely heavily on volunteer assistance. Understanding the reasons why people participate in such projects is critical for successful recruitment and retention of volunteers. While research attention for this topic is growing, it is published in journals from different disciplines. We used a meta-synthesis approach to extract, analyze and synthesize the available information from 28 selected studies investigating motivations of volunteers to engage in monitoring and control of invasive alien species (IAS). Our findings show how motivations fit three broad themes, reflecting environmental concerns, social motivations, and personal reasons. An important outcome of this study is the description of motivations that are unique to the IAS context: supporting IAS management, protecting native species and habitats, and livelihood/food/income protection or opportunities. In addition, our study reflects on important methodological choices for investigating volunteer motivations as well as ethical issues that may arise in practice. We conclude with a set of recommendations for project design and future research on volunteer motivations in IAS contexts, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with social scientists.

scholarly journals Social exclusion increases the executive function of attention networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huoyin Zhang ◽  
Shiyunmeng Zhang ◽  
Jiachen Lu ◽  
Yi Lei ◽  
Hong Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Attention Network ◽  
Attention Networks ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Control

AbstractPrevious studies in humans have shown that brain regions activating social exclusion overlap with those related to attention. However, in the context of social exclusion, how does behavioral monitoring affect individual behavior? In this study, we used the Cyberball game to induce the social exclusion effect in a group of participants. To explore the influence of social exclusion on the attention network, we administered the Attention Network Test (ANT) and compared results for the three subsystems of the attention network (orienting, alerting, and executive control) between exclusion (N = 60) and inclusion (N = 60) groups. Compared with the inclusion group, the exclusion group showed shorter overall response time and better executive control performance, but no significant differences in orienting or alerting. The excluded individuals showed a stronger ability to detect and control conflicts. It appears that social exclusion does not always exert a negative influence on individuals. In future research, attention to network can be used as indicators of social exclusion. This may further reveal how social exclusion affects individuals' psychosomatic mechanisms.

scholarly journals Co-Creating New Directions for Service Robots in Hospitality and Tourism

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61
Author(s):  
Francesc Fusté-Forné ◽  
Tazim Jamal
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
New Research

Research on the relationship between automation services and tourism has been rapidly growing in recent years and has led to a new service landscape where the role of robots is gaining both practical and research attention. This paper builds on previous reviews and undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the research literature to discuss opportunities and challenges presented by the use of service robots in hospitality and tourism. Management and ethical issues are identified and it is noted that practical and ethical issues (roboethics) continue to lack attention. Going forward, new directions are urgently needed to inform future research and practice. Legal and ethical issues must be proactively addressed, and new research paradigms developed to explore the posthumanist and transhumanist transitions that await. In addition, closer attention to the potential of “co-creation” for addressing innovations in enhanced service experiences in hospitality and tourism is merited. Among others, responsibility, inclusiveness and collaborative human-robot design and implementation emerge as important principles to guide future research and practice in this area.

scholarly journals Golden jackal, a natural disperser or an invasive alien species in Slovakia? A summary within European context

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
Peter Urban ◽  
Nuno Guimarães ◽  
Jozef Bučko
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
European Population ◽  
Golden Jackal ◽  
Game Species ◽  
Fast Adaptation ◽  
Natural Expansion ◽  
Fast Increase

AbstractThis summary provides an overview of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) categorization in Europe with particular focus on its presence in Slovakia. The distribution range of this species in Europe has been expanding in recent decades. Currently, European population is in constant and fast increase, widening their ranges towards Central and Eastern Europe and more recently in some western countries. All over Europe, the categorization of the golden jackal status is discussed with some controversial. A recent genetic study helped to determine that golden jackals do not meet the established three criteria, which categorize a species as an invasive alien species. In Slovakia, golden jackals’ numbers grown considerably in the last decade and with an increasing of their distribution through the country it became a permanent species of the Slovak fauna. The only internal status is the hunting Act no. 274/2009, which classifies it as, game species. The fast adaptation and dispersion through Slovakia can be considered similar to the behaviour of an invasive species, as suggested in previous studies in Hungary. Based on widely accepted definitions, agreed under international legal instruments, it is quite clear that the term ‘Invasive Alien Species’ only encompasses non-native species specifically introduced by humans (intentionally or accidentally). Following this Invasive Alien Species terminology, golden jackals cannot be categorized as such in Slovakia. The natural expansion, the growing ranges, and the increase in numbers of the golden jackal in Slovakia in the last decades points to a need to improve the knowledge of the species.

scholarly journals Greenhouses – urban biodiversity hotspot of alien Oribatida (Acari) species

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mateusz OSZUST ◽  
◽  
Ziemowit OLSZANOWSKI ◽  
Marta PRZYMUSZAŁA ◽  
d Aleksandra JAGIEŁŁO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Oribatid Mites ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Parts

Palm houses and other greenhouses, due to maintaining constant temperature and humidity, allow the cultivation in Europe of plants from different parts of the world, even from tropical regions. However, sometimes they are also a habitat for alien species of spiders, mites, insect, etc. These animals have been introduced accidentally with contaminated plants, seeds, seedlings, soil and thanks to stable conditions maintained in greenhouses, they may colonize these places. Example of arthropods, of which even tropical species occur in several greenhouses, are oribatid mites – minute saprophagous arachnids that mostly inhabit soil. In Europe they are represented by about 2,000 species, while worldwide – over 10,000 taxa were described. The aim of this research was to investigate the selected greenhouses for the biodiversity of oribatid mites and the presence of non-native species. In total, 49 taxa were recorded, including 23 alien species (for example, a Neotropical taxon Galumna hamifer, or Oriental Suctobelbella parallelodentata). These results confirm that greenhouses are the places of occurrence of many alien oribatid species. The obtained results may be used in future research on the biology of poorly known tropical mites.

Tracking non-native vertebrate species: indicator design for the United States of America

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Meyerson ◽  
Richard Engeman ◽  
Robin O'Malley
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
The United States ◽  
Private Institutions ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
National Scale ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
And Control ◽  
National Environmental

Basic information on the distribution, spread and impacts of non-native species in the USA is not available to those who shape national environmental policy. Although the USA spends billions of dollars annually on introduced species research, monitoring and control efforts, only a limited number of government agencies or private institutions are able to provide definitive reports on more than a handful of these species at a national scale. Research on invasive species is only of marginal practical value if the information cannot be succinctly and effectively transmitted to those who determine the management policies, budgets and objectives. To remedy this situation, a national-scale approach for monitoring established non-native species has been developed under the auspices of the Heinz Center as part of ‘The State of the Nation’s Ecosystems’ project. This paper specifically describes the strategies for reporting on indicators for non-native vertebrate species developed through inputs by experts from academia, industry, environmental organisations and government.

scholarly journals In the Era of Therapeutic Hypothermia, How Well Do Studies of Perinatal Neuroprotection Control Temperature?

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Galinsky ◽  
Justin M. Dean ◽  
Christopher A. Lear ◽  
Joanne O. Davidson ◽  
Simerdeep Dhillon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Hypothermia ◽  
Brain Temperature ◽  
Temperature Monitoring ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Hypoxia Ischemia ◽  
And Control

In the era of therapeutic hypothermia, reliable preclinical studies are integral to successfully identify neuroprotective strategies to further improve outcomes of encephalopathy at term. We reviewed preclinical neuroprotection studies reported between January 2014 and June 2016 to assess the use of effective temperature monitoring and control. As a secondary measure, we examined whether studies addressed other methodological issues such as stage of brain development, sex differences, the timing of the treatment relative to the insult, and the histological and functional endpoints used after hypoxia-ischemia. The extent and duration of temperature monitoring was highly inconsistent. Only a minority of papers monitored core (19/61; 31%) or brain temperature (3/61; 5%). Most (40/45) of the neuroprotectants either were likely to affect thermoregulation or their impact is unknown. In 85% of papers neonatal rodents were used (67% at P7); 51% of papers did not report the sex of the animals or tested the effect of potential neuroprotectants on just one sex. In 76% of studies, treatment was before or immediately after the insult (within the first 2 h), and few studies assessed long-term histological and behavioral outcomes. In conclusion, many recent preclinical neonatal studies cannot exclude the possibility that apparent neuroprotection might be related to drug-induced hypothermia or to other methodological choices. Close monitoring and control of brain temperature during, as well as for many days after, experimental hypoxia-ischemia are now critical to reliably develop new ways to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes after perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

scholarly journals Population Ecology and Genetic Diversity of the Invasive Alien Species Procambarus clarkii in Lake Trasimeno (Italy)

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1059
Author(s):  
Ambrosius Josef Martin Dörr ◽  
Melissa Scoparo ◽  
Irene Cardinali ◽  
Gianandrea La Porta ◽  
Barbara Caldaroni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Population Ecology ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Procambarus Clarkii ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Mitochondrial Haplotypes ◽  
Management Plans

The deliberate or accidental introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) causes negative ecological and economic impacts altering ecosystem processes, imperiling native species and causing damage to human endeavors. A monthly monitoring program was performed in Lake Trasimeno (Central Italy) from July 2018 to July 2019 in order to provide an upgrade of the population ecology of Procambarus clarkii and to assess the genetic diversity by analyzing the relationships among mitochondrial DNA diversity. Our results confirmed that P. clarkii is well acclimatized in the lake, revealing a stable population structure favored by the resources and conditions typical of this ecosystem, which seem to be optimal for the maintenance of the species. Four distinct mitochondrial haplotypes were detected, but one of them was clearly overrepresented (76%), suggesting that a single predominant introduction event may have occurred in this area, likely followed by secondary events. The identification of the typical genetic variants provides a better understanding of the evolutionary scenarios of P. clarkii in this biotope and it can be helpful in management plans concerning the expanding populations of this invasive alien species.

scholarly journals A benefit-cost analysis framework for prioritization of control programs for well-established invasive alien species

NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 31-52
Author(s):  
Rakel Blaalid ◽  
Kristin Magnussen ◽  
Nina Bruvik Westberg ◽  
Ståle Navrud
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
And Control ◽  
Established Species

Invasive alien species (IAS) are identified as a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services. While early detection and control programs to avoid establishments of new alien species can be very cost-effective, control costs for well-established species can be enormous. Many of these well-established species constitute severe or high ecological impact and are thus likely to be included in control programs. However, due to limited funds, we need to prioritize which species to control according to the gains in ecological status and human well-being compared to the costs. Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) provides such a tool but has been hampered by the difficulties in assessing the overall social benefits on the same monetary scale as the control costs. In order to overcome this obstacle, we combine a non-monetary benefit assessment tool with the ecosystem service framework to create a benefit assessment in line with the welfare economic underpinnings of BCA. Our simplified BCA prioritization tool enables us to conduct rapid and cheap appraisals of large numbers of invasive species that the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre has found to cause negative ecological impacts. We demonstrate this application on 30 well-established invasive alien vascular plant species in Norway. Social benefits are calculated and aggregated on a benefit point scale for six impact categories: four types of ecosystem services (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural), human health and infrastructure impacts. Total benefit points are then compared to the total control costs of programs aiming at eradicating individual IAS across Norway or in selected vulnerable ecosystems. Although there are uncertainties with regards to IAS population size, benefits assessment and control program effectiveness and costs; our simplified BCA tool identified six species associated with robust low cost-benefit ratios in terms of control costs (in million USD) per benefit point. As a large share of public funds for eradication of IAS is currently spent on control programs for other plant species, we recommend that the environmental authorities at all levels use our BCA prioritization tool to increase the social benefits of their limited IAS control budgets. In order to maximize the net social benefits of IAS control programs, environmental valuation studies of their ecosystem service benefits are needed.

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