Freshwater biodiversity has been threatened by eutrophication due to excessive nutrients in the environment. Releasing the freshwater species from such pressures requires efforts from industry and... Show moreFreshwater biodiversity has been threatened by eutrophication due to excessive nutrients in the environment. Releasing the freshwater species from such pressures requires efforts from industry and manufacturers to avoid emissions to vulnerable and high-risk regions. The first step is to know which nutrient influences where and the effects thereof on species loss. These impacts can be assessed by methods of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). This thesis contributes to such knowledge by improving the LCIA method, for instance, by developing more regionalized and comprehensive indicators as well as adding the consideration of both phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) and which of these two nutrients is limiting. Show less
The Vallesian, 11.1-9 Ma, was a special time in the Vallès-Penedes basin near Barcelona, where a biodiversity hotspot existed. Europe had a subtropical climate, with rhinos, forest giraffes, lions,... Show moreThe Vallesian, 11.1-9 Ma, was a special time in the Vallès-Penedes basin near Barcelona, where a biodiversity hotspot existed. Europe had a subtropical climate, with rhinos, forest giraffes, lions, hyenas, flying squirrels and primates.Around 9.7 million years ago there was an abrupt collapse in diversity; the so-called 'Vallesian Crisis'. This was seen as the transition point to a climate with more seasonality and open landscapes.Using a fossil dataset from Miocene Eurasia, the influence of dataset quality on the severity of this crisis, which animals were most affected and their distribution patterns was studied.The crisis’ victims have three things in common: they are mainly forest dwellers, they date back to the Middle Miocene (16-11.1 Ma), and they are rare during the early Vallesian. The high Vallesian biodiversity was caused by the arrival of new immigrants in addition to older transient groups, possibly due to the unique coastal conditions.Major differences existed between the coastal region and the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Some species appeared in the Vallès-Penedès, but never reached the inland. The 'Vallesian Crisis', while seen understandably as a time of abrupt and severe extinction, was thus largely a local turnover event. Show less
Aim: Theoretical, experimental and observational studies have shown that biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships are influenced by functional community structure through two mutually... Show moreAim: Theoretical, experimental and observational studies have shown that biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships are influenced by functional community structure through two mutually non-exclusive mechanisms: (1) the dominance effect (which relates to the traits of the dominant species); and (2) the niche partitioning effect [which relates to functional diversity (FD)]. Although both mechanisms have been studied in plant communities and experiments at small spatial extents, it remains unclear whether evidence from small-extent case studies translates into a generalizable macroecological pattern. Here, we evaluate dominance and niche partitioning effects simultaneously in grassland systems world-wide.Location: Two thousand nine hundred and forty-one grassland plots globally.Time period: 2000–2014.Major taxa studied: Vascular plants.Methods: We obtained plot-based data on functional community structure from the global vegetation plot database “sPlot”, which combines species composition with plant trait data from the “TRY” database. We used data on the community-weighted mean (CWM) and FD for 18 ecologically relevant plant traits. As an indicator of primary productivity, we extracted the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from MODIS. Using generalized additive models and deviation partitioning, we estimated the contributions of trait CWM and FD to the variation in annual maximum NDVI, while controlling for climatic variables and spatial structure.Results: Grassland communities dominated by relatively tall species with acquisitive traits had higher NDVI values, suggesting the prevalence of dominance effects for BEF relationships. We found no support for niche partitioning for the functional traits analysed, because NDVI remained unaffected by FD. Most of the predictive power of traits was shared by climatic predictors and spatial coordinates. This highlights the importance of community assembly processes for BEF relationships in natural communities.Main conclusions: Our analysis provides empirical evidence that plant functional community structure and global patterns in primary productivity are linked through the resource economics and size traits of the dominant species. This is an important test of the hypotheses underlying BEF relationships at the global scale. Show less
Natural history collections provide invaluable sources for researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds, aspiring to study the geographical distribution of flora and fauna across the globe... Show moreNatural history collections provide invaluable sources for researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds, aspiring to study the geographical distribution of flora and fauna across the globe as well as other evolutionary processes. They are of paramount importance for mapping out long-term changes: from culture, to ecology, to how natural history is practiced.This thesis describes computational methods for knowledge extraction from archives of natural history collections---here referring to handwritten manuscripts and hand-drawn illustrations. As we are dealing with heterogeneous real-world data, the task becomes exceptionally challenging. Small samples and a long-tailed distribution, sometimes with very fine-grained distinctions between classes, hamper model learning. Prior knowledge is therefore needed to bootstrap the learning process. Moreover, archival content can be difficult to interpret and integrate, and should therefore be formally described for data integration within and across collections. By serving extracted knowledge to the Semantic Web, collections are made amenable for research and integration with other biodiversity resources on the Web. Show less
Taxonomy as a science has accumulated data and knowledge for more than 250 years. The quality and usefulness of the facts recorded in taxonomic literature has greatly improved from the early... Show moreTaxonomy as a science has accumulated data and knowledge for more than 250 years. The quality and usefulness of the facts recorded in taxonomic literature has greatly improved from the early descriptive texts to the modern data-rich, hypothesis-driven works. Our work illustrates the application of some of the “e-taxonomic” tools and the “New Taxonomy” thinking explored in the introduction. Here, we analyzed specimen data contained in legacy taxonomic literature in Chapters 2 and 3—to observe species distribution of one spider group and genital evolution, respectively—and also explored an integrative perspective that involves describing new taxa and testing phylogenetic hypotheses using molecular and morphological data, as done in Chapter 4 and 5. Show less
Background: The Nature Step to Respiratory Health was the overarching theme of the 12th General Meeting of the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) in Helsinki, August 2018.... Show moreBackground: The Nature Step to Respiratory Health was the overarching theme of the 12th General Meeting of the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) in Helsinki, August 2018. New approaches are needed to improve respiratory health and reduce premature mortality of chronic diseases by 30% till 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs). Planetary health is defined as the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends. Planetary health and human health are interconnected, and both need to be considered by individuals and governments while addressing several SDGs.Results: The concept of the Nature Step has evolved from innovative research indicating, how changed lifestyle in urban surroundings reduces contact with biodiverse environments, impoverishes microbiota, affects immune regulation and increases risk of NCDs. The Nature Step calls for strengthening connections to nature. Physical activity in natural environments should be promoted, use of fresh vegetables, fruits and water increased, and consumption of sugary drinks, tobacco and alcohol restricted. Nature relatedness should be part of everyday life and especially emphasized in the care of children and the elderly. Taking "nature" to modern cities in a controlled way is possible but a challenge for urban planning, nature conservation, housing, traffic arrangements, energy production, and importantly for supplying and distributing food. Actions against the well-known respiratory risk factors, air pollution and smoking, should be taken simultaneously.Conclusions: In Finland and elsewhere in Europe, successful programmes have been implemented to reduce the burden of respiratory disorders and other NCDs. Unhealthy behaviour can be changed by well-coordinated actions involving all stakeholders. The growing public health concern caused by NCDs in urban surroundings cannot be solved by health care alone; a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. Show less
Large collections of historical biodiversity expeditions are housed in natural history museums throughout the world. Potentially they can serve as rich sources of data for cultural historical and... Show moreLarge collections of historical biodiversity expeditions are housed in natural history museums throughout the world. Potentially they can serve as rich sources of data for cultural historical and biodiversity research. However, they exist as only partially catalogued specimen repositories and images of unstructured, non-standardised, hand-written text and drawings. Although many archival collections have been digitised, disclosing their content is challenging. They refer to historical place names and outdated taxonomic classifications and are written in multiple languages. Efforts to transcribe the hand-written text can make the content accessible, but semantically describing and interlinking the content would further facilitate research. We propose a semantic model that serves to structure the named entities in natural history archival collections. In addition, we present an approach for the semantic annotation of these collections whilst documenting their provenance. This approach serves as an initial step for an adaptive learning approach for semi-automated extraction of named entities from natural history archival collections. The applicability of the semantic model and the annotation approach is demonstrated using image scans from a collection of 8, 000 field book pages gathered by the Committee for Natural History of the Netherlands Indies between 1820 and 1850, and evaluated together with domain experts from the field of natural and cultural history. Show less
The aim of this thesis was to investigate vegetation management within the agricultural landscape and determine at which scale and which practices are most beneficial to invertebrate... Show moreThe aim of this thesis was to investigate vegetation management within the agricultural landscape and determine at which scale and which practices are most beneficial to invertebrate assemblages and the associated food web. We determined invertebrate abundance, species richness, and diversity using sticky boards, sweep netting, and pitfall traps to sample. Our examination ranged from the field level to the landscape level of 6000 m. Practices examined include mowing, prairie restoration, and summer fire. Management recommendations are made based on the results of our research. Show less
Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a popular yet troubled approach in modern nature conservation. It's effectiveness remains unknown while a lot of criticism is noted in the... Show more Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a popular yet troubled approach in modern nature conservation. It's effectiveness remains unknown while a lot of criticism is noted in the literature about potential consequences of this approach. This thesis first clarifies the various discourses extant about the topic. Then, it shows how the topic of ecosystem services is replacing calls for nature conservation in policy documents. It investigates two different ways to give ecological knowledge a strong influence in market-based approaches. The first way being the use of portfolio theory and the second way being the use of indicators for conservation success based on ecological science. The thesis finally turns towards the greater challenge of motivating people to protect nature, and argues that economic valuation has only a limited role to play in this endeavor. Show less
Much remains to be discovered about the biodiversity of coral reefs in Malaysia, making this area a priority for coral reef research. This thesis aims to provide insights into the patterns... Show more Much remains to be discovered about the biodiversity of coral reefs in Malaysia, making this area a priority for coral reef research. This thesis aims to provide insights into the patterns of reef coral species richness and the degree of reef connectivity across Malaysia. For the species richness study, the scleractinian coral families Fungiidae, Agariciidae and Euphylliidae were selected as model taxa. Species of these families have a wide geographical distribution in the Indo-Pacific, and they can be found in a large range of reef habitats, from shallow coastal reefs to deep offshore environments. The connectivity of reefs were inferred by examining the genetic population structures of three reef invertebrate species, the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis, the blue seastar Linckia laevigata, and the boring giant clam Tridacna crocea. Data on coral species and specimens of reef invertebrates were collected from reef areas along a geographical range from east to west Malaysia. Reef coral species richness patterns were revealed and indicated common and rare species, as well as potential endemics. Factors to explain the population structure and connectivity patterns across Malaysia are discussed. The findings in this thesis may be relevant for conservation and management of coral reef areas in Malaysia. Show less
This thesis reviews the available coral studies in the Persian Gulf at a large scale, discusses the environmental challenges for corals in the context of climate change, and expands our... Show more This thesis reviews the available coral studies in the Persian Gulf at a large scale, discusses the environmental challenges for corals in the context of climate change, and expands our knowledge of coral biodiversity and biogeography of the region, highlights the remaining gaps in our knowledge and goes on to provide recommendations for further research. This is of special importance given recent international interest in the region as a harbinger of coral adaptation to climate change as the impacts to the global environment, human society and the economy unfold. Show less
With only three living individuals left on this planet, the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) could be considered doomed for extinction. It might still be possible, however,... Show moreWith only three living individuals left on this planet, the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) could be considered doomed for extinction. It might still be possible, however, to rescue the (sub) species by combining novel stem cell and assisted reproductive technologies. To discuss the various practical options available to us, we convened a multidisciplinary meeting under the name "Conservation by Cellular Technologies." The outcome of this meeting and the proposed road map that, if successfully implemented, would ultimately lead to a self-sustaining population of an extremely endangered species are outlined here. The ideas discussed here, while centered on the northern white rhinoceros, are equally applicable, after proper adjustments, to other mammals on the brink of extinction. Through implementation of these ideas we hope to establish the foundation for reversal of some of the effects of what has been termed the sixth mass extinction event in the history of Earth, and the first anthropogenic one. (C) 2016 The Authors. Zoo Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Show less
Gall crabs (Crustacea : Cryptochiridae) are small, coral-dwelling crabs that live in obligate association with their host corals (Scleractinia), on which they rely for food and shelter. They have... Show moreGall crabs (Crustacea : Cryptochiridae) are small, coral-dwelling crabs that live in obligate association with their host corals (Scleractinia), on which they rely for food and shelter. They have been recorded from shallow and deeper waters (over 500 m), but the majority of the species live in reef corals in the photic zone. The highest number of species is recorded from the Indo-West Pacific, where coral diversity is highest. This PhD thesis deals with various aspects of their evolution and diversification; four species are described as new to science, and the host specificity, biogeography, distribution and reproductive morphology of gall crabs are studied. In addition, the close association between gall crabs and corals allowed for studies on (cryptic) speciation and possible coevolution. Results show that the observed coevolutionary events should most probably be ascribed to sequential evolution, which indicates that the phylogeny of the gall crabs has been directed by the evolution of the corals. Show less
Population growth and the drop in the returns from the major cash crop (coffee) for small farmers are the main drivers that have influenced the farming systems and mobility of farmers in the... Show morePopulation growth and the drop in the returns from the major cash crop (coffee) for small farmers are the main drivers that have influenced the farming systems and mobility of farmers in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC). The main objective of this research activity was to determine the interactions between farming systems and human mobility in the WHC. A comparative study was conducted through household and field surveys in three villages and conceptualized based on the systems approach. The different types of mobility were influenced by household social factors, the quest for ‘high valued' farm plots and hired labour. Urban-rural migration contributed to occupation diversification and social mobility. The sustainability factor was a function of land use intensity, intensity of off-farm inputs, the household adjustment factor and mobility of the household. The sacred groves were rich in plant diversity of varied ecological and economic importance. Nitrogen mining was common at all levels of the farming system. These determinants and types of mobility claims are pertinent to the research area; the sustainability results of the farming systems reflect the reality on the ground; the nutrient flux evaluated at the crop and farm levels constitute a valuable database for future research. Show less
The Philippine crocodile is a critically endangered species, endemic to the Philippine Islands. Indiscriminate hunting, the use of destructive fishing practices and the conversion of wetland... Show moreThe Philippine crocodile is a critically endangered species, endemic to the Philippine Islands. Indiscriminate hunting, the use of destructive fishing practices and the conversion of wetland habitat into rice fields continue to threaten the few remaining Philippine crocodile populations in the wild. This thesis describes the in-situ conservation efforts for the species in the northern Sierra Madre on Luzon by the Mabuwaya Foundation. Traditions, emotions and ethics form important reasons for rural communities in the northern Sierra Madre to support the conservation of the Philippine crocodile in their surroundings. But in contemporary conservation discourses such an argument is easily dismissed as hopelessly romantic, elitist or even irrational. In fact raising awareness, fostering pride and empowering rural communities to protect the resources they need and value is, in the end, a more pragmatic, pro-poor and rea listic strategy to mobilize local support for the protection of the Philippine crocodile than a narrow focus on generating economic incentives. Conservation efforts can be significantly strengthened if cultural and intrinsic values are taken into account. Pride, interest and respect offer the best hope for the survival of the Philippine crocodile in the 21st century. Show less
Forest damselflies (family Platystictidae) are widespread in southeast Asia from Sri Lanka to New Guinea, and are also known from Central America and the northern part of South America. The larvae... Show moreForest damselflies (family Platystictidae) are widespread in southeast Asia from Sri Lanka to New Guinea, and are also known from Central America and the northern part of South America. The larvae of most species live in small streams or seepages under forest canopy. Adults are found hanging from the tips of leaves or twigs along streams. The family is thought to have evolved more than 100 million years ago. Only 213 species are known worldwide, of which the author described 46 as new to science. Although most species are remarkably similar in general appearance, they show significant variation in structural details such as wing venation, pronotum, and secondary genitalia of the male. The group is ideal for biogeographical studies, since most species have small distributional ranges. A reconstruction of the phylogeny shows that several ancient lineages occur along the margin of the Indian Plate. Although Platystictidae are not known from Africa, it is hypothesized that the family evolved on that continent. The ancestors of the subfamilies Platystictinae and Sinostictinae drifted with India to Asia between 100 and 45 Ma. A scenario of the historical biogeography of the Platystictinae is described in relation to the palaeogeography of southeast Asia since the Eocene. The subfamily Palaemnematinae most likely dispersed from Africa to the New World via Europe and the ‘North Atlantic Land Bridge’. Show less
