Search results for " specialization"
showing 10 items of 38 documents
Effects of Natura 2000 on nontarget bird and butterfly species based on citizen science data
2020
The European Union's Natura 2000 (N2000) is among the largest international networks of protected areas. One of its aims is to secure the status of a predetermined set of (targeted) bird and butterfly species. However, nontarget species may also benefit from N2000. We evaluated how the terrestrial component of this network affects the abundance of nontargeted, more common bird and butterfly species based on data from long-term volunteer-based monitoring programs in 9602 sites for birds and 2001 sites for butterflies. In almost half of the 155 bird species assessed, and particularly among woodland specialists, abundance increased (slope estimates ranged from 0.101 [SD 0.042] to 3.51 [SD 1.30…
Community structure affects trophic ontogeny in a predatory fish.
2016
While most studies have focused on the timing and nature of ontogenetic niche shifts, information is scarce about the effects of community structure on trophic ontogeny of top predators. We investigated how community structure affects ontogenetic niche shifts (i.e., relationships between body length, trophic position, and individual dietary specialization) of a predatory fish, brown trout (Salmo trutta). We used stable isotope and stomach content analyses to test how functional characteristics of lake fish community compositions (competition and prey availability) modulate niche shifts in terms of (i) piscivorous behavior, (ii) trophic position, and (iii) individual dietary specialization. …
Water temperature, not fish morph, determines parasite infections of sympatric Icelandic threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
2013
Parasite communities of fishes are known to respond directly to the abiotic environment of the host, for example, to water quality and water temperature. Biotic factors are also important as they affect the exposure profile through heterogeneities in parasite distribution in the environment. Parasites in a particular environment may pose a strong selection on fish. For example, ecological differences in selection by parasites have been hypothesized to facilitate evolutionary differentiation of freshwater fish morphs specializing on different food types. However, as parasites may also respond directly to abiotic environment the parasite risk does not depend only on biotic features of the hos…
Species interactions, environmental gradients and body size shape population niche width
2021
1. Competition for shared resources is commonly assumed to restrict population-level niche width of coexisting species. However, the identity and abundance of coexisting species, the prevailing environmental conditions, and the individual body size may shape the effects of interspecific interactions on species’ niche width. 2. Here we study the effects of interspecific and intraspecific interactions, lake area and altitude, and fish body size on the trophic niche width and resource use of a generalist predator, the littoral-dwelling large, sparsely rakered morph of European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus; hereafter LSR whitefish). We use stable isotope, diet and survey fishing data from 14 …
Dissociable contributions of left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in planning.
2010
It is well established that the mid-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) plays a critical role in planning. Neuroimaging studies have yielded predominantly bilateral dlPFC activations, but the existence and nature of functionally specific contributions of left and right dlPFC have remained elusive. In recent experiments, 2 independent parameters have been identified which substantially determine planning: 1) the degree of interdependence between consecutive steps (search depth) and 2) the degree to which the configuration of the goal state renders the order of single steps either clearly evident or ambiguous (goal hierarchy). Thus, search depth affects the actual mental generation and eva…
Sex differences in interhemispheric communication during face identity encoding: Evidence from ERPs
2013
Sex-related hemispheric lateralization and interhemispheric transmission times (IHTTs) were examined in twenty-four participants at the level of the first visual ERP components (P1 and N170) during face identity encoding in a divided visual-field paradigm. While no lateralization-related and sex-related differences were reflected in the P1 characteristics, these two factors modulated the N170. Indeed, N170 amplitudes indicated a right hemisphere (RH) dominance in men (and a more bilateral functioning in women). N170 latencies and the derived IHTTs confirmed the RH advantage in men but showed the reverse asymmetry in women. Altogether, the results of this study suggest a clear asymmetry in m…
ENTREPRENEURIAL AND REGIONAL GROWTH ACTIVITY IN FINLAND
2010
Audretsch & Feldman (2004) argue that an agglomeration is a collection of localized firms with a common focus. As firms thrive, resources are attracted to the region. They state that, if entrepreneurship serves as a mechanism for knowledge spillovers, measures of entrepreneurial activity should be linked positively to regional growth performance. In Schumpeterian economics the engine of economic development is entrepreneurial innovation. Creative destruction makes way for new innovations and growth. In this study, we simultaneously examine the regional entrepreneurial activity and regional growth activity in Finland. A further aim of the study was to find out if entrepreneurial activit…
Innovation in the Rural Areas and the Linkage with the Quintuple Helix Model
2016
Abstract In this paper we analyze some specific conditions for local development. Our interest is oriented towards a multidimensional aspect of peripheral and rural areas. The rural areas considered as a productive system reflects a strong relationship between the agriculture and the other economic activities, In addition eco-systems must be protected and enhanced to develop innovation models that propose new roles and responsibilities for a new development vision. Following the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy and the Quintuple Helix Model this paper underlines the importance of connecting the innovation process with rural territories. We have considered some environment…
The Challenge of a Place-and Network-based Approach to Development in Italian Regions
2016
Abstract This paper investigates the role of research networks inside local development processes to increase the competitiveness of underdeveloped territories. This paper, within the scope of local development theory, aims to describe the state of the art on the regional research systems resulting largely from programs co-financed between 2000 and 2013, with which the various regions are preparing to engage in programming for the period 2014-2020. The extent of consistency between the objectives of sectorial specialization set by policies previously or currently implemented and those in the planning phase (S3) is assessed, as is their connection with existing territorial specializations at…
Immigration, factor endowments and the productive structure of Spanish regions, 1996-2005.
2012
The participation of immigrants in the Spanish labour market has increased from less than 3% in 1996 to more than 13% in 2005. The factor proportion model of production was used to examine the impact of such a large labour supply shock on the industrial structure of Spanish regions. The results confirm that, first, labour endowment differences across regions help to explain the regional patterns of industry specialization. Second, immigrants and natives act as complementary factors in most industries. Third, the importance of immigration is relatively small compared with production technique changes and idiosyncratic industry changes in explaining the overall changes in industrial structure. …