Search results for " Ecosystem"
showing 10 items of 633 documents
Entrepreneurial Marketing in Small Firms: A Comparative Study of Small Software Technology Firms in Central Finland, Wales, UK and Silicon Valley, US
2014
This paper reports on present research of Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) in small software technology firms (SSTFs) in order to investigate and compare the effects of ecosystems in three different countries and, the effect this has on a firm’s EM orientation and, on business growth. Firms today operate in a business environment characterized by increased risk and decreased ability to forecast while markets are uncertain, are fragmenting and becoming frictionless. Hence, firms interact as competitors, customers, and collaborators in a global, knowledge economy. Such changes have had an effect on marketing (Schindehutte, Morris and Pitt 2008) and reflect the type of marketing practiced in sma…
Changes in fish communities due to benthic habitat shifts under ocean acidification conditions
2020
Ocean acidification will likely change the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems over coming decades. Volcanic carbon dioxide seeps generate dissolved CO2 and pH gradients that provide realistic insights into the direction and magnitude of these changes. Here, we used fish and benthic community surveys to assess the spatio-temporal dynamics of fish community properties off CO2 seeps in Japan. Adding to previous evidence from ocean acidification ecosystem studies conducted elsewhere, our findings documented shifts from calcified to non-calcified habitats with reduced benthic complexity. In addition, we found that such habitat transition led to decreased diversity of associated …
Evaluation of payment for ecosystem services in Mediterraneanforest: An empirical survey
2016
Abstract The relationship between humans and the forest has always been an important element, sometimes characterizing in the history of man himself. During the last years, the socio-economic context is profoundly changed, diversifying economic services provided by the forest. In the past, in fact, the primary function of the forest was the firewood production, while nowadays it grants several socio-economic benefits such as climate change mitigation, soil protection, protection and conservation of biodiversity, landscaping and recreational value. So, in recent decades a new type of socio-economic interest was developed in order to create a market of goods and services for the forests, call…
Occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, perfluorinated compounds, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in freshwater mussels from Latvia.
2018
Abstract The occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorinated compounds (PFC), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) in Latvian freshwater ecosystems was evaluated by using filter-feeding mussels as bioindicators. Twenty four samples of mussels were collected from freshwater bodies throughout the territory of Latvia during the summer of 2017. PBDE contamination was ubiquitous, reaching the highest total concentration of 193.2 pg g−1 w.w. BDE-209 was the most abundant compound, followed by penta-BDE components BDE-49, -100, −99, −153, −154, and −47 in decreasing order. The levels of PFCs in Latvian mussels were generally lower than those reported from other regi…
Trawling disturbance effects on the trophic ecology of two co-generic Astropectinid species
2015
Physical disturbance by trawling can have both negative and positive effects on populations of scavenging benthic organisms. In the present study the impact of fishing activity on feeding behaviour of the two Astropectinids, Astropecten bispinosus and A. irregularis , was assessed based on stomach contents analysis. The study was carried out along trawled seabed highlighting the positive response of the two facultative scavengers to carrion generated by trawl disturbance. Furthermore, there was greater food specialization in areas that were more heavily exploited by trawling. This specialisation could be linked to the availability of certain prey that results from the passage of fishing gea…
Effect of multiple agricultural stressors on freshwater ecosystems: The role of community structure, trophic status, and biodiversity-functioning rel…
2022
Abstract The toxicity and widespread use of agricultural pesticides threaten freshwater biodiversity, but their long-term effects under different nutrient concentrations are poorly understood. We evaluated the single or combined effects of two pesticides (chlorpyrifos and diuron) under different nutrient regimes (mesotrophic and eutrophic) on community structure and ecosystem functions in replicated pond mesocosms. The individual application of nutrients and pesticides affected community composition and species richness. Ecosystem functioning was generally less sensitive to chemical stress than community structure, while eutrophication fostered the dominance of species that are more resilie…
Ecological risk assessment of pesticides in urban streams of the Brazilian Amazon
2022
Abstract The use of pesticides in households and peri-urban areas of the Amazon has increased notably during the last years. Yet, the presence of these contaminants in Amazonian freshwater ecosystems remains unexplored. Here, we assessed the exposure to 18 pesticides and 5 transformation products in the Amazon River and in the urban streams of Manaus, Santarem, Macapa, and Belem (Brazil). Pesticide concentrations were analyzed by liquid and gas chromatography methods. Ecological risks were assessed following a two-tiered approach. First, hazard quotients and an overall hazard index were calculated using toxicity data for standard test species of primary producers, invertebrates, and fish. S…
Characterization of the contamination fingerprint of wastewater treatment plant effluents in the Henares River Basin (central Spain) based on target …
2022
The interest in contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has increased lately due to their continued emission and potential ecotoxicological hazards. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are generally not capable of eliminating them and are considered the main pathway for CECs to the aquatic environment. The number of CECs in WWTPs effluents is often so large that complementary approaches to the conventional target analysis need to be implemented. Within this context, multitarget quantitative analysis (162 compounds) and a suspect screening (>40,000 suspects) approaches were applied to characterize the CEC fingerprint in effluents of five WWTPs in the Henares River basin (central Spain) durin…
Tradizioni etnofarmacobotaniche in alcune comunità rurali dei Monti di Trapani (Sicilia occidentale)
2014
Ethnopharmacobotanical traditions in some rural communities of Trapani Mountains (West-Sicily). – The results refer an ethnopharmacobotanical study carried out in the territories of Valderice, Busto Palizzolo, Custonaci and San Vito Lo Capo, in the Trapani Mountains. There are 155 plants used in etno-medicine. The etnofarmacobotanical use of spontaneous and cultivated taxa represents an ecosystem services provided by biodiversity in the traditional agricultural systems of this area.
Soil biodiversity monitoring in Europe : ongoing activities and challenges
2009
International audience; The increasing interest in soil biodiversity and its protection includes both the biodiversity conservation issues and the mostly unknown economic and ecological values of services provided by soil biodiversity. Inventory and monitoring are necessary tools for the achievement of an adequate level of knowledge regarding soil biodiversity status and for the detection of biodiversity hot spots as well as areas where current levels of biodiversity are under threat of decline. In this paper the main tools and methodological approaches for soil biodiversity measurement are presented. Technical aspects related to the inventory and monitoring activities at a large spatial sc…