Uncovering Ecosystem Service Bundles through Social Preferences

Ecosystem service assessments have increasingly been used to support environmental management policies, mainly based on biophysical and economic indicators. However, few studies have coped with the social-cultural dimension of ecosystem services, despite being considered a research priority. We examined how ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs emerge from diverging social preferences toward ecosystem services delivered by various types of ecosystems in Spain. We conducted 3,379 direct face-to-face questionnaires in eight different case study sites from 2007 to 2011. Overall, 90.5% of the sampled population recognized the ecosystem’s capacity to deliver services. Formal studies, environmental behavior, and gender variables influenced the probability of people recognizing the ecosystem’s capacity to provide services. The ecosystem services most frequently perceived by people were regulating services; of those, air purification held the greatest importance. However, statistical analysis showed that socio-cultural factors and the conservation management strategy of ecosystems (i.e., National Park, Natural Park, or a non-protected area) have an effect on social preferences toward ecosystem services. Ecosystem service trade-offs and bundles were identified by analyzing social preferences through multivariate analysis (redundancy analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis). We found a clear trade-off among provisioning services (and recreational hunting) versus regulating services and almost all cultural services. We identified three ecosystem service bundles associated with the conservation management strategy and the rural-urban gradient. We conclude that socio-cultural preferences toward ecosystem services can serve as a tool to identify relevant services for people, the factors underlying these social preferences, and emerging ecosystem service bundles and trade-offs

Determinaciones hematológicas y urinarias en aguará-guazú (Chrysocyon brachyurus) en cautiverio en el nordeste argentino

El propósito de este estudio fue obtener valores hemáticos y urinarios de este cánido silvestre, actualmente en peligro de extinción, a efectos de compararlos con los intervalos de referencia reportados para animales sanos y así deducir su estado de salud durante el cautiverio. Se reportan valores para unos 30 parámetros del medio interno, registrados sobre 5 ejemplares de aguará-guazú alojados en zoológicos de Chaco y Corrientes. Las concentraciones de algunos analitos resultaron semejantes a las registradas en investigaciones previas (leucocitos, proteínas totales, hematocrito), pero otras difirieron considerablemente. Por no haberse hallado datos previos, no pueden compararse las fracciones electroforéticas seroproteicas, que resultaron semejantes a las del perro doméstico, excepto por tasas más altas de alfa globulinas y presencia de pre-albúmina. Tampoco fueron hallados datos sobre valores urinarios para Chrysocyon brachyurus, algunos de los cuales no difirieron de los publicados para el perro (densidad, pH, ausencia de glucosa). En la orina de algunos ejemplares se detectaron cristales de cistina (cistinuria) y huevos de Capillaria sp y Dioctophyme renale, concomitantes con hematuria, proteinuria, cilindruria y presencia de nitritos, así como elevadas concentraciones séricas de beta globulinas (reactantes de fase aguda) y urea y creatinina (retención nitrogenada). Las elevadas tasas de linfocitos y eosinófilos (defensas activadas) y la baja glucemia descartan la existencia de estrés. La eosinofilia podría relacionarse con las parasitosis antemencionadas. Las reducidas concentraciones de hemoglobina, albúmina, glucosa, colesterol, calcio y fósforo, quizás respondan a estados de subnutrición, y los aumentos de bilirrubina y ALP, acompañados por baja actividad de las enzimas indicadoras de inflamación hepática (ALT, AST, LDH), indicarían una ligera colestasis, tal vez atribuible a la sobrecarga hepática por alimentación inadecuada. Los parámetros estudiados se revelaron potencialmente útiles para indicar diversas enfermedades internas, por lo cual se recomienda su realización para controlar el estado de salud del aguará-guazú en cautiverio

A systematic evidence map for the evaluation of noncancer health effects and exposures to polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures

Assessing health outcomes associated with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is important given their persistent and ubiquitous nature. PCBs are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, but the full range of potential noncancer health effects from exposure to PCBs has not been systematically summarized and evaluated. We used systematic review methods to identify and screen the literature using combined manual review and machine learning approaches. A protocol was developed that describes the literature search strategy and Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) criteria used to facilitate subsequent screening and categorization of literature into a systematic evidence map of PCB exposure and noncancer health endpoints across 15 organs/systems. A comprehensive literature search yielded 62,599 records. After electronic prioritization steps, 17,037 studies were manually screened at the title and abstract level. An additional 900 studies identified by experts or supplemental searches were also included. After full-text screening of 3889 references, 1586 studies met the PECO criteria. Relevant study details such as the endpoints assessed, exposure duration, and species were extracted into literature summary tables. This review compiles and organizes the human and mammalian studies from these tables into an evidence map for noncancer health endpoints and PCB mixture exposure to identify areas of robust research as well as areas of uncertainty that would benefit from future investigation. Summary data are available online as interactive visuals with downloadable metadata. Sufficient research is available to inform PCB hazard assessments for most organs/systems, but the amount of data to inform associations with specific endpoints differs. Furthermore, despite many years of research, sparse data exist for inhalation and dermal exposures, which are highly relevant human exposure routes. This evidence map provides a foundation for future systematic reviews and noncancer hazard assessments of PCB mixtures and for strategic planning of research to inform areas of greater uncertainty.This article is published as Carlson, Laura M., Krista Christensen, Sharon K. Sagiv, Pradeep Rajan, Carolyn R. Klocke, Pamela J. Lein, Evan Coffman et al. "A systematic evidence map for the evaluation of noncancer health effects and exposures to polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures." Environmental Research 220 (2023): 115148. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.115148.Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted