Phenotypic plasticity masks range-wide genetic differentiation for vegetative but not reproductive traits in a short-lived plant

Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity jointly shape intraspecific trait variation, but their roles differ among traits. In short-lived plants, reproductive traits may be more genetically determined due to their impact on fitness, whereas vegetative traits may show higher plasticity to buffer short-term perturbations. Combining a multi-treatment greenhouse experiment with observational field data throughout the range of a widespread short-lived herb, Plantago lanceolata, we (1) disentangled genetic and plastic responses of functional traits to a set of environmental drivers and (2) assessed how genetic differentiation and plasticity shape observational trait-environment relationships. Reproductive traits showed distinct genetic differentiation that largely determined observational patterns, but only when correcting traits for differences in biomass. Vegetative traits showed higher plasticity and opposite genetic and plastic responses, masking the genetic component underlying field-observed trait variation. Our study suggests that genetic differentiation may be inferred from observational data only for the traits most closely related to fitness

Effect of management on natural capital stocks underlying ecosystem service provision: a 'provider group' approach

Land management practices directly impact on the occurrence and condition of natural capital stocks, which can be measured using species diversity and abundance metrics. Species identity and abundance drive ecosystem service supply, either through effects of local diversity and/or through the presence of service providing species. However, the influence of management practices on the provision of ecosystem services is not adequately understood. We grouped grassland plant species into six groups according to desirable attributes (palatability and nutritional value to livestock; medicinal or aromatic compounds; nectar production; pollen production; nitrogen fixation; and endemic and red listed species), which we recognise as ecosystem service 'provider groups', and tested the influence of three land management practices (abandonment of mowing, grazing, and mowing) on diversity and abundance within these groups in upland temperate grasslands of Transylvania (Romania). All three management practices favoured at least one provider group, but hay making in upland grasslands favoured more provider groups than abandonment of mowing or grazing. The effects of management on diversity and abundance within several provider groups diverged from the effects on overall species diversity and abundance. Management, through changes in species composition, favours certain provider groups, and hence ecosystem services, over others. The provider group approach is more useful than overall species diversity metrics for assessing the provision of ecosystem services from landscapes and can be used to inform the development of agri-environment schemes and conservation policies aimed at meeting priorities for ecosystem service provision

Multisensory restaurants, art and tourism. Case study of Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet

The article aims to study a new generation of restaurants: the multisensory restaurants, currently offered by half a dozen of high-end gastronomic establishments throughout the world. These establishments offer a !xed menu dinner in which the five senses of the guests are stimulated thanks to a complex technical, technological and theatrical layout. The focus will be held on the pioneer restaurant Ultraviolet owned by Chef Paul Pairet, and opened in 2012 in Shanghai, China. This exploratory research work will focus on two areas. First, possible parallels can be drawn between the multisensory restaurants proposals and some current social practices, such as the related tourism activities. Ultraviolet’s proposals are offering a sensible way of travel through both Asian and European terroirs, thanks to an immersive gastronomic experiment in virtual reality. Then, some of Ultraviolet’s proposals can be considered not only as products for consumption, but also as artistic productions. As these immersive proposals favour the interaction and the stimulation of the guests’ minds, they are also ‘food for thought’ that convey an artistic thinking and message. The innovative restaurant in Shanghai appears as a multisensory establishment that offers a new kind of gastronomic, touristic and aesthetic travel experience

A promoção e a produção das redes de águas e esgotos na cidade de São Paulo, 1875-1892

This article seeks to analyse the creation of the water and sewerage systems in the\ud city of São Paulo in the last decade of the 19th Century. The provincial government contracted\ud a private company, the Companhia Cantareira & Esgotos, for the construction of the new\ud water supply system, its execution and administration. Unable to fulfil its part in the contract,\ud the company loses the rights to the services, and is taken over by the State, becoming the\ud Water and Sewerage Technical Department [Repartição Técnica de Águas e Esgotos].\ud Therefore, the State moves from the promotion to the production of this infrastructure in São\ud Paulo