Food web persistence is enhanced by non-trophic interactions.

The strength of interspecific interactions is often proposed to affect food web stability, with weaker interactions increasing the persistence of species, and food webs as a whole. However, the mechanisms that modify interaction strengths, and their effects on food web persistence are not fully understood. Using food webs containing different combinations of predator, prey, and nonprey species, we investigated how predation risk of susceptible prey is affected by the presence of species not directly trophically linked to either predators or prey. We predicted that indirect alterations to the strength of trophic interactions translate to changes in persistence time of extinction-prone species. We assembled interaction webs of protist consumers and turbellarian predators with eight different combinations of prey, predators and nonprey species, and recorded abundances for over 130 prey generations. Persistence of predation-susceptible species was increased by the presence of nonprey. Furthermore, multiple nonprey species acted synergistically to increase prey persistence, such that persistence was greater than would be predicted from the dynamics of simpler food webs. We also found evidence suggesting increased food web complexity may weaken interspecific competition, increasing persistence of poorer competitors. Our results demonstrate that persistence times in complex food webs cannot be predicted from the dynamics of simplified systems, and that species not directly involved in consumptive interactions likely play key roles in maintaining persistence. Global species diversity is currently declining at an unprecedented rate and our findings reveal that concurrent loss of species that modify trophic interactions may have unpredictable consequences for food web stability

The exemplification of governance principles within state asset management laws and policies: the case of Indonesia

Efficient state asset management is crucial for governments as they facilitate the fulfillment of their public functions, which include the provision of essential services and other public administration support. In recent times economies internationally and particularly in South east Asia, have displayed increased recognition of the importance of efficiencies across state asset management law, policies and practice. This has been exemplified by a surge in notable instances of reform in state asset management. A prominent theme in this phenomenon is the consideration of governance principles within the re-conceptualization of state asset management law and related policy, with many countries recognizing variability in the quality of asset governance and opportunities for profit as being critical factors. This issue is very current in Indonesia where a major reform process in this area has been confirmed by the establishment of a new Directorate of State Asset Management. The incumbent Director-General of State Asset Management has confirmed a re-emphasis on adherence to governance principles within applicable state asset management law and policy reform. This paper reviews aspects of the challenge of reviewing and reforming Indonesian practice within state asset management law and policy specifically related to public housing, public buildings, parklands, and vacant land. A critical issue in beginning this review is how Indonesia currently conceptualizes the notion of asset governance and how this meaning is embodied in recent changes in law and policy and importantly in options for future change. This paper discusses the potential complexities uniquely Indonesian characteristics such as decentralisation and regional autonomy regime, political history, and bureaucratic cultur

Citizens’ preferences for taxation of internationally mobile corporations: Evidence from Tanzania

The legitimacy of the tax system is likely to be compromised in the absence of public support. This article presents evidence from a discrete choice experiment designed to elicit the tax preferences of ordinary citizens on how corporations should be taxed. We find that respondents prefer higher taxes on more internationally mobile companies, which is inconsistent with the prescriptions of optimal tax theory. Moreover, it is at odds with the tax policy in many countries, which may reduce political support for taxation among citizens. The experiment was conducted in Tanzania, making this result all the more striking as developing countries are particularly sensitive to location decisions of corporations. We also find that citizens favor higher taxes on foreign-owned companies compared to domestic ones and lower taxes on companies that have more local employees.The Research Council of Norwayhttp://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rode2023-01-15hj2022Taxatio

Spider–Plant Interactions: An Ecological Approach

Spiders are among the most common animals in diverse terrestrial environments, and display a variety of lifestyles and foraging modes. This chapter represents an overview of our knowledge of spider–plant interactions. Spiders are strongly influenced by plant architecture, rather than being randomly distributed in the vegetation; structures such as rosette-shaped clusters of leaves or glandular trichomes are particularly common in plants that have associations with spiders. Spiders derive benefits from plants such as shelter and access to insect prey. In turn, they can protect plants against herbivory. However, they may also consume or deter pollinators, imposing a cost that can exceed their benefit to the plant. Specific spider–plant associations are mutualistic if spiders provide protective or nutritional benefits, thus improving plant fitness, and if plants provide shelter and suitable foraging sites to spiders. We examine several case studies of spiders living in association with plants, and describe spatial/temporal adaptations in spider–plant relationships