The sustainability of communicative packaging concepts in the food supply chain. A case study: part 1. Life cycle assessment

Purpose In recent years, a new perspective for food packaging has emerged as a result of several issues like quality, safety, competitive prices or providing of useful information to consumers. This new perspective is called communicative packaging. Communicative packaging may influence consumers/companies on purchasing decisions. Since the environmental evaluation of such systems has not yet been performed, this paper is focused on the environmental evaluation of a flexible best-before-date (FBBD) communicative device on a packaging consumer unit and its implications on reducing environmental impacts related to fresh products. This consumer unit consists of a nanoclay-based polylactic acid tray filled with pork chops. Methods The environmental assessment of the consumer unit was made through life cycle assessment (LCA) using a cradle-to-gate approach. Environmental impacts were assessed according to the Eco-Indicator 99 v 2.1 methodology in Individualist (I) perspective. Results and discussion Several results were obtained from the LCA. With regard to environmental impacts of the FBBD, most of them were due to the paper substrate used for the manufacture of this communicative packaging concept as well as to the transports for delivering the components of the FBBD communicative device. On the other hand, when environmental impacts of packaging system with and without FBBD were compared, a large environmental load was detected for the system that has the communicative device affixed as a result of the higher weight of the package. However, the environmental load caused by the use of the FBBD was minimal in comparison with the total environmental load of the whole packaging system. On the contrary, the consumer unit that has the communicative device affixed showed less environmental burden than the consumer unit that has not affixed the device. This was due to the environmental benefits that the communicative device provides by reducing the amount of out-of-date packaged products at retailer outlets. Conclusions The use of a FBBD contributes to minimize environmental burdens related to the production, packaging and delivery of pork chops since it facilitates a dynamic control of out-of-date products even though the consumer unit with FBBD weighs 1 g more than the consumer unit that does not use the communicative device. Recommendations The results presented in this paper are estimated results of a specific case study for a prototype of communicative packaging device. Consequently, these results must be considered as a first approach according to future developments on communicative packaging

Effects of species’ traits and data characteristics on distribution models of threatened invertebrates

Efectos de las características ecológicas y de los datos sobre los modelos de distribución de invertebrados protegidos La escasez de información sobre la distribución de las especies amenazadas impide el desarrollo de estrategias para su conservación, un problema particularmente importante en el caso de los invertebrados. En este trabajo se evalúan los efectos que las características ecológicas y de los datos ejercen sobre la precisión de los modelos de distribución de 20 especies ibéricas de invertebrados amenazados. Se encontró que la precisión en los modelos predictivos se ve afectada mayoritariamente por las características de los datos. Las especies que obtienen modelos de distribución más precisos son aquellas con mayor tamaño de muestra o menor área de ocurrencia relativa (ROA). Además, las especies relacionadas con hábitats difíciles de detectar mediante SIG, como las especies riparias, tienden a ser más difíciles de predecir. Palabras clave: Características ecológicas, Modelos de distribución de especies, Península ibérica, Precisión del modelo, Rango de distribución geográfica, Tamaño de muestra.The lack of information about the distribution of threatened species inhibits the development of strategies for their conservation. This is a particularly important problem when considering invertebrates. Here we evaluate the effects of species’ traits and data characteristics on the accuracy of species distribution models (SDM) of 20 threatened Iberian invertebrates. We found that the accuracy of the predictions was mostly affected by the characteristics of the data. Species whose distributions were most accurately modelled were those with a greater sample size or smaller relative occurrence area (ROA). Species in habitats that were difficult to detect using GIS data, such as riparian species, tended to be more difficult to predict. Key words: Ecological traits, Geographical distribution range, Iberian peninsula, Predictive accuracy, Sample size, Species distribution modelling.Efectos de las características ecológicas y de los datos sobre los modelos de distribución de invertebrados protegidos La escasez de información sobre la distribución de las especies amenazadas impide el desarrollo de estrategias para su conservación, un problema particularmente importante en el caso de los invertebrados. En este trabajo se evalúan los efectos que las características ecológicas y de los datos ejercen sobre la precisión de los modelos de distribución de 20 especies ibéricas de invertebrados amenazados. Se encontró que la precisión en los modelos predictivos se ve afectada mayoritariamente por las características de los datos. Las especies que obtienen modelos de distribución más precisos son aquellas con mayor tamaño de muestra o menor área de ocurrencia relativa (ROA). Además, las especies relacionadas con hábitats difíciles de detectar mediante SIG, como las especies riparias, tienden a ser más difíciles de predecir. Palabras clave: Características ecológicas, Modelos de distribución de especies, Península ibérica, Precisión del modelo, Rango de distribución geográfica, Tamaño de muestra

The ability of a host plant to associate with different symbiotic partners affects ectomycorrhizal functioning

Some plants that associate with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are also able to simultaneously establish symbiosis with other types of partners. The presence of alternative partners that may provide similar benefits may affect ECM functioning. Here we compared potential leucine-aminopeptidase (LA) and acid phosphatase (AP) enzyme activity (involved in N and P cycling, respectively) in ECM fungi of three hosts planted under the same conditions but differing in the type of partners: Pinus (ECM fungi only), Eucalyptus (ECM and arbuscular mycorrhizal -AM- fungi) and Acacia (ECM, AM fungi and rhizobial bacteria). We found that the ECM community on Acacia and Eucalyptus had higher potential AP activity than the Pinus community. The ECM community in Acacia also showed increased potential LA activity compared to Pinus. Morphotypes present in more than one host showed higher potential AP and LA activity when colonizing Acacia than when colonizing another host. Our results suggest that competition with AM fungi and rhizobial bacteria could promote increased ECM activity in Eucalyptus and Acacia. Alternatively, other host-related differences such as ECM community composition could also play a role. We found evidence for ECM physiological plasticity when colonizing different hosts, which might be key for adaptation to future climate scenarios.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Riqueza de espécies e diversidade ecológica de himenópteros parasitóides (Hymenoptera, Parasitica) em culturas frutícolas da ilha Terceira (Açores)

"A ordem Hymenoptera, que compreende as abelhas, vespas e formigas, constitui um dos grupos mais diversos do reino animal (Nieves-Aldrey & Fontal-Cazalla, 1999). Actualmente conhecem-se entre 120.000 a 200.000 espécies de himenópteros, mas algumas estimativas apontam para valores bastante superiores: 250.000 a 500.000 espécies (Gaston, 1991). Nos Açores, actualmente estão referenciadas 131 espécies de Hymenoptera (11 das quais endémicas), um número que possivelmente corresponde a menos de 30% da fauna realmente existente no arquipélago (ver Fig. 8 em Borges et al., 2005). […]". (da Introdução

Species pool structure determines the level of generalism of island parasitoid faunas

Copyright © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.AIM To examine whether island parasitoid faunas are biased towards generalists when compared with the mainland and their species pool, and to evaluate the effects of climate, island characteristics and regional factors on the relative proportions of idiobionts (i.e. generalists) and koinobionts (i.e. specialists) of two parasitic wasp families, Braconidae and Ichneumonidae. LOCATION Seventy-three archipelagos distributed world-wide. METHODS We used data on the distribution and biology obtained from a digital catalogue and several literature sources. We related level of generalism, measured as the ratio between the number of idiobiont and koinobiont species, to climatic, physiographic and regional factors using generalized linear models. We compared models by means of Akaike weighting, and evaluated the spatial structure of their residuals. We used partial regressions to determine whether the final models account for all latitudinal structure in the level of generalism. RESULTS Islands host comparatively more idiobionts than continental areas. Although there is a latitudinal gradient in the level of generalism of island faunas correlating with both environmental factors and island characteristics, the most important determinant of island community structure is their source pool. This effect is stronger for ichneumonids, where generalism is higher in the Indomalayan region, arguably due to the higher diversity of endophytic hosts in its large rain forests. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The level of generalism of island parasitoid faunas is largely constrained by regional factors, namely by the structure of the species pool, which emphasizes the importance of including regional processes in our understanding of the functioning of ecological communities. The fact that generalist species are more predominant in islands with a large cover of rain forests pinpoints the importance of the indirect effects of ecological requirements on community structure, highlighting the complex nature of geographical gradients of diversity

Plant-plant competition outcomes are modulated by plant effects on the soil bacterial community

Competition is a key process that determines plant community structure and dynamics, often mediated by nutrients and water availability. However, the role of soil microorganisms on plant competition, and the links between above- and belowground processes, are not well understood. Here we show that the effects of interspecific plant competition on plant performance are mediated by feedbacks between plants and soil bacterial communities. Each plant species selects a singular community of soil microorganisms in its rhizosphere with a specific species composition, abundance and activity. When two plant species interact, the resulting soil bacterial community matches that of the most competitive plant species, suggesting strong competitive interactions between soil bacterial communities as well. We propose a novel mechanism by which changes in belowground bacterial communities promoted by the most competitive plant species influence plant performance and competition outcome. These findings emphasise the strong links between plant and soil communities, paving the way to a better understanding of plant community dynamics and the effects of soil bacterial communities on ecosystem functioning and services

Una estrategia para obtener regionalizaciones bióticas fiables a partir de datos incompletos: el caso de los escarabeidos (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae) ibérico-baleares

A method to obtain regionalizations based in the organisms from incomplete distributional data is presented, using Iberian scarabaeine (Col., Scarabaeinae) as an example. A first ordination analysis was carried out using the well-sampled territorial units, where four faunistic axes were identified. Then, the scores of these axes were extrapolated to the whole Iberian territory by means of General Linear Modelling. A faunistic distance matrix was developed using the predicted values for the four axes. Using this matrix and the geographic distances among territorial units, a new matrix, reflecting both the compositional and geographic distances was obtained. This matrix was used to carry out the final classification of all the territory, where eight different faunistic regions were obtained. Finally, the results are briefly discussed, and their composition and local and regional richness are described.Se presenta un método para obtener regionalizaciones basadas en los organismos a partir de datos corológicos incompletos, utilizando como ejemplo los escarabeidos ibéricos (Col., Scarabaeinae). A partir de las unidades territoriales bien muestreadas, realizamos en primer lugar un análisis de ordenación, en el que se identificaron cuatro ejes faunísticos. Posteriormente, los valores de estos ejes se extrapolaron a todo el territorio ibérico mediante Modelos Lineales Generalizados. Con los valores predichos para estos ejes se desarrolló una matriz de distancias faunísticas. A partir de ella, y de las distancias geográficas entre unidades territoriales, se obtuvo una nueva matriz de distancias faunístico-geográficas. Esta matriz fue utilizada para realizar la clasificación final de todo el territorio, obteniéndose ocho regiones faunísticas diferentes. Finalmente, se comentan los resultados obtenidos, identificando las diferencias en su composición y riqueza regional y local

3-Phase Rectifier System with very demanding dynamic load

This paper present a distributed power architecture for aerospace application with very restrictive specifications. Additionally, the rectifier switching frequency has to be synchronized with an external frequency clock to minimize the interference of the converter harmonics with the load. In order to protect the 3 phase generator against high load steps, an intermediate bus (based in a high capacitance) to provide energy to the loads during the high load steps is included. Prototypes of the rectifier and EMI filter are built and the energy control is validated

Adaptive colonization across a parasitism–mutualism gradient

Adaptive colonization is a process wherein a colonizing population exhibits an adaptive change in response to a novel environment, which may be critical to its establishment. To date, theoretical models of adaptive colonization have been based on single-species introductions. However, given their pervasiveness, symbionts will frequently be co-introduced with their hosts to novel areas. We present an individual-based model to investigate adaptive colonization by hosts and their symbionts across a parasite–mutualist continuum. The host must adapt in order to establish itself in the novel habitat, and the symbiont must adapt to track evolutionary change in the host. First, we classify the qualitative shifts in the outcome that can potentially be driven by non-neutral effects of the symbiont–host interaction into three main types: parasite-driven co-extinction, parasite release, and mutualistic facilitation. Second, we provide a detailed description of a specific example for each type of shift. Third, we disentangle how the interplay between symbiont transmissibility, host migration, and selection strength determines: (a) which type of shift is more likely to occur and (b) the size of the interaction effects necessary to produce it. Overall, we demonstrate the crucial role of host and symbiont dispersal scales in shaping the impacts of parasitism and mutualism on adaptive colonization