Habitat protection and removal of encroaching shrubs support the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Livestock overgrazing causes environmental degradation, species invasion, biodiversity loss, and productivity decline, with profound consequences for ecological sustainability and human livelihoods. Habitat protection can mitigate such impacts, but we know little about how the long-term recovery of plant communities from livestock overgrazing depends on the presence of encroaching shrubs. Here, we explored how shrub encroachment mediates the effects of habitat protection (i.e., livestock exclusion and creation of UNESCO protected areas) on biodiversity recovery and ecosystem functioning (i.e., biomass productivity). We leveraged a long-term (15–25 years) experiment of livestock exclusion and complemented it with the removal of an encroaching shrub species in pasture areas and protected areas. We reveal that habitat protection has positive effects on patterns of recovery. Yet, the effects of habitat protection are mediated by shrub encroachment. Encroaching shrubs have net positive effects on plant diversity in pasture areas but inhibit biodiversity recovery in protected areas. The combination of habitat protection and the removal of encroaching shrubs best enhances the recovery of plant diversity and biomass productivity. A potential underlying mechanism is the shift in plant interactions from facilitation for recruitment and associated resistance to competition for water. Understanding species interactions is key to guiding conservation and restoration actions which can turn degraded ecosystems back into functional, species-rich communities

Linking farmer and beekeeper preferences with ecological knowledge to improve crop pollination

1. Pollination by insects is a key input into many crops, with managed honeybees often being hired to support pollination services. Despite substantial research into pollination management, no European studies have yet explored how and why farmers managed pollination services and few have explored why beekeepers use certain crops. 2. Using paired surveys of beekeepers and farmers in 10 European countries, this study examines beekeeper and farmer perceptions and motivations surrounding crop pollination. 3. Almost half of the farmers surveyed believed they had pollination service deficits in one or more of their crops. 4. Less than a third of farmers hired managed pollinators, however most undertook at least one form of agri-environment management known to benefit pollinators, although few did so to promote pollinators. 5. Beekeepers were ambivalent towards many mass flowering crops, with some beekeepers using crops for their honey that other beekeepers avoid because of perceived pesticide risks. 6. The findings highlight a number of largely overlooked knowledge gaps that will affect knowledge exchange and co-operation between the two groups

Linking self-congruence and functional congruence to mobile health apps

Purpose Consumers often start using mobile health apps but quit using them after a brief period of time. However, app providers can only ensure their long-term existence in the market if their app is used a long period, so that they can thus generate long-term revenue from advertising, subscriptions and sponsorships. Therefore, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the determinants of consumers’ continuous usage intention. Design/methodology/approach Based on a sample of 274 current mobile health app users, this study tests whether ideal self-congruence and/or functional congruence strengthens consumers’ continuous usage intention. Findings The results reveal that ideal self-congruence and functional congruence positively affect consumers’ continuous usage intention. Furthermore, an initial favorable attitude toward a mobile health app (i.e. ideal self-congruence) leads to a more favorable evaluation of the functional attributes of the app regardless of consumers’ objective evaluation of these attributes. Practical implications Providers should specifically take consumers’ ideal self-concept into consideration to increase consumers’ continuous usage intention of mobile health apps. Matching consumers’ ideal self-concept further leads consumers to a more favorable evaluation of the functional attributes of mobile health apps. Originality/value Only a few studies have examined factors influencing the continuous usage intention of mobile health apps; moreover, these studies have largely neglected the symbolic dimension of consumption behavior. Therefore, this study introduces congruence theory into the context of mobile health apps to provide a holistic view of the influence of the symbolic (i.e. ideal self-congruence) and utilitarian (i.e. functional congruence) dimensions on mobile health app consumption. </jats:sec

The pursuit of the ideal self: an investigation of the relationship of authenticity and ideal self‐congruence

Research suggests that authentic branding strategies should focus on consumers' actual self rather than their ideal self; that is, brands that match consumers' ideal self are perceived as too psychologically distant from their present self and, thus, as inauthentic. This study challenges this prevailing notion by proposing the novel perspective that ideal self-congruence is more influential than actual self-congruence in driving authenticity. Contrary to the view that brands matching consumers' ideal self are deemed inauthentic due to psychological distance, our research, encompassing four empirical studies, demonstrates that ideal self-congruence significantly enhances positive authentic pride while effectively reducing negative hubristic pride more than actual self-congruence. Furthermore, this study not only reveals that ideal self-congruence is more strongly associated with authentic pride than actual self-congruence but also reshapes the theoretical understanding of the role of self-congruence in the realm of authenticity. Our findings therefore contradict previously cited but hardly empirical arguments by demonstrating that ideally self-congruent brands positively affect perceived brand authenticity more than actually self-congruent brands. Thus, we recommend brands to focus authentic marketing strategies on consumers' ideal self to positively influence consumer behavior

Measurement of the τ−→h − h + h − v τ and τ−→h − h + h −≥1π0 v τ branching ratios

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