New records of a poorly studied mayfly species, Eurylophella karelica Tiensuu, 1935 (Ephemeroptera, Ephemerellidae), in the Baltic Ecoregion

Eurylophella karelica is a rare and poorly investigated species of European Ephemeroptera from the family Ephemerellidae. From the 1930s to 1970s, E. karelica has not been reported from historical localities in Karelia, Lithuania and Poland. New localities from Hungary, Slovenia and Lithuania are discovered over the last 2 decades. This article reports first findings of E. karelica in Latvia and Estonia and explains sporadic distribution of this species

Impact of the minimum wage on the wage distribution in private sector in Latvia

Maģistra darba tēma ir “Minimālās algas ietekme uz privātā sektora algu izkliedi Latvijā”. Tēma ir aktuāla, jo minimālā alga pēc darba autora domām ir bijusi un ir viens no strīdīgākajiem fiskālās politikas regulējošajiem instrumentiem, jo tad sastopas divas savstarpēji pretējas intereses – darba devēju un darba ņēmēju. Darba ņēmēji būs ieinteresēti saņemt pēc iespējams lielāku minimālo atalgojumu, tādējādi mazinot nabadzību un kompensējot inflāciju. Savukārt darba devēji vēlēsies maksāt pēc iespējas mazāku minimālo algu, lai samazinātu izmaksas, kuras saistītas ar mazkvalificēto darbinieku nodarbināšanu. Diskusijas, kuras ir saistītas ar minimālās algas izmaiņām būs aktuālas vienmēr, jo gan darba devēju pārstāvju tā arī darba ņēmēju pārstāvji lobēs likumdevēju kādēļ ir vai arī nav nepieciešams veikt attiecīgās likumdošanas izmaiņas. Lai varētu pieņemt atbilstošu lēmumu par to kā minimālā alga ietekmēs darba ņēmējus, nepieciešamas veikt kvalitatīvu pētījumu par minimālās algas izmaiņu ietekmi uz atalgojumu. Līdz ar to, ka 2020. gadā ministru kabinets ir lēmis par minimālās algas palielināšanu no 2021. gada par 70 euro, darba autors uzskata, ka šāds pētījums ļaus apzināt to, kā minimālā alga ietekmēs darbinieku algu izkliedi. Maģistra darba mērķis ir, pamatojoties uz darba devēju sniegtās informācijas nodokļu administrācijai, veikt kvalitatīvu pētījumu par minimālās algas izmaiņu ietekmi uz nodarbināto ienākumiem. Maģistra darba ir sadalīts četrās nodaļās. Pirmajā nodaļā tiks sniegts skaidrojums par minimālās algas ietekmi ekonomikā un to izmaiņām dažādās pasaules valstīs. Otrajā nodaļā tiks skaidrots minimālās algas politika Latvijā, lai novērtētu to ietekmi. Trešajā nodaļā tika atspoguļoti darbā izmantotie dati un ekonometriskās analīzes metodoloģija, ar kura palīdzību tiks noteikts kā minimālās algas izmaiņas ietekmē darba ņēmēju ienākumus zem algas mediānas un attiecīgi virs algas mediānas. Ceturtajā nodaļā tika analizēti ekonometriskie modeļi ar kuru palīdzību tika skaidrots, kā minimālās algas izmaiņas ietekmē darbinieku algu sadalījumu zem un virs mediānas.The topic of the master's thesis is "Impact of the minimum wage on the wage distribution in private sector in Latvia". The topic is relevant, because in the opinion of the author of the paper, the minimum wage has been and is one of the most controversial instruments of fiscal policy, because two mutually conflicting interests meet - the employer and the employee. Employers will be interested in getting the highest possible minimum wage, thus reducing poverty and compensating for inflation. In turn, employers will want to pay the lowest possible minimum wage to reduce the costs of employing low-skilled workers. Discussions related to changes in the minimum wage will always be relevant, as both employers 'and employees' representatives will lobby the legislator to make necessary changes. In order to be able to make an appropriate decision on how the minimum wage will affect employees, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative study of the impact of changes in the minimum wage on wage distribution. As the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to increase the minimum wage by 70 euros in 2021, the author believes that such a study will identify how the minimum wage will affect the distribution of employees' wages. The aim of the master's thesis is to conduct a qualitative study of the impact of changes in the minimum wage on the distribution income of employees, based on the information provided by employers to the tax administration. The master's thesis is divided into four sections. The first chapter will explain the impact of the minimum wage on the economy and its changes in different parts of the world. The second chapter will explain the minimum wage policy in Latvia to assess their impact. The third chapter presented data and the methodology used in work and econometric analysis, which will determine how changes in the minimum wage affect the distribution of employees' incomes before median wage and above the median. In the fourth chapter, econometric models were developed to explain how changes in the minimum wage affect the distribution of employees' wages before and above median

Effective application of inventory management methods at Rimi Latvia, Ltd.

Bakalaura darba tēma ir “Krājumu pārvaldības metožu efektīva izmantošana SIA Rimi Latvia” Tēma ir aktuāla gan ražojošam, gan tirdzniecības nozarē strādājošam uzņēmumam, jo krājumi ir pamats ražošanas un tirdzniecības nodrošināšanai. Pieejamā informācija parāda tikai dažas krājumu pārvaldības metodes, neapskatot to reālo pielietojumu strādājošā uzņēmumā. Līdz ar to ir nepieciešams noskaidrot, vai uzņēmējs savā darbībā ir izvēlējies pareizas krājumu pārvaldības metodes. Darba mērķis ir izpētīt SIA Rimi Latvia šobrīd pielietotās krājumu pārvaldības metodes, identificējot problēmas, ar kādām tās saskaras un izstrādāt priekšlikumus to pilnveidei. Darbs sastāv no četrām nodaļām. Pirmajā nodaļā tiek analizēts vispārīga informācija par SIA Rimi Latvia. Otrajā nodaļā tiek noskaidrota informācija par krājumiem. Trešajā nodaļā tiek noskaidroti teorētiskie aspekti par uzņēmumā pielietotajām krājumu pārvaldības metodēm MRP un F&R. Ceturtajā nodaļā tiek pētīts, kā šīs pārvaldības metodes tiek īstenotas ikdienas darbā un darbinieku vērtējums par metožu lietderību.Bachelor thesis: “Effective application of inventory management methods at “Rimi Latvia, Ltd." The theme is topical for companies involved both in producing and trading sectors because inventories ensure successful production and trade processes. Available information shows only a few inventory management methods without viewing their actual use in an operating company. Therefore, it is necessary to find out whether the entrepreneur has selected and applies correct inventory management methods. The aim of the thesis is to investigate currently applied inventory management methods at the company “Rimi Latvia, Ltd”, identifying problems they are facing and in order to develop proposals for their improvement. The work consists of four chapters. The first chapter reviews the company itself. The second chapter clarifies information about its inventory. The third chapter surveys theoretical aspects of the MRP and F & R inventory management methods, applied in the company. The fourth chapter explores how these management techniques are implemented in the daily work, as well as the staff evaluation on effectiveness of the methods

How to Assess the Ecological Status of Highly Humic Lakes? Development of a New Method Based on Benthic Invertebrates

Highly humic lakes are typical for the boreal zone. These unique ecosystems are characterised as relatively undisturbed habitats with brown water, high acidity, low nutrient content and lack of macrophytes. Current lake assessment methods are not appropriate for ecological assessment of highly humic lakes because of their unique properties and differing human pressures acting on these ecosystems. This study proposes a new approach suitable for the ecological status assessment of highly humic lakes impacted by hydrological modifications. Altogether, 52 macroinvertebrate samples from 15 raised bog lakes were used to develop the method. The studied lakes are located in the raised bogs at the central and eastern parts of Latvia. Altered water level was found as the main threat to the humic lake habitats since no other pressures were established. A multimetric index based on macroinvertebrate abundance, littoral and profundal preferences, Coleoptera taxa richness and the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) Score is suggested as the most suitable tool to assess the ecological quality of the highly humic lakes

How to Assess the Ecological Status of Highly Humic Lakes? Development of a New Method Based on Benthic Invertebrates

Highly humic lakes are typical for the boreal zone. These unique ecosystems are characterised as relatively undisturbed habitats with brown water, high acidity, low nutrient content and lack of macrophytes. Current lake assessment methods are not appropriate for ecological assessment of highly humic lakes because of their unique properties and differing human pressures acting on these ecosystems. This study proposes a new approach suitable for the ecological status assessment of highly humic lakes impacted by hydrological modifications. Altogether, 52 macroinvertebrate samples from 15 raised bog lakes were used to develop the method. The studied lakes are located in the raised bogs at the central and eastern parts of Latvia. Altered water level was found as the main threat to the humic lake habitats since no other pressures were established. A multimetric index based on macroinvertebrate abundance, littoral and profundal preferences, Coleoptera taxa richness and the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) Score is suggested as the most suitable tool to assess the ecological quality of the highly humic lakes

The Impact of Forest Fertilization on the Ecological Quality of Two Hemiboreal Streams

The present study aimed to detect any changes in concentrations of nutrients and evaluate the impact on the quality of two hemiboreal streams that collect a discharge from two fertilized Scots pine stands. In 2017, nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizer was spread in pine stands on mineral soil located near the first stream. In 2018, potassium containing wood ash was spread in pine stands on organic soil near the second stream. From 2017 to 2020, surveys of physico-chemical parameters, diatoms, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates were performed to determine the possible effects of fertilization on the ecological quality of the streams. A control site upstream of the fertilized forest stand and a treatment site downstream of the fertilized forest stand was monitored at each stream. Water quality indices, chemical parameters of surface water, and indicator species analysis showed no short-term impact of forest soil improvement with wood ash and ammonium nitrate. We found no clear patterns before and after the fertilization events in both streams, although we did observe inter- and intra-annual differences in aquatic biota and stream ecological quality mainly caused by local environmental factors

Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe

Local biodiversity trends over time are likely to be decoupled from global trends, as local processes may compensate or counteract global change. We analyze 161 long-term biological time series (15–91 years) collected across Europe, using a comprehensive dataset comprising ~6,200 marine, freshwater and terrestrial taxa. We test whether (i) local long-term biodiversity trends are consistent among biogeoregions, realms and taxonomic groups, and (ii) changes in biodiversity correlate with regional climate and local conditions. Our results reveal that local trends of abundance, richness and diversity differ among biogeoregions, realms and taxonomic groups, demonstrating that biodiversity changes at local scale are often complex and cannot be easily generalized. However, we find increases in richness and abundance With increasing temperature and naturalness as well as a clear spatial pattern in changes in community composition (i.e. temporal taxonomic turnover) in most biogeoregions of Northern and Eastern Europe

Effects of changing climate on European stream invertebrate communities: a long-term data analysis

Long-term observations on riverine benthic invertebrate communities enable assessments of the potential impacts of global change on stream ecosystems. Besides increasing average temperatures, many studies predict greater temperature extremes and intense precipitation events as a consequence of climate change. In this study we examined long-term observation data (10–32 years) of 26 streams and rivers from four ecoregions in the European Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network, to investigate invertebrate community responses to changing climatic conditions. We used functional trait and multi-taxonomic analyses and combined examinations of general long-term changes in communities with detailed analyses of the impact of different climatic drivers (i.e., various temperature and precipitation variables) by focusing on the response of communities to climatic conditions of the previous year. Taxa and ecoregions differed substantially in their response to climate change conditions. We did not observe any trend of changes in total taxonomic richness or overall abundance over time or with increasing temperatures, which reflects a compensatory turnover in the composition of communities; sensitive Plecoptera decreased in response to warmer years and Ephemeroptera increased in northern regions. Invasive species increased with an increasing number of extreme days which also caused an apparent upstream community movement. The observed changes in functional feeding group diversity indicate that climate change may be associated with changes in trophic interactions within aquatic food webs. These findings highlight the vulnerability of riverine ecosystems to climate change and emphasize the need to further explore the interactive effects of climate change variables with other local stressors to develop appropriate conservation measures