Navigating the integration of biotic interactions in biogeography

Biotic interactions are widely recognised as the backbone of ecological communities, but how best to study them is a subject of intense debate, especially at macro-ecological scales. While some researchers claim that biotic interactions need to be observed directly, others use proxies and statistical approaches to infer them. Despite this ambiguity, studying and predicting the influence of biotic interactions on biogeographic patterns is a thriving area of research with crucial implications for conservation. Three distinct approaches are currently being explored. The first approach involves empirical observation and measurement of biotic interactions' effects on species demography in laboratory or field settings. While these findings contribute to theory and to understanding species' demographies, they can be challenging to generalise on a larger scale. The second approach centers on inferring biotic associations from observed co-occurrences in space and time. The goal is to distinguish the environmental and biotic effects on species distributions. The third approach constructs extensive potential interaction networks, known as metanetworks, by leveraging existing knowledge about species ecology and interactions. This approach analyses local realisations of these networks using occurrence data and allows understanding large distributions of multi-taxa assemblages. In this piece, we appraise these three approaches, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. Instead of seeing them as conflicting, we advocate for their integration to enhance our understanding and expand applications in the emerging field of interaction biogeography. This integration shows promise for ecosystem understanding and management in the Anthropocene era

Novel community data in ecology-properties and prospects

New technologies for monitoring biodiversity such as environmental (e)DNA, passive acoustic monitoring, and optical sensors promise to generate automated spatiotemporal community observations at unprecedented scales and resolutions. Here, we introduce ‘novel community data’ as an umbrella term for these data. We review the emerging field around novel community data, focusing on new ecological questions that could be addressed; the analytical tools available or needed to make best use of these data; and the potential implications of these developments for policy and conservation. We conclude that novel community data offer many opportunities to advance our understanding of fundamental ecological processes, including community assembly, biotic interactions, micro- and macroevolution, and overall ecosystem functioning

VIVERE L’ESPERIENZA “DALL’ALTRA PARTE”. Un percorso di formazione permanente narrative-based per i professionisti della cura presso l’Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale di Circolo di Melegnano

Premessa: Il senso di promuovere un percorso continuo di formazione dei professionisti della cura attraverso l\u2019approccio narrativo nasce dal bisogno di affrontare ed \u201celaborare le dimensioni pi\uf9 complesse e drammatiche dell\u2019esperienza nei contesti sanitari e di interiorizzare il significato della dimensione narrativa nella pratica sanitaria\u201d (Zannini, 2008). Finalit\ue0 generali: Fornire un inquadramento culturale dell'approccio della Narrative-Based Medicine; sviluppare competenze narrative ed interpretative rispetto a se stessi, alla propria pratica professionale e alle sfide che essa pone. Soggetti e metodi: L\u2019offerta formativa si \ue8 articolata in diversi eventi ECM (tutti intitolati \u201cDall\u2019altra parte\u201d) che sono stati pensati e sviluppati in continuit\ue0 con l\u2019anno precedente. Le ore di formazione sono passate da 4 nel 2011 a 20 nel 2014. Valutazione: La valutazione del percorso \ue8 stata effettuata, nella prospettiva narrative-based, mediante una storia di ci\uf2 che \ue8 accaduto, a partire da un prompt metaforico. Nell'ultimo incontro ai partecipanti \ue8 stato chiesto di scegliere un oggetto rappresentativo del significato del percorso, e successivamente di scrivere le motivazioni della scelta