Fish harvesting, marine reserves, and distribution of individuals over space

Journal homepage: http://versita.com/bl/We analysed exploitation of populations that are partly protected in a marine harvest refuge to prevent their over-harvesting in the remaining unprotected area. We carried out our analysis by introducing the model of ideal free distribution to the population renewal process. In the model, individuals in the target population are distributed so that per capita resource availability becomes matched in the harvested and non-harvested areas. We show that the yield from the harvest effort is strongly affected by the fraction of area protected from harvesting. The harvest effort maximising the yield depends on the relative size of the protected area. Maximum yield is independent of the size of the protected area unless the fraction is > 0.56. If this value is exceeded, annual yield declines rapidly with increasing protected fraction. However, our major - and somewhat surprising - finding is that protected areas can be established without any loss to commercial harvesting if harvesting follows reproduction and population densities are balanced between harvesting seasons according to resource availability

Evaluation of case inclusion in two population-based diabetes registers

Chronic conditions are the major cause of illness, disability and death. A disease register is effective in supporting new models for delivering chronic care. To improve the care of diabetes two stand‐alone diabetes registers have been recently constructed in Finland – a national diabetes register (FinDM II) and a regional diabetes register (T2DR) in the Helsinki metropolitan region. Both compile information from multiple, but separate, databases and could be therefore validated by comparing them with each other.A total of 38 898 and 37 611 diabetic persons were identified from Helsinki and Espoo in the national and regional register, respectively. The numbers were very well matched in the youngest (0‐19 years) and oldest (over 95 years) age groups; in Espoo the match was good also for persons aged 20‐40 years. There were significant differences in the numbers of diabetic persons aged 20 to 65 years; over 3 800 more diabetic persons were retrieved in the FinDM II Helsinki data than in the T2DR data, whereas the T2DR identified 3 100 more senior citizens over the age of 65 years with diabetes than the FinDM II. The possible reasons and implications of these findings to the validity of the registers are discussed

Quantitative trait evolution and environmental change

Peer reviewe

Challenging claims in the study of migratory birds and climate change

Recent shifts in phenology in response to climate change are well established but often poorly understood. Many animals integrate climate change across a spatially and temporally dispersed annual life cycle, and effects are modulated by ecological interactions, evolutionary change and endogenous control mechanisms. Here we assess and discuss key statements emerging from the rapidly developing study of changing spring phenology in migratory birds. These well-studied organisms have been instrumental for understanding climate-change effects, but research is developing rapidly and there is a need to attack the big issues rather than risking affirmative science. Although we agree poorly on the support for most claims, agreement regarding the knowledge basis enables consensus regarding broad patterns and likely causes. Empirical data needed for disentangling mechanisms are still scarce, and consequences at a population level and on community composition remain unclear. With increasing knowledge, the overall support (‘consensus view’) for a claim increased and between-researcher variability in support (‘expert opinions') decreased, indicating the importance of assessing and communicating the knowledge basis. A proper integration across biological disciplines seems essential for the field's transition from affirming patterns to understanding mechanisms and making robust predictions regarding future consequences of shifting phenologies

Matalalentoverkosto : Selvitys toteuttamisvaihtoehdoista

Matalalentoverkostossa on kyse satelliittipaikannukseen perustuvasta reittiverkostosta sekä mittarilähestymismenetelmistä, jotka mahdollistaisivat tehokkaan lentotoiminnan myös näkösääolosuhteita huonommissa sääolosuhteissa. Matalalentoverkosto koos-tuisi kahdesta toisiinsa liittyvästä kokonaisuudesta; reittiverkostosta koko valtakunnan alueella sekä lähestymismenetelmistä valituille lentopaikoille. Tarve matalalentoverkoston perustamiseen Suomeen on tullut viranomaistoimijoilta, jotka näkevät verkostolle voimakkaan yhteiskunnallisen tarpeen. Näiden lisäksi on tunnistettu yleisilmailun kiinnostus mittarilentotoimintaan valvomattomilla lentopaikoil-la. Yleistä kansainvälisesti määriteltyä konseptia matalalentoverkostosta ei ole, joten kansallisesti voidaan tiettyjen reunaehtojen puitteissa arvioida mahdollisimman tarkoi-tuksenmukainen malli. Selvityksen aikana tehtiin yleisen tason turvallisuusvaikutusten arviointi, joka pohjautuu Eurocontrolin tekemiin kahteen yleistason turvallisuustarkaste-luun koskien erikseen matalalentoreittiverkostoa ja lähestymismenetelmiä. Tässä tar-kastelussa ei ilmennyt kynnyskysymyksiä hankkeen toteutukselle. Tämä selvitys kuvaa kartoitetut toteuttamisvaihtoehdot. Selvityksen tehnyt työryhmä suosittelee perustettavaksi Suomeen ensivaiheessa viranomaiskäyttöistä, asteittain laajennettavaa matalalentoverkostoa. Reittiverkosto olisi yksinomaan helikoptereille ja lähestymismenetelmät tarpeen mukaan myös lentokoneille. Alailmatilaan odotetaan kohdistuvan tulevina vuosina useita muutoksia ja matalalentoverkosto toteutuessaan olisi näistä yksi keskeisiä