Beyond hybridization: the genetic impacts of non-reproductive ecological interactions of salmon aquaculture on wild populations

Cultured Atlantic salmon Salmo salar are of international socioeconomic value, and the process of domestication has resulted in significant behavioural, morphological, and allelic differences from wild populations. Substantial evidence indicates that direct genetic interactions or interbreeding between wild and escaped farmed Atlantic salmon occurs, genetically altering wild salmon and reducing population viability. However, genetic interactions may also occur through ecological mechanisms (e.g. disease, parasites, predation, competition), both in conjunction with and in the absence of interbreeding. Here we examine existing evidence for ecological and non-reproductive genetic interactions between domestic Atlantic salmon and wild populations and the potential use of genetic and genomic tools to resolve these impacts. Our review identified examples of genetic changes resulting from ecological processes, predominately through pathogen or parasite transmission. In addition, many examples were identified where aquaculture activities have either altered the selective landscape experienced by wild populations or resulted in reductions in population abundance, both of which are consistent with the widespread occurrence of indirect genetic changes. We further identify opportunities for genetic or genomic methods to quantify these impacts, though careful experimental design and pre-impact comparisons are often needed to accurately attribute genetic change to aquaculture activities. Our review indicates that ecological and non-reproductive genetic interactions are important, and further study is urgently needed to support an integrated understanding of aquaculture-ecosystem interactions, their implications for ecosystem stability, and the development of potential mitigation and management strategies

An intermediary as a trust enabler in a spatial business ecosystem

Abstract Business ecosystems have changed the nature of competition among regions. Various organisations have been established to catalyse local innovation, such as CONNECT in San Diego, California, USA. This study explores the role of an intermediary organisation in establishing trust in a business ecosystem. This paper presents literature findings on business ecosystems, innovation in a spatial context, trust, and previous studies about San Diego. The empirical part of the study includes an analysis of the health and life sciences business ecosystem in San Diego, the role of trust, and how an intermediary organisation contributes to the ecosystem. The study demonstrates that trust is important for the ecosystem’s success, and an intermediary organisation can increase the trust among the actors. The results indicate that decision-makers should invest in accelerator and mentoring programmes to catalyse local innovation. Additionally, ecosystem members should participate in the intermediaries’ activities to strengthen their ecosystem

Kiinalaisten ja suomalaisten yritysten välinen tilaus-toimitusketju

Tiivistelmä Tämä tutkimus on osa CHISU -hanketta. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on kuvailla ja ymmärtää kiinalaisten ja suomalaisten yritysten välisen tilaus-toimitusketjun toimintaa sekä yritysten kansainvälistymistä. Tutkimuksen keskeiset teemat ovat Suomen ja Kiinan välinen liiketoiminta, tilaus-toimitusketjun hallinta sekä kansainvälistymisprosessit. Tutkimus suoritetaan tapaustutkimuksen keinoin, jossa tapauksina ovat neljä suomalaista pk-yritystä. Teoriaosio keskittyy Suomen ja Kiinan väliseen kauppaan, tilaus-toimitusketjuun ja sen hallintaan sekä kansainvälistymiseen. Teorian tarkoituksena on rakentaa viitekehys empiirisen aineiston keräämisen, käsittelyn ja ymmärryksen tueksi. Empiirisen aineiston keräämisessä käytetään teorioiden pohjalta laadittuja haastattelukysymyksiä. Empiirisen aineiston lähteinä toimivat neljä suomalaista pk-yritystä, joista kustakin haastatellaan yhtä henkilöä, joka on hyvin selvillä yrityksen Kiinasta tuontiin, tilaus-toimitusketjuun sekä kansainvälistymiseen liittyvistä asioista. Tutkimustulokset esitetään empiriaosiossa yrityskohtaisesti jakamalla ne edellä mainittuihin tutkimuksen aihealueisiin. Empiriaosion lopuksi esitettävissä käytännön johtopäätöksissä kootaan yhteen haastatteluiden keskeisin anti. Tutkimustuloksissa esitetään kattavat kuvaukset Kiinasta tuonnin hyödyistä, Kiinan ja Suomen välisestä tilaus-toimitusketjusta sekä tapausyritysten kansainvälistymisestä. Tärkeimpänä hyötynä esille nousi hankintakustannusten edullisuus. Tilaustoimitusketjun ja sen hallinnan kohdalla yrityksissä korostettiin lähes yksimielisesti yhteistyön ja kiinalaisten nopean reagoinnin merkitystä toiminnan onnistumisen ja jatkuvuuden kannalta. Kansainvälistymisestä puhuttaessa kaikkien tapausyritysten tavoitteena on lisätä kansainvälisiä liiketoimiaan. Tutkimus tarjoaa tämän vähemmän tutkitun aiheen perustietoja käytettäväksi mahdollisissa jatkotutkimuksissa. Lisäksi se esittää lukuisia hyviä käytäntöjä sekä ongelmia ja keinoja niiltä suojautumiseksi, joista on hyötyä omaa Kiinasta tuontiaan harkitseville suomalaisille pk-yrityksille

Analysing innovation-driven enterprises' stakeholders in two spatial ICT ecosystems

Abstract Innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs) engage with various stakeholders during new product development and commercialisation. Spatial ecosystems in which these enterprises operate provide them with the local business environment for new innovation development. Our study analyses IDEs’ stakeholders in two spatial information and communication technology (ICT) business ecosystems: one in San Diego, California, USA and the other in Oulu, Finland. The study analyses the stakeholders’ presence and their roles to support innovation. The critical stakeholders for supporting innovation-driven enterprises, such as providers of different forms of capital and research institutes, are identified. Our findings suggest that IDEs should exploit the spatial ecosystems by interacting with various stakeholders and by gaining access to local resources to create new innovations. The results of the study are beneficial both for managers of new innovation-driven ventures and decision-makers designing and implementing innovation policies

Spatial health and life sciences business ecosystem:a case study of San Diego

Abstract Purpose: Increasing competition in global markets requires many countries to seek new growth sectors. In addition, the nature of competition is changing. This paper applies the business ecosystem concept and studies San Diego as a spatial health and life sciences ecosystem. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues that should be considered in design of innovation policies and regional industry development. Design/methodology/approach: The research approach is built on a literature review of business ecosystems and spatial innovation. The empirical study is based on semi-structured interviews, observations, and information gathering and verification during field research. Findings: The results include a description of the ecosystem structure and dynamics. This paper demonstrates the bottom-up nature of San Diego’s health and life sciences ecosystem without a dominant lead actor, and presents prerequisites for fostering spatial ecosystems. Research limitations/implications: A single case may not be able to offer a generalized picture of this topic. However, the study raises several considerations for researchers and decision-makers involved in innovation policy design. Future work should extend the study and involve other spatial and substance contexts to compare findings and to pursue a more generic picture of innovation ecosystems and networks. Originality/value: This paper demonstrates that applying the concept of business ecosystems to the spatial context provides new insights in terms of dynamic mechanisms and factors contributing to economic growth in a particular location. Understanding how to facilitate the creation of successful spatial ecosystems is in the focal point of innovation policies

Data from: Double-digest RAD sequencing outperforms microsatellite loci at assigning paternity and estimating relatedness: a proof of concept in a highly promiscuous bird

Information on genetic relationships among individuals is essential to many studies of the behavior and ecology of wild organisms. Parentage and relatedness assays based on large numbers of SNP loci hold substantial advantages over the microsatellite markers traditionally used for these purposes. We present a double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) analysis pipeline that, as such, simultaneously achieves the SNP discovery and genotyping steps and which is optimized to return a statistically powerful set of SNP markers (typically 150-600 after stringent filtering) from large numbers of individuals (up to 240 per run). We explore the tradeoffs inherent in this approach through a set of experiments in a species with a complex social system, the variegated fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti), and further validate it in a phylogenetically broad set of other bird species. Through direct comparisons with a parallel dataset from a robust panel of highly variable microsatellite markers, we show that this ddRAD-seq approach results in substantially improved power to discriminate among potential relatives and considerably more precise estimates of relatedness coefficients. The pipeline is designed to be universally applicable to all bird species (and with minor modifications to many other taxa), to be cost- and time-efficient, and to be replicable across independent runs such that genotype data from different study periods can be combined and analyzed as field samples are accumulated