Merging DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis to understand and build resilient terrestrial ecosystems

Summary 1. Significant advances in both mathematical and molecular approaches in ecology offer unprecedented opportunities to describe and understand ecosystem functioning. Ecological networks describe interactions between species, the underlying structure of communities and the function and stability of ecosystems. They provide the ability to assess the robustness of complex ecological communities to species loss, as well as a novel way of guiding restoration. However, empirically quantifying the interactions between entire communities remains a significant challenge. 2. Concomitantly, advances in DNA sequencing technologies are resolving previously intractable questions in functional and taxonomic biodiversity and provide enormous potential to determine hitherto difficult to observe species interactions. Combining DNA metabarcoding approaches with ecological network analysis presents important new opportunities for understanding large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes, as well as providing powerful tools for building ecosystems that are resilient to environmental change. 3. We propose a novel ‘nested tagging’ metabarcoding approach for the rapid construction of large, phylogenetically structured species-interaction networks. Taking tree–insect–parasitoid ecological networks as an illustration, we show how measures of network robustness, constructed using DNA metabarcoding, can be used to determine the consequences of tree species loss within forests, and forest habitat loss within wider landscapes. By determining which species and habitats are important to network integrity, we propose new directions for forest management. 4. Merging metabarcoding with ecological network analysis provides a revolutionary opportunity to construct some of the largest, phylogenetically structured species-interaction networks to date, providing new ways to: (i) monitor biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; (ii) assess the robustness of interacting communities to species loss; and (iii) build ecosystems that are more resilient to environmental change

Perceptions of entrepreneurial ecosystems in remote islands and core regions

The existence of an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem is important for economic development and growth. This study considers how entrepreneurial ecosystems are perceived and operate in different locations focusing on remote islands compared to core/central regions. In particular, this study focuses on two remote island economies (the Canary Islands, in Spain, and Madeira, in Portugal), compared with Catalonia and Lisbon which are two core regions in Spain and Portugal. The evidence, based on a large-scale survey, shows that firms in remote islands perceive that they operate in a less favourable entrepreneurial ecosystem compared to firms in core regions although the findings show that there are significant variations across sectors of activity. Thus, the appropriate strategies for entrepreneurial action and for policy makers will vary depending on the characteristics of the ecosystem

Scents of Place: exploring self, place and planet through botanical fragrance

This learning module provides instructors with an experiential field guide for introducing students to the United Nations Inner Development Goals Framework through self-guided mindful smelling activities and reflection prompts related to botanical fragrance. The interdisciplinary nature of this module allows for use or adaptation in a wide range of courses looking for outdoor, place-based and self-guided experiential learning to explore the role of botanical fragrance for people, plants and pollinators. The overarching goal is to deepen students’ connections to their senses (and scents) of self, place and planet through exploring botanical fragrance with mindful smelling. The learning activities in this module are designed to be used together or separately, as a stand-alone activity (from 15 to 75 minutes) without any additional preparation, or in conjunction with other course materials and learning objectives.https://rdw.rowan.edu/oer/1029/thumbnail.jp

Topology and Bistability in liquid crystal devices

We study nematic liquid crystal configurations in a prototype bistable device - the Post Aligned Bistable Nematic (PABN) cell. Working within the Oseen-Frank continuum model, we describe the liquid crystal configuration by a unit-vector field, in a model version of the PABN cell. Firstly, we identify four distinct topologies in this geometry. We explicitly construct trial configurations with these topologies which are used as initial conditions for a numerical solver, based on the finite-element method. The morphologies and energetics of the corresponding numerical solutions qualitatively agree with experimental observations and suggest a topological mechanism for bistability in the PABN cell geometry

The shrinking State? Understanding the assault on the public sector

The public sector appears under siege across the globe. While there are variations across and within nations in how this plays out, the arms of the state that provide the social safety net and protect citizens' well-being are especially at risk. The erosion of the state as an institution can be seen in cuts to social programmes and public sector jobs, underfunded infrastructure, the sale of public assets and other forms of privatization along with the more general weakening of regulatory authority and diversion of resources to the private sector. Although such trends are often interpreted as part of the fallout from the Great Recession, they have been observed across localities and regions for a very long time. In addressing the thematic question of the “shrinking state,” we seek to investigate the extent to which the social contract between government and citizens and the private sector has fractured thereby transforming regions and localities. This paper addresses to what degree, why, and where the public sector is in retreat. We examine at what scale of the state from central to local have changes been most profound and explore what the future holds in terms of resistance to, or acquiescence in, these trends

Innovation policy and place: a critical assessment

Innovation policy has become an integral part of modern industrial policy. This paper considers the role of innovation and place through the lens of UK innovation policy. It argues that much of innovation policy is focused on the generation of innovations and not the diffusion and adoption of innovation throughout the economy. This focus will do little to slow or reverse regional diverges in economic performance. Innovation policy at the local level requires greater focus on innovation diffusion whilst adopting both a wider perspective to encompass the variety of innovation and a narrower perspective to focus on the specific innovation needs of individual regions or localities.This paper is based on research supported by a grant from Research England (formerly HEFCE) to the University of Cambridge (code HEIF-NPIF-CSTI/Place)