A circular economy could save the world's economy post-COVID-19



UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

Research News


IMAGE: DR TAOFEEQ IBN-MOHAMMED, FROM WMG, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
CREDIT: WMG, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all facets of human endeavours, and seven months later the economic effects are particularly being felt

How the world can leverage the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 to build a new, more resilient and low-carbon economy has been analysed by a group of academics led by WMG, University of Warwick

A more sustainable model based on circular economy framework could help the world recover financially from COVID-19, whilst facilitating the attainment of net zero carbon goals

The World's economy is feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with many industries under threat. A group of researchers from the UK, Malaysia, Nigeria, UAE and Japan, led by WMG, University of Warwick have concluded that adopting circular economy strategies would be the best way for the world's economy to recover, whilst enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy.Dr Taofeeq Ibn-Mohammed

The World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 pandemic on the 11th March 2020, which saw global supply chains severely disrupted and strained, and the financial market unsettled, resulting in a cross-border economic disaster. Lockdowns and border closures shattered the core sustaining pillars of modern world economies, with the economic shock due to these measures still being weighed across the globe.

In the paper, 'A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and ecosystems and opportunities for circular economy strategies', published in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling sees a group of researchers led by WMG, at the University of Warwick, critically analysed the negative and positive impacts of the pandemic. To make the world resilient post-COVID-19, the adoption of circular economy framework is recommended for all sectors.

The pandemic had many effects on everyone's lives, from not leaving the house, being infected and possibly hospitalised, and even losing a loved one. It has had a strain on those who were furloughed or even lost their jobs, and the mental health of the populace. Economically, the effects can be felt everywhere due to the colossal financial loss across both the macro and micro levels of the economy, including the global supply chains and international trade, tourism and aviation and many other sectors, hampering the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, the pandemic has provoked some natural changes in behaviour and attitudes with positive influences on human health and the planet including:
Improvements of air quality, in fact in the UK it's thought more lives have been saved by the reduced air pollutants compared to the number of people who died with COVID-19 in China, for example.


Reduction in environmental noise and traffic congestions has led to an increase in the number of people exercising outside to enjoy the atmosphere.


Less tourism induced by the pandemic, resulting in less exploitation of the beaches, leading to increased cleanliness.

Decline in global primary energy use. For instance coal use was down 8%, 60% less oil, and electricity plummeted by 20% compared to the first quarter of 2019, leading to record low global CO2 emissions.

Triggering the need for diversification and circularity of supply chains, and evinced the power of public policy for tackling urgent socio-economic crises.

The researchers have examined the impacts of the pandemic and its interplay with circular economy, to evaluate how it could be embraced to rebuild the world's economy.

Dr Taofeeq Ibn-Mohammed, from WMG, University of Warwick comments:

"The pandemic has highlighted the environmental folly of 'extract, produce, use and dump' economic model of material and energy flows, however the short term resolutions to cope with pandemic will not be sustainable in the long-run, as they do not reflect improvements in economic structures of the global economy.

"We therefore propose circular economy adoptions for all industries, with different strategies for each one. For example, embracing the transformative capabilities of digital technologies for supply chain resilience by leveraging: big data analytics for streamlining supplier selection processes; cloud computing to facilitate and manage supplier relationships; and Internet of Things for enhancing logistics and shipping processes.

"The post-COVID-19 investments needed to accelerate towards more resilient, low carbon and circular economies should also be integrated into the stimulus packages for economic recovery being promised by governments, since the shortcomings in the dominant linear economic model are now recognised and the gaps to be closed are known."

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Paper available to view: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344920304869

High-res images available at:

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/communications/medialibrary/images/october_2020/taofeeq_headshot_.jpg

Caption: Dr Taofeeq Ibn-Mohammed, from WMG, University of Warwick
Credit: WMG, University of War
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Scientists release previously unseen footage showing environmental impacts of pot fishing

UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

Research News

VIDEO: VIDEO FOOTAGE CAPTURED BY SCIENTISTS SHOWED NUMEROUS SPECIES SUFFERED DAMAGE AS THE POTS WERE HAULED FROM THE SEABED \
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/scientists-release-previously-unseen-footage-showing-environmental-impacts-of-pot-fishing
CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

The global pot fishing industry could be having a greater impact on corals, sponges and other species found on the seabed than previously thought, according to new research.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth (UK) attached video cameras to pots used by crab and lobster fishermen off the south coast of England.

As the pots were lowered, and later recovered, they recorded any damage caused to the rocky reefs on the seabed and various ecologically important species which call them home.

The resulting footage showed that of the 18 species observed, 14 suffered damage as the pots were hauled from the seabed.

This included certain species - including pink sea fans, ross coral, Dead Man's Fingers and boring sponges - recognised as indicators of general health in the marine environment.

The findings go against previous thinking around the damage caused by pot fishing to the seabed, with research carried out until now regarding its potential impact as minimal.

Writing in Marine Environmental Research, scientists say they must now be taken into consideration by authorities and fishing communities, and that managers must balance ecology with social and economic considerations to determine what level of impact is acceptable. This is especially important where potting is occurring within MPAs.

Crustacean fisheries are a very valuable component of the UK fishing industry and are particularly important to coastal communities, with 1,342 vessels fishing with pots and traps in 2016 and the majority of them measuring under 10m and operating in inshore waters.

In 2017, total shellfish landings accounted for 38% of all those by UK vessels, with 34,100 tonnes of crab and lobster (worth almost £100million) landed into the UK. Globally, the industry is present in 48 countries which also have multi-use MPAs within their waters.

Dr Sarah Gall, Lecturer in Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth, led the research as part of her PhD studies. She said: "This is the first study to quantify the true footprint of potting. Despite finding that areas fished with pots were characterised by species indicative of a healthy reef system, we have not seen the greater abundance, species richness and diversity we might have expected. The footage we obtained shows that 25-30% of seabed species were either damaged or dislodged by potting and we have also highlighted particular concerns about some long-lived and slow-growing species. The future management of pot fisheries will need to address these findings on a site by site basis to ensure the long term health of our rocky reef systems and the sustainability of the potting industry."

The study was carried out in partnership with fishermen operating in the Inshore Potting Agreement (IPA) area, which stretches along the South Devon coastline from Plymouth Sound to Start Point. It was funded by the Devon & Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and the University's own Marine Institute.

It builds on the University's extensive research into the impact of conservation initiatives such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which includes a long-running monitoring programme in Lyme Bay, off the Dorset and Devon coast.

That research has previously shown that restricting the amount of inshore potting for crab and lobster within MPAs can generate a "win-win" for both fishermen and the marine environment.

Dr Emma Sheehan, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology, leads the Lyme Bay Project and is senior author on the current paper. She added: "Our ongoing work in Lyme Bay has shown that smaller fishing communities recognise the importance of preventing damage to the environment in order to secure their livelihoods in the long term. In that respect, this study is crucial because it provides the first evidence of a potentially global issue and those in the industry are integral to addressing it. Through working with conservation and coastal managers, we hope a solution could be reached where the interests of industry and the environment can be balanced."

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Austerity's impact on rural poverty has been overlooked, study finds

by Cardiff University

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Researchers at Cardiff University, Queen Mary University of London, and University of Exeter have revealed the significant impact of austerity on rural areas.


The findings, published in the Journal of Rural Studies, provide the most comprehensive account to date of how changes in spending power and service spending have affected rural communities in England and Wales. Using both statistical and qualitative data, the research highlights how austerity has compounded long-standing but often ignored problems of rural poverty.

Academics say the research provides new evidence of the 'hollowing out' of rural local government through the closure of libraries, youth centers and transport services and the ways local authority spending power has diminished through the merger of District Councils and creation of Unitary Authorities. According to analysis, the establishment of Dorset Unitary Authority in 2019 amounted to a loss of £21.7m (-6.59%) in 2019-20 core spending power. Similarly, the creation of West Suffolk District Council in 2019 amounted to a loss of £3.3m, or 16.8%.

Changes which could have a direct and rapid impact on food insecurity are also disproportionately affecting people in rural areas, according to the study.

Jobseeker Allowance claimants in rural areas are more likely to experience higher-level sanctions, the research says. Despite comprising only 12.4% of total sanction referrals made in England between November 2012 and October 2019, rural areas accounted for 17.8% of all known high-level sanctions in that period. These measures lead to an individual's loss of income for 13, 26 or 156 weeks and are imposed if a claimant fails to accept or apply for a job, is dismissed for misconduct, or is deemed to have left employment without good reason.

Using Freedom of Information data, the report also shows that rural authorities are far more likely than their urban counterparts to have closed discretionary Local Welfare Assistance Schemes (LWAS) schemes, which are designed to help people in financial crisis. Just under one in three (9 of 28) rural authorities have done so, compared to one in seven urban authorities (16 of 116).

Dr. Andrew Williams, based in Cardiff University's School of Geography and Planning said: "It is well documented that austerity has hit the most deprived urban areas the hardest, but the impact on rural poverty is often overlooked given difficulties in measurement and idyllic representations of countryside."

Professor Jon May, based at Queen Mary University of London's School of Geography, said: "Beyond the image of 'leafy shire counties' and 'idyllic chocolate box villages', the last decade has seen a steady dismantling of the social infrastructures—bus routes, libraries, youth centers—which many people in rural areas rely on.

"Poverty and food insecurity are rising, as too the number of food banks as a disproportionate number of people in rural England and Wales face some of the worst impacts of austerity."

"Still bleeding: The variegated geographies of austerity and food banking in rural England and Wales" is published in the Journal of Rural Studies.

"This research is not about pitting the needs of the 'rural poor' against their urban counterparts, but highlighting the severity and specificity of the problems austerity poses for people in rural areas in a context where these problems have until now remained largely invisible," says Williams.

Explore further Telehealth bridges and highlights rural health disparities
More information: Jon May et al. Still bleeding: The variegated geographies of austerity and food banking in rural England and Wales, Journal of Rural Studies (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.08.024
Provided by Cardiff University

Atmospheric dust levels are rising in the Great Plains

by University of Utah

The hazards of increased atmospheric dust. Credit: Talie Lambert.

Got any spaces left on that 2020 bingo card? Pencil in "another Dust Bowl in the Great Plains." A study from University of Utah researchers and their colleagues finds that atmospheric dust levels are rising across the Great Plains at a rate of up to 5% per year.

The trend of rising dust parallels expansion of cropland and seasonal crop cycles, suggesting that farming practices are exposing more soil to wind erosion. And if the Great Plains becomes drier, a possibility under climate change scenarios, then all the pieces are in place for a repeat of the Dust Bowl that devastated the Midwest in the 1930s.

"We can't make changes to the earth surface without some kind of consequence just as we can't burn fossil fuels without consequences," says Andy Lambert, lead author of the study and a recent U graduate. "So while the agriculture industry is absolutely important, we need to think more carefully about where and how we plant."

The research is published in Geophysical Research Letters and was funded by the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, the Global Change and Sustainability Center at the University of Utah, and the Associated Students of the University of Utah.

The first Dust Bowl

In the 1930s, a drought blanketed the Great Plains, from Mexico to Canada. This wouldn't have been such a big deal except that in the 1920s Midwestern farmers had converted vast tracts of grassland into farmland using mechanical plows. When the crops failed in the drought the open areas of land that used to be covered by grass, which held soil tightly in place, were now bare dirt, vulnerable to wind erosion.

"The result was massive dust storms that we associate with the Dust Bowl," Lambert says. "These dust storms removed nutrients from the soil, making it more difficult for crops to grow and more likely for wind erosion to occur." After years of drought, dust and hardship, rain finally began to fall again, bringing the Dust Bowl to a close.

"But the damage was already done to the soil," Lambert says. "Some areas have still not fully recovered."

Around the 2000s, the growth in demand for biofuels spurred renewed expansion of farmland to produce the needed crops. In an echo of the 1920s, this expansion replaced stable grasslands with vulnerable soil. Over five years, from 2006 to 2011, 2046 square miles (530,000 hectares) of grassland in five Midwestern states became farmland—an area a little smaller than Delaware.

At the same time, parts of the Great Plains experienced longer and more severe droughts in the 20th century. The future of drought in that region is, so far, uncertain, but the potential for a warmer, drier Great Plains has Lambert and co-author Gannet Hallar, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, bringing up the word "desertification" in relation to the potential future of the region.

Eyes in the dusty skies

The focus of the study by Lambert, Hallar and colleagues from the U, the University of Colorado-Boulder and Colorado State University, was to quantify how much the amount of dust in the atmosphere over the Great Plains had changed in recent decades. To do that, they tapped into instrumentation that measures atmospheric haziness from the ground up and from space down. From the ground, the IMPROVE monitoring network is run by several federal agencies and measures the amount of particulate matter in the air at sites, including national parks, around the country. Another ground-based network, the NASA-run AERONET, watches for how much incoming sunlight is blocked by dust and aerosol particles in the air. From space, an instrument called MODIS does the same job, looking at how much light reflected from the surface is similarly blocked by particles.

All together, the data cover years from 1988 to 2018. Dust, they found, is increasing in the atmosphere over the whole of the Great Plains by as much as 5% per year.

"The amount of increase is really the story here," Hallar says. "That 5% a year over two decades, of course, is a hundred percent increase in dust loading. This is not a small signal to find."

Correlating with crop timing

The researchers further found correlations between dust in the atmosphere and crop timings. In Iowa, where soybeans have been a major expanding crop, increases in dust appeared in June and October—planting and harvesting months, respectively, for soybeans. In the southern Great Plains states, where corn is a more dominant crop, dust increases appeared in March and October—again correlating to corn planting and harvesting seasons.

That was remarkable," Hallar says, "in the sense of how clear the signal was."

Are we seeing the beginnings of the second Dust Bowl?

"I think it's fair to say that what's happening with dust trends in the Midwest and the Great Plains is an indicator that the threat is real if crop land expansion continues to occur at this rate and drought risk does increase because of climate change," Lambert says. "Those would be the ingredients for another Dust Bowl."

"This is an example of the need for the agricultural community in the U.S. to think about adapting and mitigating to a changing climate," Hallar says. "So if we become more arid we will need to think about the impacts of land degradation in that changed climate. What we did in the past isn't necessarily what we can do in the future."

Land-cover changes likely intensified Dust Bowl drought
More information: Andrew Lambert et al, Dust Impacts of Rapid Agricultural Expansion on the Great Plains, Geophysical Research Letters (2020).

DOI: 10.1029/2020GL090347
Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters
Provided by University of Utah

First report on the impact of European incubators and accelerators NON MEDICAL

by Politecnico di Torino
  

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK there are a total of more than 1,200 business incubators/accelerators, with an estimated number of 7,165 employees. The most diffused services offered by these organizations are networking services, physical spaces and shared services, access to finance, managerial training and managerial support.


The Social Innovation Monitor research team, based at Politecnico di Torino, will present for the first time analyses on the ecosystems of incubators/accelerators in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom on 20th of October, at 5 p.m CEST time.

The research has been carried out in collaboration with Enterprise Educators UK Association, German Startups Association, InnovUp, La Boussole des Entrepreneurs, PNICube Association, Spanish Startups Association, UKSPA Association, Experientia, Instilla and Social Innovation Teams (SIT).

According to the research, in the five countries analyzed, there are 1,217 incubators and accelerators, of which 182 are corporate incubators and 227 are university incubators. France has the highest number of incubators/accelerators with a total of 284; followed by United Kingdom with 274, Germany with 247, Spain and Italy respectively with 215 and 197 incubators and accelerators.

The estimated number of employees is equal to 7,165. The highest number of employees in incubators and accelerators has been estimated to be in UK, with 2,164 employees. France follows with an estimated 1,420 employees, then Spain with 1,376, Germany with 1,111 and Italy with 1,094.

The most diffused services offered by these organizations are networking services, provision of physical spaces and shared services, access to finance, managerial training and managerial support. In particular, for French incubators and accelerators, the most important services provided are managerial support and support for the creation of networks; German incubators and accelerators consider as the most important services the same services of French incubators/accelerators with the addition of the provision of shared spaces and services.

The most important offered services for Italian incubators/accelerators are network creation, managerial support, the provision of shared spaces and services, and access to finance, while in Spanish incubators the most important services are related to managerial support and training, access to finance, and the provision of physical spaces and shared services. Finally, incubators and accelerators in U.K. consider more relevant physical spaces, network services, access to finance, managerial training and managerial support.

Another interesting data arising from the report relates to the equity taken by incubators/accelerators in the organizations that they incubate. On average, 17.5% of incubators and accelerators in these five states hold equity shares in organizations incubated.

In line with the SIM mission of empowering the ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship with a significant social impact, the survey put a focus on incubators that support startups with a social and/or environmental impact. In France and the United Kingdom, the report observes that the startups with a social impact most supported are those in the health and wellness sector, while in Italy and in Germany the majority of supported startup are in the sector of environmental and animal protection. Spain distinguishes itself by the predominance of startups with a social impact in the sector of sustainable tourism and responsible consumption.

The Social Innovation Monitor's research is based on the analysis of the information collected through the questionnaire sent out in the five countries. The research team has identified a total of 1217 European incubators and accelerators, of which 244 responded to the survey.

Professor Paolo Landoni from the Politecnico di Torino, scientific director of the research, says, "We are pleased to see that in all the countries that we have examined, there is a significant number of incubators/accelerators. It is interesting to note that the numbers, especially when compared to the population in each country, are highly comparable. We have to explore this further, but there is the possibility of a coherent model of incubation/acceleration in Europe. We are looking forward to discussing this and other points with our partners and the participants to the upcoming webinar."


University incubators may lead to lower-quality innovation, new study shows
More information: The Public Reports for each country are freely available for download at https://socialinnovationmonitor.com/en/report-incubators/
Provided by Politecnico di Torino

Soluble iron in skies over China's cities could create health risk, study finds

by University of Birmingham

Smog in Beijing. Credit: Lilydjwg - Wikimedia Commons

Industrial and vehicle pollution in the skies above East China's major cities is boosting the amount of atmospheric soluble iron particles—creating health risks for citizens, a new study reveals.

Research indicates that acidic gases emitted from power generation, industry and vehicle exhausts are helping to dissolve insoluble iron particles in Beijing, Handan, Zhengzhou and Hangzhou.

The tiny soluble iron-containing particles created as a result of this can be inhaled by people—causing respiratory illness, as well as being transported by winter winds into the Pacific Ocean, affecting the oceanic ecosystem.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham worked with partners at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou; China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing; Hebei University of Engineering, Handan; and Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou—publishing their findings in Environmental Pollution.

Study co-author Zongbo Shi, Professor of Atmospheric Biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Our research shows that chemical processing is a key reason behind greater amounts of soluble iron in the atmosphere on haze days when atmospheric pollution from man-made sources is higher.

"Acidic 'man-made' pollution helps to dissolve iron out of larger 'mixed' pollution particles—this is concerning because large amounts of tiny iron-containing particles can be inhaled and cause adverse health effects though the generation of oxygen free radicals."

Iron carried in airborne particles is an essential external source for phytoplankton growth in large parts of remote oceans and indirectly affects the seas' capture of planet-warming carbon dioxide, playing a significant positive role in the global carbon cycle and climate. There are natural sources of iron, such as desert dust and soil dust, and anthropogenic (man-made) generators such as fossil fuel combustion and steel industrial activities.

Researchers discovered that concentration of soluble iron particles was higher over the northern cities of Beijing, Handan and Zhengzhou than the southern city of Hangzhou. The experts selected the four cities to represent typical urban environments, with their respective populations of 21.5 million, 9.5 million, 10.1 million and 9.8 million citizens.

Beijing mainly suffers from road traffic pollution with pollutants from surrounding industrial regions, while heavy industry in Handan uses large amounts of energy, resulting in copious emissions of air pollutants. Zhengzhou is a major road, rail and air transport hub suffering from serious vehicle exhaust pollution, as does Hangzhou which is also polluted with contaminants blown in from surrounding industrial regions.

"Large amounts of soluble iron may be the catalyst for creating secondary sulfate particles in East China's polluted atmosphere," added Professor Shi. "We need further research to understand how this situation changes the creation of atmospheric oxygen free radicals which can pose significant health risks."


Iron dissolved by air pollution may increase ocean potential to trap carbon
More information: Yanhong Zhu et al. Iron solubility in fine particles associated with secondary acidic aerosols in east China, Environmental Pollution (2020). 

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114769
Journal information: Environmental Pollution
Provided by University of Birmingham

Rubber-leguminous shrub systems should be popularized to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Xishuangbanna

by Zhang Nannan, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Rubber-Flemingia macrophylla plantation in Xishuangbanna. Credit: LIU Changan

In recent years, numerous rubber-based agroforestry systems, using a biological approach to enhance ecosystem services, have been developed. Intercropping rubber with Flemingia macrophylla, a leguminous shrub, has been widely established in rubber plantations area of China.

Previous studies showed that greenhouse gas emissions in rubber and rubber-F. macrophylla systems would be affected by their plantation age. However, the effect of different-aged rubber and rubber-F. macrophylla systems on CO2, N2O, and CH4 emissions from soils is unknown.

In a study published in Forest Ecology and Management, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) investigated the effect of introducing F. macrophylla to different-aged rubber plantations on the emissions of CO2, N2O, and CH4 in Xishuangbanna.

They found that the emissions of CO2, N2O and CH4 decreased as the trees aged in the rubber plantations. The introduction of F. macrophylla to different-aged rubber plantations significantly decreased CO2 and CH4 flux but increased N2O flux.

Furthermore, the CO2 and N2O fluxes were mainly affected by soil temperature at 10 cm depth, and CH4 flux was mainly affected by both soil water content in the 0–10 cm soil layer and soil temperature at 10 cm depth.

Moreover, they found that the rubber-leguminous shrub systems significantly improved soil organic carbon sequestration rate and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, relative to the same-aged rubber plantations.
  

Sloping fields in the rubber–Flemingia macrophylla plantations. Credit: LIU Changan

Decrease of CO2 emissions is crucial for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in rubber plantations worldwide.

"We therefore propose that rubber-leguminous shrub systems should be popularized in the rubber planting area for reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Prof. Tang Jianwei, principal investigator of the study.


Intercrops enhance soil moisture availability in rubber agroforestry systems
More information: Xin Rao et al. Rubber-leguminous shrub systems stimulate soil N2O but reduce CO2 and CH4 emissions, Forest Ecology and Management (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118665
Journal information: Forest Ecology and Management
Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences

American Pikas show resiliency in the face of global warming

by Arizona State University

American pika Credit: Andrew Smith, Arizona State University

The American pika is a charismatic, diminutive relative of rabbits that some researchers say is at high risk of extinction due to climate change. Pikas typically live in cool habitats, often in mountains, under rocks and boulders. Because pikas are sensitive to high temperatures, some researchers predict that, as the Earth's temperature rises, pikas will have to move ever higher elevations until they eventually run out of habitat and die out. Some scientists have claimed this cute little herbivore is the proverbial canary in the coal mine for climate change.

A new extensive review by Arizona State University emeritus professor Andrew Smith, published in the October issue of the Journal of Mammalogy, finds that the American pika is far more resilient in the face of warm temperatures than previously believed. While emphasizing that climate change is a serious threat to the survival of many species on Earth, Smith believes that the American pika currently is adapting remarkably well.

Smith has studied the American pika for more than 50 years and presents evidence from a thorough literature review showing that American pika populations are healthy across the full range of the species, which extends from British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, to northern New Mexico in the U.S.

Occupancy in potential pika habitat in the major western North American mountains was found to be uniformly high. Among sites that have been surveyed recently, there was no discernible climate signal that discriminated between the many occupied and relatively few unoccupied sites.

"This is a sign of a robust species," Smith said.

Smith said most of the studies that have raised alarms about the fate of the pika are based on a relatively small number of restricted sites at the margins of the pika's geographic range, primarily in the Great Basin. However, a recent comprehensive study of pikas evaluating 3,250 sites in the Great Basin found pikas living in over 73% of the suitable habitat investigated. Most important, the sites currently occupied by pikas and the sites where they are no longer found were characterized by similar climatic features.

"These results show that pikas are able to tolerate a broader set of habitat conditions than previously understood," Smith adds.

Smith's most interesting finding is that pikas are apparently much more resilient than previously believed, allowing them to survive even at hot, low-elevation sites. Bodie California State Historic Park, the Mono Craters, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Lava Beds National Monument, and the Columbia River Gorge (all hot, low-elevation sites) retain active pika populations, demonstrating the adaptive capacity and resilience of pikas. Pikas cope with warm temperatures by retreating into their cool, underground talus habitat during the hot daylight hours and augment their restricted daytime foraging with nocturnal activity.

This doesn't mean that some pika populations have not been pushed to their limit, leading to their disappearance from some habitats. Smith's review points out that most documented cases of local loss of pika populations have occurred on small, isolated habitat patches.

"Due to the relatively poor ability of pikas to disperse between areas, those habitats are not likely to be recolonized, particularly in light of our warming climate," Smith said. "In spite of the general health of pikas across their range, these losses represent a one-way street, leading to a gradual loss of some pika populations. Fortunately for pikas, their preferred talus habitat in the major mountain cordilleras is larger and more contiguous, so the overall risk to this species is low."

Smith's work emphasizes the importance of incorporating all aspects of a species' behavior and ecology when considering its conservation status, and that all available data must be considered before suggesting a species is going extinct. For the American pika, the data conclusively show that rather than facing extinction, American pikas are changing their behaviors in ways that help them better withstand climate change, at least for now.


American pikas tolerate climate change better than expected
More information: Andrew T Smith et al, Conservation status of American pikas (Ochotona princeps), Journal of Mammalogy (2020). DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa110
Journal information: Journal of Mammalogy
Provided by Arizona State University

Cover crop could solve weed problems for edamame growers

by Lauren Quinn, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

For vegetable growers, weeds can mean lost income from reduced yield and foreign plant matter contaminating the harvest. But for many crops, particularly vegetable legumes, weed management options are very limited.

Cover crops such as cereal rye reduce weed competition in grain soybean, but most vegetable legume growers have yet to adopt the practice due to the potential for reduced germination and yield in thick cover crop residue. However, a new study from the University of Illinois and USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) shows early-terminated rye could be a promising part of an integrated weed management program for some vegetable legumes, including edamame.

"In general, the more cover crop biomass you have, the better the weed suppression. We found a sweet spot in an earlier experiment with edamame when we terminated rye at tillering and then planted into the stubble. The rye provided measurable weed suppression without harming the crop," says Marty Williams, USDA-ARS ecologist and affiliate professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at Illinois. "We wanted to follow that up with yield experiments for edamame, and decided to broaden to some mainstream vegetable legumes including snap bean and lima bean."

Williams and his research team looked at weed density and biomass in bare soil and in plots planted with a rye cover crop terminated at tillering, about a month before vegetable crops were planted. For three growing seasons, the researchers either sprayed weeds with one of the few registered herbicides; hand-pulled weeds in addition to spraying; or left weeds alone to grow. Then they gathered information on weed suppression, crop establishment and yield, as well as soil moisture and nitrogen.

In edamame and snap bean, early-terminated rye reduced weed biomass by 53% and 73%, respectively, compared with bare soil. And, consistent with his earlier studies, Williams found no reductions in edamame establishment or yield. Yet, the results for snap bean and lima bean were not as rosy. Both lost yield when planted in rye residue, and weed density and biomass actually increased for lima bean, compared with bare soil.

"We found the early-terminated rye system worked well in edamame. The rye suppressed weed biomass without impacting the crop." Williams says. "For lima bean, the system failed. For snap bean, there is room for improvement."

He suspects the poor performance in lima and snap bean is related to the crops' weak ability to fix nitrogen in soils depleted of the nutrient by the cover crop. In turn, poor crop growth and canopy development favored the weeds.

"We had a problem with crop establishment in lima bean in the rye stubble," Williams says. "And while snap bean established well, crop growth was hampered by the nitrogen-starved environment in rye stubble—one of the key traits providing weed suppression."

Edamame, like soybean, can grow without applied nitrogen because it benefits from symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Williams' group is currently doing follow-up research to exploit biological nitrogen fixation in snap bean, which would have implications beyond weed management.

Although early-terminated rye worked well in edamame, the cover crop didn't eliminate the need for other weed control measures.

"Early-terminated rye alone is not going to solve all weed problems," Williams says. "It reduced the weed load, but did not eliminate it. Early-terminated rye roughly halved the weeds compared to bare soil. The weed load was further reduced by using an herbicide, too. Hand-weeding, while generally used as a last-resort tactic, was used in this system to entirely eliminate interference with the crop and weed seedbank additions. That combination is the most effective approach."


Early-killed rye shows promise in edamame
More information: Nicholas E. Korres et al, Integrated weed management strategies with cereal rye mulch in processing vegetable legumes, Agronomy Journal (2020). DOI: 10.1002/agj2.20349
Journal information: Agronomy Journal
Provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

How psychological ownership can enhance stewardship for public goods

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING 

A CUSTODIAN OR A JANITOR

by Kim Tucker Campo, New York Institute of Technology

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

How can consumers be encouraged to take better care of public goods and resources? That's the question posed in a new research paper co-authored by Colleen P. Kirk, D.P.S., associate professor of marketing at New York Institute of Technology, in the Journal of Marketing.

"Caring for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance Stewardship Behavior for Public Goods" aims to help solve the "tragedy of the commons," the idea that when goods or resources are shared by many owners they are subject to abuse or neglect.

Sadly, the tragedy of the commons can be seen in many public spaces, such as cemeteries, public housing, fishing areas, and beaches, and has contributed to a number of environmental challenges. One commonly cited environmental issue includes ocean pollution. Because ocean waters are shared by many different nations no single authority has the power to pass laws that protect the entire ocean. Instead, nations manage and protect ocean resources along their coastlines, leaving the much larger shared waters vulnerable to contamination.

Citing available studies on the tragedy of the commons, Kirk joins Joann Peck, Ph.D., of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business; Andrea Luangrath, Ph.D., of the University of Iowa; and Suzanne Shu, Ph.D., of Cornell University in hypothesizing that increased feelings of ownership towards a public good can help ensure that individuals do their part.

Putting their theory to the test

The researchers manipulated scenarios in public settings to encourage visitors to view the spaces as their own, rather than as a shared commodity. In each scenario, the investigators found that increasing psychological ownership enhanced stewardship, causing participants to become more likely to take direct action to care for that setting, such as picking up trash, or financial stewardship, such as donating money.

For example, the researchers manipulated psychological ownership of a lake by asking a randomized group of kayak renters to think of and write down a nickname for the lake before renting their boats. Unbeknownst to the kayakers, the researchers had planted anchored floating trash in the lake to test whether naming the lake would create an increased feeling of ownership. Compared to the control group, kayakers who were not asked to name the lake, the "namers" were more likely to do their part in trying to pick up the trash, with 41 percent attempting to remove the planted litter.


In another scenario, study participants were asked to imagine that they were taking a walk in a hypothetical park called Stoneview Park. Researchers showed the control group a park entrance sign that read the generic message, "Welcome to the park." In contrast, the experimental group was shown a sign reading, "Welcome to YOUR park." Each group of "walkers" then completed a survey on how likely they were to remove litter or donate to park maintenance efforts. Once again, when compared to the control group, those exposed to the psychological ownership tactics (YOUR park group) felt a greater need to care for and contribute to maintaining the public space.

A third scenario tested yet another psychological ownership tactic aimed at cultivating stewardship. Cross country skiers and snowshoers at a public park ski rental were asked to plan a route prior to their outing. Following the completion of the park's standard liability waiver, an employee offered them a map, obtained their shoe size, and, in the control group (the "non-planners"), went on to retrieve the ski equipment. However, in the experimental group, before retrieving the skis or snowshoes, the employee asked the renters to plan a route they might take on the map. All renters were then charged for their ski equipment and asked whether they would like to add a dollar to the rental fee to help the park. Donations indicated that individuals who planned their route in advance were more likely to chip in. In addition, a participant survey also revealed that those asked to plan their route were more likely to feel ownership, volunteer, donate in the future, and promote the park to others using social media. The researchers believe that because these skiers played an active role in shaping their experience, they may have felt a greater sense of connection to the park.

Kirk, who has published significant research on psychological ownership and an op-ed in Harvard Business Review, believes the findings can assist marketers in conservation efforts.

"Maintaining the natural environment is a pressing issue facing our planet, and has become more challenging during the pandemic as park services are reduced while the number of people spending time outside has increased," she notes. "Researchers have previously shown that eliciting feelings of ownership in consumers, even in the absence of legal ownership, induces them to value a product more highly. In this research, we document, through a variety of experimental studies in the field and in the laboratory, that individual psychological ownership also motivates caring behaviors for a public good, such as picking up trash from a lake or donating time or money to a park. We encourage marketers and environmentalists alike to reflect on these findings when considering ways to maintain public spaces."


Why people go into debt: The money isn't really theirs
More information: Joann Peck et al, Caring for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance Stewardship Behavior for Public Goods, Journal of Marketing (2020). DOI: 10.1177/0022242920952084
Journal information: Journal of Marketing
Provided by New York Institute of Technology