Impact of Aquaculture on Commercial Fisheries: Fishermen’s Local Ecological Knowledge

The Bay of Fundy along the southwest coast of New Brunswick, Canada is one of the most densely stocked finfish aquaculture areas in the world. An inshore multi-species fishery that dates back to the earliest European settlement shares these waters, and has been the economic mainstay of coastal communities. These inshore fishermen are increasingly displaced by the expanding aquaculture industry. A recent study conducted among fishermen in Southwest New Brunswick recorded their observations about the environmental impact of finfish aquaculture and the consequences for their commercial fishery. Fishermen all reported significant environmental degradation around aquaculture sites. Within 2 years of an operation being established, fishermen reported that gravid female lobsters as well as herring avoid the area, scallop and sea urchin shells become brittle, scallop meat and sea urchin roe becomes discolored. The use of chemicals to control sea lice on farmed salmon has also caused lobster, crab and shrimp kills. These and other concerns suggest that more comprehensive and detailed studies are required to establish the environmental and economic interactions of aquaculture and the inshore fishery, as well as on the stocks on which that fishery rely. The study also points to the need for more effective use of fishermen’s knowledge in designing such studies.     

Can the Introduction of Modern Crop Varieties in their Centre of Origin Affect Local Ecological Knowledge? A Case Study of Papaya in the Yucatan Peninsula

The effect on local ecological knowledge (LEK) of introducing modern crop varieties in their centre of origin has been generally overlooked. LEK of the reproductive ecology of cultivated and wild papaya was assessed in a Mayan community using questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and participant observation. Although the Maya have managed the wild variety of papaya for several centuries, there was more LEK of the recently introduced maradol variety. Most informants were unable to differentiate male and female plants, likely because the most common variety (maradol) in contemporary home gardens is typically hermaphroditic. Informants also mentioned that, in the past, sexual expression was manipulated. We conclude that the introduction of the maradol variety has contributed to the erosion of LEK of the reproductive ecology of papaya.     

When Does this Fish Spawn? Fishermen’s Local Knowledge of Migration and Reproduction of Brazilian Coastal Fishes

Fishermen’s local knowledge of fishing resources may be an important source of information to improve artisanal tropical fisheries management, such as those found in Brazil, where most data on fish biology is lacking. We aim to study the local ecological knowledge that Brazilian coastal fishers have about reproductive aspects (season, places and migration) of 13 coastal fish species of commercial importance. We selected fishermen with more than 30 years of fishing practice and we interviewed a total of 67 fishermen: 29 from the southeastern coast, from the communities of Puruba, Almada, Picinguaba and Bertioga, and 38 from the northeastern coast, from the communities of Valença, Arembepe and Porto Sauípe. In the interviews, we used standardized questionnaires and showed photos of fish species. Our results indicate some general patterns in fishes’ reproduction according to fishermen knowledge: fish species spawn in open ocean, near reefs or in coastal rivers (estuaries); some fishes reproduce during the summer and others in winter, while some have more defined spawning months. The main fish migratory patterns mentioned by interviewees were: long migrations along the coast, usually in the South to North direction, short migrations among reefs, fishes that do not migrate, migrations between the shore and open ocean and migrations between the sea and coastal rivers. Fishermen’s knowledge differed among fish species: most fishermen did not know spawning places or seasons of large pelagic fishes, which raised concerns of their possible depletion. We compared such ethnoichthyological information with available scientific data, indicating promising insights about reproduction and migration of Brazilian coastal fishes. Data gathered from local fishermen may provide inexpensive and prompt information, potentially applicable to fisheries management. Our approach might be useful to several other small-scale fisheries, especially the tropical ones, where there is a high diversity of target species and a low biological and ecological knowledge about these species.     

The Disconnect Between Knowledge and Perceptions: A Study of Fishermen’s Local Ecological Knowledge and Their Perception of the State of Fisheries and How These Are Managed in the Dominican Republic

Human Ecology - Understanding what fishers know about the ecology of the fish they catch, and how they perceive the state and management of their fisheries can guide efforts towards more...     

Are the Young Less Knowledgeable? Local Knowledge of Natural Remedies and Its Transformations in the Andean Highlands

A widespread concern among ethnobiologists is the rapid process of erosion of indigenous environmental knowledge observed worldwide. This paper examines the ongoing transformations of knowledge about natural remedies in the Quechua-speaking Andes. Freelisting exercises and interviews were conducted with 36 households at Bolivian and Peruvian study sites. (Generalized) linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the effects of age on knowledge about medicinal plants, animals, minerals, and their uses. Our study demonstrates that younger participants knew as much about natural remedies as their elders. However, proportional knowledge about some medicinal use categories of natural remedies varied with age. We conclude that knowledge about natural remedies is generally not being lost at the study sites. Nevertheless, it is undergoing transformations in terms of specific medicinal uses. A careful understanding of these complex transformation processes is needed to better orient initiatives for the conservation of biocultural diversity in the Andes and elsewhere.     

Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Assess Morel Decline in the U.S. Mid–Atlantic Region

Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Assess Morel Decline in the U.S. Mid–Atlantic Region. Morels (Morchella spp.) are prized wild edible mushrooms. In the United States, morels are the focus of family traditions, local festivals, mycological society forays, and social media, as well as substantial commercial trade. A majority of the anglophone research on morels has been conducted in Europe and in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Midwest. This literature provides insights into a diverse and plastic genus, but much of its biology and ecology remains a mystery. In 2004, we initiated a study of morel mushroom harvesting in the U.S. Mid–Atlantic region in response to concerns that morels might be in decline in the national parks in that area. This paper presents results from that research with an emphasis on morel hunters’ local ecological knowledge of morel types, phenology, habitat, vegetative associations, and responses to disturbance. We conclude that experienced morel harvesters possess local ecological knowledge that complements scientific knowledge and can increase our understanding of the complex and regionally variable ecology of Morchella and inform conservation efforts.     

Who Detects Ecological Change After Catastrophic Events? Indigenous Knowledge,Social Networks,and Situated Practices

Detecting ecological change is a critical first step in the process of local-level adaptation, yet few studies have explored the factors that predict knowledge acquisition following catastrophic events. This article empirically assesses individual variation in the ability of Solomon Islanders to detect ecological change following the alteration of local, shallow-water, marine environments by a major tsunami. We compare the results of marine science surveys with local ecological knowledge of the benthos. We also examine multiple socioeconomic variables, and employ social network analysis to measure the influence of social and expert networks. Results show that villagers with salaried work who are at the intersection of local and global knowledge were the most adept at detecting tsunami-induced changes to benthic surfaces. Social networks had no statistically significant influence on villagers’ abilities to detect change. We argue that these results counter common conceptualizations of indigenous knowledge that emphasize its normative, shared, inter-generationally transmitted characteristics rather than its heterogeneity, emergence, and practical application. Our findings have implications for theory about the foundations of indigenous knowledge research and the design of disaster mitigation efforts or resource management programs that incorporate indigenous ecological knowledge.     

On the Phenomenon of “Perezhivanie”

The author presents a short historical review of the concept of “perezhivanie” beginning with L.S. Vygotsky. She compares this concept with reflection as two central concepts revealing a person's consciousness. A systemic picture of these two phenomena is elaborated by introducing a hierarchy of reflection. A further step is made that relates the “perezhivanie—reflection” system to (psychoanalytic) self-formations. Empirical studies shed light on phenomena connected to “perezhivanie.”     

What Determines Auditory Distraction? On the Roles of Local Auditory Changes and Expectation Violations

Both the acoustic variability of a distractor sequence and the degree to which it violates expectations are important determinants of auditory distraction. In four experiments we examined the relative contribution of local auditory changes on the one hand and expectation violations on the other hand in the disruption of serial recall by irrelevant sound. We present evidence for a greater disruption by auditory sequences ending in unexpected steady state distractor repetitions compared to auditory sequences with expected changing state endings even though the former contained fewer local changes. This effect was demonstrated with piano melodies (Experiment 1) and speech distractors (Experiment 2). Furthermore, it was replicated when the expectation violation occurred after the encoding of the target items (Experiment 3), indicating that the items'' maintenance in short-term memory was disrupted by attentional capture and not their encoding. This seems to be primarily due to the violation of a model of the specific auditory distractor sequences because the effect vanishes and even reverses when the experiment provides no opportunity to build up a specific neural model about the distractor sequence (Experiment 4). Nevertheless, the violation of abstract long-term knowledge about auditory regularities seems to cause a small and transient capture effect: Disruption decreased markedly over the course of the experiments indicating that participants habituated to the unexpected distractor repetitions across trials. The overall pattern of results adds to the growing literature that the degree to which auditory distractors violate situation-specific expectations is a more important determinant of auditory distraction than the degree to which a distractor sequence contains local auditory changes.     

The evolution of endothermy in terrestrial vertebrates: Who? When? Why?

Avian and mammalian endothermy results from elevated rates of resting, or routine, metabolism and enables these animals to maintain high and stable body temperatures in the face of variable ambient temperatures. Endothermy is also associated with enhanced stamina and elevated capacity for aerobic metabolism during periods of prolonged activity. These attributes of birds and mammals have greatly contributed to their widespread distribution and ecological success. Unfortunately, since few anatomical/physiological attributes linked to endothermy are preserved in fossils, the origin of endothermy among the ancestors of mammals and birds has long remained obscure. Two recent approaches provide new insight into the metabolic physiology of extinct forms. One addresses chronic (resting) metabolic rates and emphasizes the presence of nasal respiratory turbinates in virtually all extant endotherms. These structures are associated with recovery of respiratory heat and moisture in animals with high resting metabolic rates. The fossil record of nonmammalian synapsids suggests that at least two Late Permian lineages possessed incipient respiratory turbinates. In contrast, these structures appear to have been absent in dinosaurs and nonornithurine birds. Instead, nasal morphology suggests that in the avian lineage, respiratory turbinates first appeared in Cretaceous ornithurines. The other approach addresses the capacity for maximal aerobic activity and examines lung structure and ventilatory mechanisms. There is no positive evidence to support the reconstruction of a derived, avian-like parabronchial lung/air sac system in dinosaurs or nonornithurine birds. Dinosaur lungs were likely heterogenous, multicameral septate lungs with conventional, tidal ventilation, although evidence from some theropods suggests that at least this group may have had a hepatic piston mechanism of supplementary lung ventilation. This suggests that dinosaurs and nonornithurine birds generally lacked the capacity for high, avian-like levels of sustained activity, although the aerobic capacity of theropods may have exceeded that of extant ectotherms. The avian parabronchial lung/air sac system appears to be an attribute limited to ornithurine birds.     

Importance of the Sphingoid Base Length for the Membrane Properties of?Ceramides

The sphingoid bases of sphingolipids, including ceramides, can vary in length from 12 to >20 carbons. To study how such length variation affects the bilayer properties of ceramides, we synthesized ceramides consisting of a C12-, C14-, C16-, C18-, or C20-sphing-4-enin derivative coupled to palmitic acid. The ceramides were studied in mixtures with palmitoyloleoylphosphocholine (POPC) and/or palmitoylsphingomyelin (PSM), and in more complex bilayers also containing cholesterol. The trans-parinaric acid lifetimes showed that 12:1- and 14:1-PCer failed to increase the order of POPC bilayers, whereas 16:1-, 18:1-, and 20:1-PCer induced ordered- or gel-phase formation. Nevertheless, all of the analogs were able to thermally stabilize PSM, and a chain-length-dependent increase in the main phase transition temperature of equimolar PSM/Cer bilayers was revealed by differential scanning calorimetry. Similar thermal stabilization of PSM-rich domains by the ceramides was observed in POPC bilayers with a trans-parinaric acid-quenching assay. A cholestatrienol-quenching assay and sterol partitioning experiments showed that 18:1- and 20:1-PCer formed sterol-excluding gel phases with PSM, reducing the overall bilayer affinity of sterol. The effect of 16:1-PCer on sterol distribution was less dramatic, and no displacement of sterol from the PSM environment was observed with 12:1- and 14:1-PCer. The results are discussed in relation to other structural features that affect the bilayer properties of ceramides.