Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACT Marine sponges (Phylum Porifera) are globally distributed within marine and freshwater ecosystems. In addition, sponges host dense and diverse prokaryotic communities, which are potential sources of novel bioactive metabolites and other complex compounds. Those sponge-derived natural products can span a broad spectrum of bioactivities, from antibacterial and antifungal to antitumor and antiviral compounds. However, most analyses concerning sponge-associated prokaryotes have mainly focused on conveniently accessible relatively shallow sampling locations for sponges. Hence, knowledge of community composition, host-relatedness and biotechnological potential of prokaryotic associations in temperate and cold-water sponges from greater depths (mesophotic to mesopelagic zones) is still scarce. Therefore, we analyzed the prokaryotic community diversity of four phylogenetically divergent sponge taxa from mesophotic to mesopelagic depths of Antarctic shelf at different depths and locations in the region of the South Shetland Islands using 16S rRNA gene amplicon-based sequencing. In addition, we predicted functional profiles applying Tax4Fun from metagenomic 16S rRNA gene data to estimate their biotechnological capability and possible roles as sources of novel bioactive compounds. We found indications that cold and deep-water sponges exhibit host-specific prokaryotic communities, despite different sampling sites and depths. Functional prediction analysis suggests that the associated prokaryotes may enhance the roles of sponges in biodegradation processes of xenobiotics and their involvement in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful for the excellent support of captain Thomas Wunderlich and his crew on board RV Polarstern. CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. SUPPLEMENTARY METERIAL The Supplementary Material for ...

The aim of the paper is the alignment of C.G. Jung's (1954) archetypes and Aaker's (1997) brand personality framework in the context of advertising. C.G. Jung's theories had a tremendous impact on psychology. David Aaker and his daughter Jennifer are seen by many as the branding gurus. Despite the fact that both frameworks refer to persons/personalities there is no publication linking the two frameworks. Our research tried to fill this gap by developing a joint framework combining Jung's and Aaker's attributes and apply it by analyzing two distinctively different TV commercials from Asian hotel chains. A total of 102 Executive MBA students had to watch both TV commercials and then conduct an Archetype (C.G. Jung) Indicator test and rate Brand Personality (Aaker) traits of the two commercials. Results show that there is common ground. This has implications for advertisers who may want to specify an archetype and related personality attributes for their promotional campaigns. Game changers in the hospitality sector may want to be seen as Outlaw whereas established hotel chains may position themselves as Lover with personality attributes such as welcoming, charming, and embraced.

Tropical low-land rainforests are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and provide valuable ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation. They are immensely threatened by expanding human land-use. Especially in South-East Asia, deforestation and replacement with cash crop monoculture plantations such as rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) have led to drastic losses in biodiversity and to ecosystem degradation. Recently, the research focus has increasingly extended to belowground demonstrating strong structuring effects of human land-use on soil mi...

Land-use transitions can enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers but potential economic-ecological trade-offs remain poorly understood. Here, we present an interdisciplinary study of the environmental, social and economic consequences of land-use transitions in a tropical smallholder landscape on Sumatra, Indonesia. We find widespread biodiversity-profit trade-offs resulting from land-use transitions from forest and agroforestry systems to rubber and oil palm monocultures, for 26,894 aboveground and belowground species and whole-ecosystem multidiversity. Despite variation between ecosystem functions, profit gains come at the expense of ecosystem multifunctionality, indicating far-reaching ecosystem deterioration. We identify landscape compositions that can mitigate trade-offs under optimal land-use allocation but also show that intensive monocultures always lead to higher profits. These findings suggest that, to reduce losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, changes in economic incentive structures through well-designed policies are urgently needed.