Ecocycles (E-Journal - European Ecocycles Society)
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Metabolomics - what nomenclature to use?
Full text linkThis Opinion paper was written to initiate a discussion on the nomenclature used in metabolomic studies. The paper is based on the belief that the currently used classification of metabolites as "primary" and "secondary" are inaccurate and somewhat misleading. Of the alternative names previously suggested in the literature we strongly support the use of the names "general" and "specific metabolites" as replacements of "primary" and "secondary", respectively
Rising cities: continuity, innovation and deliberation of Vauban District
Full text linkThe future of the biosphere, indeed of humanity, will be determined in the cities of the 21st century. In 2007, for the first time in history, the global urban population exceeded the global rural population (UN Habitat, 2010). The world population has remained predominantly urban ever since. Cities cover a mere 3% of the planet surface (Columbia University, 2005) but account for 60 - 80% of global energy consumption, 75% of carbon emissions (UNEP, 2012) and more than 75% of the world’s natural resources (Girardet, 2008). With the world now more than half urban and given the ecological consequences of the high-consumption urban centres (Sutto & Plunz 1991), there simply cannot be a sustainable world without sustainable cities
Future agriculture and food supply chain - not even doomsday preppers got it right
Full text linkFuture agriculture and food supply chain is one of the pillars of human survival and prosperity in the long run. The planet’s ecosystem is very fragile and influenced by a large array of very diverse natural and human factors which are frequently interdependent. Regardless of root cause, climate change, pollution and depletion of non-renewable resources and several other unfavorable processes are in place. We can argue that the increase of the average temperature is just a part of a long-term natural cycle and not the consequence of human negligence and pollution, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. The ecosystem is changed and agricultural plants might not survive the change and adopt in time. Relevant and fairly reliable indicators are available, but it seems that nobody is paying attention to those staggering numbers and trends. Doomsday preppers are well known to be a rather suspicious and concerned group of people about the reliability of future food supply chain. But even they somehow assume that agricultural production will go on, and the only problems that could occur are short run disruptions in distribution.
The main challenge for future agriculture and food supply chain is to produce more food with considerably less resources in a sustainable manner for a rapidly growing population, preferably even reducing current levels of pollution. Securing future agriculture and food supply chain is a complex task, which requires not only new technologies but also a paradigm shift in the current technological and economic system. Possibly the most important change is the change in current agricultural practices and agricultural education.
Reliability of the food system is heavily dependent on mineral oil and significant amount of transportation. Moreover, global agriculture is extremely centralized and profit oriented. Intense push of GMOs into standard agricultural practice led to severe reduction of biodiversity in agriculture. Once upon a time, countless genotypes of same varieties offered unprecedented genetic variability, which was one of the key factors of survival. Today, large GMO fields are populated with only several genotypes. In occurrence of very harmful effects for that particular genotype, whole fields could be simply wiped out. Additionally, patented genes and the domination of hybrid seeds are major obstacles for farmers’ own seeds production and provision of decentralized food production during and after possible capital disturbances of future agriculture and food supply chain. To change that situation it’s not possible to implement just partial solutions, but a paradigm shift and systematic solutions are required
Mankind is only a part of a global system, together with some valuable resources that play a crucial, but not so visible role, in the planet’s ecosystem. Forests occupy roughly one third of the earth's land surface. Because of their size, forests play a major role in the functioning of the biosphere and not only a role limited to business. Unprecedented deforestation compensates for loss of arable land, but badly influences the planet’s biosphere. It seems rather rational to get to the consensus quickly and replace the management paradigm in a sense that we govern and manage something that belongs to us, with the stewardship paradigm in a sense where we steer and cherish the most important resources, vital for our own survival
Plant nutritional and environmental aspects of organic apple production in East Hungary
Full text linkThe recent surge in interest in fruit growing without the use of agrochemicals in order to safeguard environmental and human health has led to increased awareness of organic fruit production (OFP). Despite the widespread use of the method, there is little information on its nutritional aspects, especially in Hungary. Therefore, the aim of this three-year study was to investigate the nutrient status in an organic apple management system and the impact of nutrient applications on nutrient uptake and on the environment. The research was undertaken at the orchard Fruit Research Station of the University of Debrecen in Debrecen-Pallag, Hungary, during 2009-2011. Three cultivars (’Reanda’, ’Rewena’, and ’Retina’) were selected for the study. In the plantation, only organic manure was applied (stable manure, 30 t ha-1 in 2007). The effect of organic methods was monitored by soil and leaf analyses, as well as field observations. Leaf analysis results indicated significantly lower N, K, Mn, Cu and Zn content in cultivar ‘Retina’ than in ‘Reanda’ and ‘Rewena’. Results suggested that mobility and availability were unbalanced and obstructed, especially in the case of Ca. The study also demonstrated that the lower nutrient content of soil and also the generally poorer uptake of Ca and Zn in organic apple orchards resulted in higher production risks as compared with conventional or integrated ones. We conclude that a more balanced and more efficient nutrient supply system is needed for organic farms in order to achieve good quality and profitable yield
Carbon cycle in the paleoenvironment: an abrupt increase of biogenic carbon in the end-Cretaceous atmosphere
Full text linkA knowledge of what has happened in the past seems helpful in improving the predictability of the link between global-scale phenomena and the carbon cycle; this paper therefore attempts to reconstruct the end-Cretaceous carbon cycle (65 million years ago) by means of modeling. The performed simulation suggests that a great amount (130 gigatons at least) of biogenic carbon was rapidly injected to the atmosphere. Methane originating from gas hydrate (GH) is the most likely candidate for the input of biogenic carbon at the end of the Cretaceous period because it is considered that thick GH stability zones were damaged by perturbations associated with the Chicxulub asteroid impact, and the vast amount of methane was released to the atmosphere as a gas blast. Though GH deposits are greater than other major reservoirs of carbon, these deposits are not commonly categorized as typical carbon reservoirs in terms of the global carbon cycle. How to integrate GH-related methane with well-known carbon reservoirs remains for a future study in order to improve the predictability of the future carbon cycle
Attempt to assess tourist products in rural areas based on the Kano method as basis of customer experience
Full text linkRural tourism, which is at the same time a kind of broadly understood sustainable tourism, is a concept, although widely used, difficult to define. Many researchers such as M. Jansen-Verbeke distinguish between rural tourism, agritourism and farm tourism (Jansen-Verbeken, 1990). Ecotourism is also often found in many forms with considerable ecological relevance such as tourism to national parks, to areas of high ecological sensitivity, agrotourism to organic farms, wildlife tourism/safari with educational goals, visiting touristic destinations, where sustainable living and use of ecosystem services is presented, etc. Rural tourism in our interpretation embraces all of the aforementioned is a very important part of active participation in the life of a farm, in the socio-cultural life of the village and is inherent in its connection to the natural environment. It is ecologically-oriented farming and the protection of natural and socio-cultural environments that are the foundation of ecotourism. The only significant differences that can be identified are some forms of rural tourism that do not fall into the category of ecotourism, such as alienated tourism, as well as a partial focus of ecotourism, out of cities areas but not in rural areas. In the countryside there is also a particular category of tourist stream called "bleisure" – the mixture of business and leisure, a new trend in business tourism linking work and recreation
From golden rice to drought-tolerant maize and new techniques controlling plant disease - can we expect a breakthrough in crop production?
Full text linkThis Minireview paper summarizes the views of the authors on the history and current status of golden rice – the highly promising concept of introducing new genes into existing rice strains to make them capable to accumulate beta carotene (the biochemical precursor of vitamin A) in the grain. Based on the questionable success of genetically modified organisms to achieve a significant increase in food and feed production we speculate on the possibility of a breakthrough in this area via the latest discoveries in molecular biological techniques.  
Directions the development of business tourism in Poland - issues of sustainability
Full text linkBusiness tourism in Poland has been developing since the 1990s, when the political regime changed. It is one of the many areas that have been subject to change after the historic year of 1989. However, it gained greater importance in the 21st century. There are several basic factors which have a significant impact on the development of the business tourism and the size of the supply and demand in this field of services. They are not only applicable on the Polish market, but also in the entire Europe and globally. The basic and most frequently mentioned include economic, political, social and technical factors. These determinants can be classified into two groups: macro-economic factors and regional factors (typically associated with a given destination). Poland was one of the few countries which was characterised by economic development in the last difficult years of crisis. Our country did not experience negative economic growth throughout those years. Thanks to these positive economic indicators, it was possible to keep tourism stable, both in traditional and business tourism. Poland is still a so called "emerging market" that is attractive and new direction of business travel. Therefore, the brand of Polish business tourism product should be built based on this interest