The oceans are a key element in our society, economy and environmental system.They cover over 70% of the worlds surface and contribute substantially to ecosystemservices such as climate management as well as to economic sectors such as foodproduction and tourism. While the importance of the oceans for climate changeand the society is generally acknowledged in science and literature, it is often notreflected in policy. Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) which are used to advicepolicy on carbon prices often systematically omit process and damages related tothe ocean such as ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity and changes in oceancurrents.The aim of this study is to give a more detailed perspective on ocean related processesand their role and importance for the economy under climate change and to testassumptions made in the development of IAMs - and more precisely the DynamicIntegrated Climate-Economy model also referred to as the DICE model. The initialresults of the DICE model resulted in a optimal temperature trajectory with amaximum of 4 ◦C contradicting the goals set with the Paris Agreement.This thesis is the first of its kind attempt in reviewing the most recentbiophysical evidence on climate change impacts with a focus on marine systemsand incorporating these damages to market and non-market sectors into the DICEmodel. The impacts from climate change are implemented into the DICE modelthrough economic valuation of the damages and an update of the damage function.The analysis is based on the damage function used in the original DICE2016R2model as well as the suggested update presented by Hänsel et al. (2020)The results show, that incorporating marine damages into the model yields in amajor increase in economic damages particularly in the temperature range up to 2◦C.These increased damages influence the results of the optimal temperature trajectoryand give a clear indication for a more stringent climate policy, drastically limitingthe maximum temperature increase compared to the original DICE model. / Haven är en viktig del av vårt samhälle, vår ekonomi och vårt miljösystem. De täcker över 70 % av jordens yta och bidrar väsentligt till ekosystemtjänster ekosystemtjänster som klimatstyrning samt till ekonomiska sektorer som livsmedels livsmedelsproduktion och turism. Havens betydelse för klimatförändringarna och samhället och samhället är allmänt erkänd inom vetenskap och litteratur, återspeglas den ofta inteåterspeglas ofta inte i politiken. Integrerade utvärderingsmodeller (IAM) som används för att geom koldioxidpriser utelämnar ofta systematiskt processer och skador relaterade tillhavet, t.ex. havsförsurning, förlust av biologisk mångfald och förändringar ihavsströmmar.Syftet med denna studie är att ge ett mer detaljerat perspektiv på havsrelaterade processeroch deras roll och betydelse för ekonomin under klimatförändringen samt att testaantaganden som gjorts i utvecklingen av IAM - och mer exakt den dynamiskaintegrerade klimat-ekonomimodellen, även kallad DICE-modellen. De förstaresultaten av DICE-modellen resulterade i en optimal temperaturbana med ettmaximalt 4 ◦C, vilket strider mot de mål som satts upp i Parisavtalet.Denna avhandling är den första i sitt slag som granskar de senastebiofysiska bevis på klimatförändringens effekter med fokus på marina systemoch införliva dessa skador på marknads- och icke-marknadssektorer i DICEmodellen. Effekterna av klimatförändringarna implementeras i DICE-modellengenom ekonomisk värdering av skadorna och en uppdatering av skadefunktionen.Analysen baseras på den skadefunktion som används i den ursprungliga DICE2016R2modellen samt den föreslagna uppdateringen som presenteras av Hänsel et al. (2020)Resultaten visar att införandet av marina skador i modellen leder till enstor ökning av de ekonomiska skadorna, särskilt i temperaturintervallet upp till 2◦C.Dessa ökade skador påverkar resultaten av den optimala temperaturbananoch ger en tydlig indikation på en mer stringent klimatpolitik, som drastiskt begränsarden maximala temperaturökningen jämfört med den ursprungliga DICE-modellen.

The Sharing Economy is an innovative social, economic and technological paradigm which is shaping worldwide production and consumption patterns of many industries. Its strength relies on factors of competitiveness such as the use of idle capacity, temporary access to resources without transfer of ownership, the flexibility and adaptability of its models, and the participation of a growing number of players allowed by peer-to-peer digital platforms. From the management perspective, the conditions for lasting competitiveness lies on sustainability, the paradigm integrating the supply, demand, and technological dimensions in a holistic, or ecosystem, perspective. Tourism is among the industries making extensive use of sharing digital platforms and experiencing changes that foster the sustainability debate. The PhD Thesis aims to investigate the relationships between competitiveness and sustainability in the tourism and hospitality accommodation industry in the Sharing Economy Era. Its investigation is multifaced and is addressed through three studies adopting a post-modernist perspective that builds on qualitative approaches and strategies for data collection and analysis. The Part I of the Thesis explores the Sharing Economy concept’s evolution and the sustainability issues through an in-depth review of the literature. Results reveal the leading economic-technological evolution of the paradigm over the social one, and its dual links with sustainability in relation to the extensive use of peer-to-peer digital platforms. Therefore, the evolution of the Sharing Economy activities have shown that today competitiveness is built on the interactions of an ever-increasing number of actors and factors, both off-line and on-line, within a complex ecosystem for the creation of – shared – value. The tourism industry strongly challenges this relationship between extended competition and sustainability. The Part II evaluates the competitiveness model and its evolution during the Sharing eTourism Era in the tourism and hospitality accommodation sector introducing an ecosystem perspective for the creation and distribution of shared value. Specifically, it investigates how the non-traditional and informal tourist services have affected the structure of the industry and have altered the competition among the actors, through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Results show that competitiveness is given by the balance among the complex interactions of internal and external ecosystem’s actors and factors. On a micro level this imply that businesses must adopts an ecosystem vision compensating for negative externalities which translate into the adoption of Business Models promoting sustainability for the creation of sustainable shared value. Therefore, the Part III investigates through the use of an illustrative case study how peer-to-peer digital platforms in the tourist accommodation service can boost profitability while strengthening economic, social and environmental sustainability by applying the innovative Business Model for Sustainability. The research sheds light on the complex Sharing Economy literature and lays the theoretical foundations for the implementation of managerial strategies aimed at promoting extended sustainable competition-cooperation.

Over recent decades, forest land cover is dramatically changing in European mountains and in the Alps in particular. Since the 1950s the progressive urbanization of the valleys and the abandonment of mountain and rural dwellers has intensified. More than 60% of the Trentino land, is covered by forest and mainly by high forest. This human migration have brought to a progressive shrinking of meadows and pastures due to the natural forest expansion causing a dramatic change in the landscape, the consequences of which affect biodiversity, social and cultural dynamics and landscape perception as well as ecosystem services. The objective of this research focused on the application and experimentation of advanced GIS and modeling techniques to compare aerial imagery, historical maps and data and remote sensed images to understand the past landscape changes and their dynamics in Trentino and to build future scenarios based on long-term set ofobservations. The research produced a fine scale dataset representing past forest landscape for the Trentino territory. The analysis of these output data revealed a progressive afforestation process which interested homogeneously all the Trentino territory. A future forest landscape scenarios at a detailed scale (10 m) was as well produced, to simulate the future of the forest in a protected area of Trentino, to outline if the afforestation process will continue. Along with these main output of the research, new tools for image processing and evaluation of forest changes were developed.

Asymmetric interactions and relationships between celebrities and followers, referred to as Parasocial Interactions (PSI) and Parasocial Relationships (PSR), respectively, have been extensively studied within the context of TV, radio and print media. However, within the Social Media (SM) ecosystem - where follower engagement and experience flow seamlessly across multiple SM tools/platforms - the nature of PSI and PSR is changing and research within this context is still nascent. Using Identity Theory and Motivational Theory, this dissertation analyses the impact active/passive engagement and compulsive use of the SM ecosystem can have in the formation of PSI and PSR. Specifically, the goal of this research is to understand how different types of engagement (passive and active) can influence parasocial relationships (friendship and love) through the mediation of cognitive and behavioural parasocial interactions. A model is proposed and validated with 294 respondents. The findings show that passive engagement in the SM ecosystem does not impact PSI/PSR while active engagement significantly impacts PSI and the consequent PSR formation. Compulsive use of the SM ecosystem strongly attenuates the relationships between PSI and PSR. Contributions and implications for both theory and practice are discussed. / Thesis / Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Determining where, when, and how subsurface flow affects soil processes and the resulting arrangement of soil development along flow paths is challenging. While hydrologic regime and soil solution acidity are known to influence weathering rates and soil transformation processes, an integrated understanding of these factors together is still lacking. This dissertation explores the effects of subsurface flow on the mobility and distribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and base cations to explain spatial patterns in chemical weathering in a forested headwater catchment. In the first chapter, relationships between hydrologic behavior, fluxes of weathered elements, and the extent of soil elemental loss across landscape positions are established. The second chapter investigates what specific groundwater behavior best explains spatial patterns in solution DOC concentrations during storm events. Lastly, in the third chapter, near surface saturation dynamics are examined to determine when and where DOC mobilization might be enhanced by subsurface flow. Results show that weathering extent was greatest in the upper reaches of the catchment, where O horizon saturation frequency and DOC concentrations are highest. Annual base cation fluxes, which were also greatest in these positions, could indicate where weathering is likely still enhanced. Additionally, while O horizon saturation occurred across the catchment, spatial differences in DOC concentrations suggest there are other sources of acidity to groundwater solutions other than just leaching from O horizons. Shallow organic soils, near bedrock outcrops at the top of the catchment is likely this additional C source, in which drainage water is transported downslope to nearby mineral soils when water tables are high and hydrologic connectivity between soils is increased. Spring and fall storm events were identified as times when groundwater most frequently reached O horizons during the snow-free year, providing insight into the timing of these processes throughout the year. This dissertation highlights how catchment structure mediates DOC flushing events, which in turn, influences the spatial architecture of soil development and chemical weathering processes across the landscape. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores how the movement and chemistry of groundwater influences chemical weathering in forest soils. Chemical weathering is an important process in which rocks and soils are broken down into soil nutrients and water-soluble elements. The control of weathering processes by spatial and temporal differences in water behavior across landscapes is not well understood. To address these knowledge gaps, this dissertation measured groundwater fluctuations, solution chemistry, and nutrient fluxes across a mountainous forested landscape. Results from this work found that areas with more frequent flushing of organic matter-rich soil horizons increases groundwater acidity, which can enhance weathering processes. Flushing frequency of organic horizons and soil nutrient fluxes were greatest in the highest elevation portions of the landscape, where soils were most weathered (greatest loss of soil nutrients). This study revealed that flushing events occurred most frequently in spring and fall storm events during the snow-free year, shedding light on the when weathering might be most enhanced. Overall, this research demonstrates that topographic graphic position described differences in catchment groundwater behavior and solution acidity, which contributes to predictable patterns of weathering and soil development across the landscape.

Mining interspecies interactions remain a challenge due to the complex nature of microbial communities and the need for computational power to handle big data. Our meta-analysis indicates that genetic potential alone does not resolve all issues involving mining of microbial interactions. Nevertheless, it can be used as the starting point to infer synergistic interspecies interactions and to limit the search space (i.e., number of species and metabolic reactions) to a manageable size. A reduced search space decreases the number of additional experiments necessary to validate the inferred putative interactions. As validation experiments, we examine how multi-omics and state of the art imaging techniques may further improve our understanding of species interactions’ role in ecosystem processes. Finally, we analyze pros and cons from the current methods to infer microbial interactions from genetic potential and propose a new theoretical framework based on: (i) genomic information of key members of a community; (ii) information of ecosystem processes involved with a specific hypothesis or research question; (iii) the ability to identify putative species’ contributions to ecosystem processes of interest; and, (iv) validation of putative microbial interactions through integration of other data sources.

Urban landscapes are complex social-ecological systems comprising human and natural elements and their interactions. A key priority for research in these landscapes is understanding how humans affect the presence and abundance of wild organisms and how those organisms, in turn, provide ecosystem services that affect humans. In this dissertation, I use two field studies to understand the ecosystem services provided by urban animals in green spaces across Philadelphia and in a third study I investigate geographic bias in where urban animals have been studied in the United States. For the first study, I use a functional trait approach to examine how urban bird communities respond to landscape- and local-scale habitat and how community composition corresponds to potential ecosystem services. I show that the landscape-scale context of a green space has a stronger influence on species’ abundances than local-scale habitat. As a result, the effect traits associated with cultural and regulating ecosystem services varied strongly along the landscape-scale gradient of urbanization. Local-scale variation in habitat had little effect. The importance of landscape-scale habitat in driving the supply of bird-mediated ecosystem services underscores the importance of regional urban planning for green spaces.In the second study, I use a field experiment to determine the drivers of an understudied ecosystem service – the removal of littered food waste by birds and squirrels. I recorded food removal activity by animals in green spaces across Philadelphia and found that Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are the main driver of this service. With increased squirrel abundance, removal level is higher and is both initiated and completed more quickly. This service is also context dependent, such that more food is removed in urban parks and picnic areas, where animals are presumably accustomed to consuming anthropogenic foods. These results highlight the importance of animal behavior, and factors that affect it, for the supply of ecosystem services. In my third study, I take a geographic approach to identifying bias in the study of animals in urban landscapes. Our knowledge of urban ecosystems in the United States is based on hundreds of field studies and thousands of individual field sites, but the distribution of these sites has never been examined. I reviewed the literature and mapped field sites to assess geographic bias in the location of urban ecology field sites. At a national scale, I find that urban ecologists tend to work in larger cities, especially those that are less socioeconomically vulnerable (more affluent). I also find that the social-ecological attributes of the neighborhoods in which ecologists work depends on the framing of their study as well as the focal taxa and functional groups studied. Overall, the neighborhoods where marginalized people live are an underexplored segment of the urban landscape. This is the first study to identify geographic biases in urban ecology field sites and provides a basis for future urban ecology research that produces knowledge applicable to all cities and neighborhoods. / Biology

The constant change in today's business environment has brought about the need for S.M.E.s to contend with more dynamic, complicated, and global business environments, making it hard to maintain competitiveness. It is broadly acknowledged that SMEs face comparable constraints, such as limited human, financial, and informational resources. With the rising global freedom of industrial and commercial operations, the Internationalization of business affects both big and small companies as firms' performance depends on the participation of other role players and internal and external considerations. The importance of the parent-subsidiary company relationship that was so prevalent in the past has dissipated, giving way to more flexible contractual arrangements formulae that enable more effective utilization of competitive advantages in changing circumstances. In this context, the term "business ecosystem" is commonly employed. Therefore, this study examines if the business ecosystem adoption is a feasible strategy for S.M.E.s growth and internationalization. Also, the study examined the business ecosystem from the viewpoint of co-opetition and network theories. The research made use of a qualitative case study of S.M.E.s in Nigeria's Lagos state with the aid of thematic analysis for data interpretation and analysis. The data was collected from six executives of thriving businesses involved in collaborative business activities and international presence by conducting semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that the business ecosystem approach is feasible for the internationalization and growth of S.M.E.s and necessitate collaborations with other firms (complementors and competitors). The link to internationalization is created via networks and co-opetition, which emphasize relationship building in a disruptive corporate environment. It further emphasizes the importance of networking for information gathering, relationship building, and value co-creation in the business ecosystem context. The study contributes to theory by explaining how the theories of business ecosystem and internationalization are inextricably linked. Also, the implementation of the business ecosystem will grant SMEs the access to resources needed to grow and improve business activities for sustainability and market information (local & international) through networking and collaboration.

Agroecosystem sustainability as a framework for agriculture production systems requires attention to detail to multiple facets of the underlying production system. Production systems must achieve optimal cash crop yields while remaining profitable. Likewise, production practices must be tailored to reduce its environmental footprint. Identifying practices that encourage improved soil physical and chemical properties while maintaining yields have largely been challenging. Cover crops have been an integral part of the conversation regarding practices that can generally improve those properties of soil responsible for overall soil health. Use of winter cereal cover crops (WCCC’s) have shown promise as a tool for reducing soil and nutrient run-off, thereby reducing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nonpoint source pollution in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). However, corn-cash crop yield penalties are often incurred following the use of WCCC’s such as winter cereal rye (Secale cereal) (WCR), as N is immobilized by cover crop residues in the decomposition processes. Additionally, traditional planting methods of cover crops have resulted in reductions of harvestable populations of corn and soybeans. These problems indicate a necessity for novel cover crop planting methods that reduce the consequential outcomes of implementing traditional cover crop practices. Using a method called “Skipping the corn row” (STCR), otherwise identified as “precision planted” cover crops, we aimed to reduce the cash crop yield-limiting interactions of cover crop residues within the cash crop row. We hypothesized that removing cover crop biomass from the subsequently planted cash crop row (chapter 1) could minimize N immobilization by residues, thereby increasing our subsequent yield potential and economic optimum return to N (EORN). In novel cover crop planting methods preceding soybeans (chapter 3), our hypothesis indicated that mixtures of WCR and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) would impact biomass accumulation of weed communities, while novel measures that allowed for reduced seeding rates would permit competitive soybean yields while reducing input costs for cover crop seed. Chapter 2 focused on interseeding mixtures of WCR and crimson clover, where we hypothesized that residual rates would marginally impact percent cover of WCR and crimson clover mixtures. Our results indicated, in chapter one, that reducing seeding rate by using STCR planting method did indeed drive seed cost savings while improving yield and EORN in comparison to a traditionally planted cover crop. Our results in chapter 3 also indicated reduced seeding rates found in novel planting methods improved the on-farm economics of using cover crops while maintaining healthy soybean yields. Lower-than-average rainfall accumulations later in the growing season coupled with cover crop residues likely influenced soil moisture retention, benefiting the cash crop during the dry spell, helping maintain yields. Interseeding methods, as studied in chapter 2, did not show any significant impact on corn grain yield or yield components. Subsequently, half- and full-rate residual herbicides did not impact percent cover of cover crops. However, use of residual herbicides should be consistent with all herbicide labels and laws, and producers should use label-recommended amounts to maintain maximum efficacy of herbicides and to prevent resistant weed populations. Also, interseeded cover crops failed to successfully establish, resulting in minimal cover crop biomass in later sampling dates.

Since the 1980s, approaches to managing forest resources in the US and around the world have been shifting from the conventional sustained yield approach towards ecosystem management. Ecosystem management is a resource management paradigm that seeks to employ a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to landscape scale conservation, as well as the integration of socio-economic and biophysical considerations with the overall goal of enhancing the health and resilience of coupled social-ecological systems. While the role of natural resource conflicts as drivers of the transition towards ecosystem management has received some research attention, the potential roles of ecosystem management in emerging natural resource conflicts have not been adequately explored. The effective implementation of ecosystem management requires adaptive governance mechanisms capable of integrating diverse stakeholder values and knowledge systems across scales. The absence of such institutional mechanisms could contribute to the emergence of wicked problems – a class of problems that defy clear definitions and definitive solutions. Using the Shawnee National Forest as a case study, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the role of natural resource conflicts in the transition towards ecosystem management, as well as the consequences of ecosystem management on emerging resource conflicts. The study also aimed to assess the extent to which the approaches and strategies used in managing natural resource conflicts meet the institutional requirements for managing wicked problems. In this regard, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 among 24 key informants representing the US Forest Service and relevant stakeholder groups, such as environmental groups, recreationists, and local businesses. The interviews were preceded by a review of documents to understand the context of changing forest policies and evolving conflicts in the Shawnee National Forest since the 1980s. The data were analyzed with the NVivo software using a deductive coding approach. The results showed that the transition towards ecosystem-based forest management in the Shawnee National Forest was primarily triggered by conflicts between environmental groups and the US Forest Service over timber harvesting. Although the institutional framework for alternative dispute resolution existed at the time, these conflicts were largely managed through the national legal system. Since the transition to ecosystem management with the adoption of the 2006 Forest Plan, new conflicts have emerged, this time, mostly among various recreational groups. The lifting of the injunction on timber harvesting and the increased focus of the US Forest Service on active forest management as part of forest restoration efforts appear to have set the stage for the potential re-emergence of conflicts over timber harvesting. Regarding conflict management, the use of alternative conflict management techniques, such as negotiation and mediation have received increased attention since the adoption of the 2006 Forest Plan, although the effectiveness of these processes has been hampered by various institutional and attitudinal constraints, including conflicting procedural requirements, limited capacity, and lack of agency commitment towards meaningful stakeholder engagement. Meanwhile, the fear of lawsuits continues to shape forest management decisions on the Shawnee National Forest. These findings highlight the inadequacy of the national legal system in managing wicked problems and they highlight the need for investments in effective institutional mechanisms for conflict management, such as adaptive governance.