The major objective of this thesis are carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes and their pedagogical and educational usage addressing students of elementary and grammar schools. The first part provides a general description of the Nepenthes plants, often called tropical pitcher plants due to their pitcher-shaped leaves that function as a passive pitfall trap. Moreover, the field research on the Nepenthes digestive fluid acidity was undertaken at Borneo. Plant's acidity was measured by the pH meter with glass electrode. The results obtained prove pH level differences for various Nepenthes species. In addition, pH level differences in between the fluid from freshly opened pitcher and an older fluid were observed. All results are cross-validated with the values reported in literature. On the basis of the results of the field research, didactic part is assembled. The didactic part consists of the Nepenthes general description and proposal of educational activities aiming at the botany popularization in elementary and grammar schools. Subsequently, the method proposed is tested in biology classes of the second grade of elementary school. The results reveal a positive influence of the method on student's interest in botany.

To prevent damage to the cabin crew an optimal coffee- and teapot in a number of aspects in airline catering was developed, so called “SAS-kannan”. It was launched in 1980 and has been manufactured in over 300 000 copies, which has worn out the mold and it is in need of replacement. The mold is advanced and it will be expensive to manufacture a new one. August Lundh who is the manufacture of “SAS-kannan” today, want to develop a new product for serving drinks with a cost-effective manufacturing. It should involve the positive qualities on the “SAS-kannan” and be adapted to today's airline catering. The objective of the thesis was to develop an ergonomic and functional product for serving cold drinks with cost-effective production and the adaptation to today's storage trolleys on aircrafts. The research began with a comprehensive theoretical framework consisting of scientific articles and academic approved books. Interviews were made to complement the theoretical framework and primary data was collected. All the gathered information was examined in the next step to ensure the validity and reliability. A case study was conducted at August Lundh by a product development that was based on the examined information. To do more detailed tests 3Dprintings were created of each development. The result was a pitcher that is designed to enable an uncomplicated and ergonomic use. It is also adapted for efficient and stable storage in the ATLASboxes, easy filling of the beverage and washing. The pitcher holds 1.5 liters and is a perfect combination of the number of servings, refills of the pitcher and a low weight. The pitcher is made with injection molding and is made out of the Bisfenol A free plastic Tritan. The grip is designed to give the pitcher an ergonomic use for different sized hands and it is symmetrical to allow equal use of both left and right handed. The spout provides a controlled and even beam, and a drip free serving by cutting the beam properly. The spout is designed so that the pitcher only needs to be tilted 90 degrees from an upright position to be emptied. The lid is a separate part which is put on the pitcher with press-fit and it helps to control the beam during serving and to prevent spills in case of turbulence. The authors believe that the objective has been accomplished by a thorough theoretical framework and an empirical study through interviews and a case study. / För att förhindra skador på kabinpersonal utvecklades SAS-kannan som var en optimal kaffe- och tekanna i ett flertal aspekter inom flygcatering. Den lanserades på 1980-talet och har idag tillverkats i över 300 000 exemplar vilket har medfört att formverktyget blivit slitet och är i behov av att bytas ut. Det befintliga formverktyget är avancerat och det blir dyrt att tillverka ett nytt. August Lundh som idag tillverkar SAS-kannan vill därför utveckla en ny produkt för servering av dryck med en kostnadseffektiv tillverkning. Den ska kunna jämföras med SASkannans positiva egenskaper och vara anpassad för dagens flygcatering. Syftet med examensarbetet var att ta fram en ergonomisk och funktionell produkt för servering av kall dryck med kostnadseffektiv tillverkning samt anpassning till dagens förvaring i serveringsvagnar på flygplan. Forskningsprocessen påbörjades med en omfattande teoretisk referensram bestående av vetenskapliga artiklar och akademiskt godkända böcker. Intervjuer gjordes för att komplettera den teoretiska referensramen och primärdata samlades in. All insamlad information granskades i nästa steg för att säkerställa validiteten och reliabiliteten. En fallstudie utfördes hos August Lundh i form av en produktutveckling som var baserad på den granskade informationen. För att kunna göra utförligare tester skapades 3D-utskrifter av varje utveckling. Resultatet blev en kanna som är utformad för att möjliggöra en enkel och ergonomisk användning. Den är även anpassad för effektiv och stabil förvaring i ATLAS-lådor, enkel påfyllning av dryck samt rengöring. Då kannan rymmer 1,5 liter ger det en perfekt kombination av antal serveringar, påfyllningar av kannan samt en låg vikt. Kannan är formsprutad och är tillverkad i den Bisfenol A-fria plasten Tritan. Greppet är utformat för att ge kannan en ergonomisk användning för olika stora händer och är symmetrisk för att möjliggöra lika användning av både höger- och vänsterhänta. Pipen ger en kontrollerad och jämn stråle samt en droppfri servering genom att skära av strålen ordentligt. Pipen är utformad så att kannan endast behöver vinklas 90 grader från upprätt läge för att kunna tömmas. Locket är en separat del som sätts på kannan med presspassning och hjälper till att kontrollera strålen under servering samt förhindra spill vid eventuell turbulens. Författarna anser att syftet har uppfyllts genom att en grundlig teoretisk referensram och en empirisk studie genom intervjuer och en fallstudie utfördes.

Plants and insects are some of the most biodiverse groups in the world and are constantly interacting. One unique interaction that has been observed occurs between carnivorous plants and insects; some plant species are capable of capturing and digesting insects for nutrients. Despite preying on these insects, there are cases where such interactions can been viewed as mutualistic. For instance, a nectar reward is produced by the plant to attract insects, and during visitation insects may fall prey to these plants. Additionally, carnivorous myrmecophytic plants may receive an added indirect benefit in the form of reduced herbivory, since ants have the ability to indirectly protect and drive off herbivores from the plant. However, this type of indirect defensive benefit has been rarely observed in carnivorous plants. To determine the nature of the relationship between carnivorous plants and ants, a predator-exclusion experiment was performed in situ using a natural population of the hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia minor. The presence of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, was manipulated in the pitcher plant population to determine if the presence of this non-native ant affects the survival and growth of this carnivorous pitcher plant. From June-November 2014 mean pitcher height and width, number of pitchers, and proportion of pitchers with herbivory present was recorded monthly. Results indicated that pitcher width (p = .042) and the number of pitchers (p = .038) was significantly lower when the presence of S. invicta was reduced. Specifically, the limited presence of S. invicta led to a 21% reduction in mean number of pitchers and a 2.2% reduction in mean pitcher width. This indicated that this non-native ant does provide a direct nutritional benefit for the plant. However, the presence of the ant had no effect on pitcher height and the proportion of pitchers with herbivory present. But, when the proportion of pitchers with herbivory present was compared to a previous native ant study, herbivory proportions where similar or lower when taking the number of ants present into account. This suggests that this non-native ant and native ants equally provide defensive benefits for this native threatened species. Overall, this studied illustrated that carnivorous plants may exhibit similar multiple benefits from a single interaction with a non-native insect that is both prey and provides defense against herbivores.

As political debate over the overexploitation of fish stocks rages on, UBC’s Fisheries Centre is targeting the responsible management of aquatic ecosystems from multiple perspectives.