Building bridges between natural and social science disciplines: a standardized methodology to combine data on ecosystem quality trends

Despite a growing interest in interdisciplinary research, systematic ways of how to integrate data from different disciplines are still scarce. We argue that successful resource management relies on two key data sources: natural science data, which represents ecosystem structure and processes, and social science data, which describes people's perceptions and understanding. Both are vital, mutually complementing information sources that can underpin the development of feasible and effective policies and management interventions. To harvest the added value of combined knowledge, a uniform scaling system is needed. In this paper, we propose a standardized methodology to connect and explore different types of quantitative data from the natural and social sciences reflecting temporal trends in ecosystem quality. We demonstrate this methodology with different types of data such as fisheries stocks and mangrove cover on the one hand and community's perceptions on the other. The example data are collected from three United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere reserves and one marine park in Southeast Asia. To easily identify patterns of convergence or divergence among the datasets, we propose heat maps using colour codes and icons for language- and education-independent understandability. Finally, we discuss the limitations as well as potential implications for resource management and the accompanying communication strategies.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Nurturing resilient marine ecosystems’.

Islet cell antibodies in Sulawesi macaques

Older monkeys of the Sulawesian species Macaca nigra spontaneously develop a lesion in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans in which there is deposition of amyloid and gradual degeneration of all cells, which can lead eventually to development of diabetes mellitus. Islet cell antibodies (ICA), formed in response to the release of cellular antigens, can be used to detect the islet lesion and to monitor the progression of each monkey toward diabetes. Numerous M. nigra and one M. tonkeana in captivity have been tested, but it is unknown whether the islet lesion occurs in monkeys in their natural habitat of Sulawesi. Blood samples collected from M. maurus, M. tonkeana, and hybrid M. maurus/tonkeana were assayed for ICA. When all monkeys were considered together, 33% had ICA positive against beta cells and 14% had ICA positive against alpha and/or D cells. Appearance of ICA in blood of males was virtually the same as in females. These results are similar to those found in M. nigra examined in captivity. Since all Sulawesian species share a common genetic heritage, these results would support the appearance of this lesion in their natural habitat. Cause(s) for formation of the lesion and eventual development of diabetes are unknown. There may be genetic factors or genetic predisposition to environmental factors. If environmental factors are responsible, then they must be present not only in the wild, but either carried with the monkeys or universally available, since M. nigra born in captivity also develop the lesion and diabetes after physical maturity at ca. 7+ years.

Age-sex class differences in the positional behaviour of the Sumatran orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia

During a three-year field study of the socio-ecology of Sumatran orang-utans, their use of the canopy was investigated in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia. This paper concerns the positional behaviour of different age-sex classes of orang-utans. Adolescents and females with infants differed significantly from an adult male in the following respects: the use of locomotion types (more 'quadrumanous scrambling' and perhaps also 'quadrupedal walking' and less 'tree swaying'); substrate use during resting, and travelling and resting heights. We suggest that large body size restricts the travel route options in higher forest strata and necessitates the use of the lower stratum. Here, 'tree swaying' is an efficient method of progression, particularly for heavy animals. Mothers with infants are forced to travel in the lower zones as well. The fact that they return to a greater heights when they go to rest might suggest that they travel lower in spite of a greater predation risk.