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How a society relates to nature is shaped by the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP): a society's collective view on social, economic, political and environmental issues. The characteristics of the DSP have important consequences for natural systems and their conservation. Based on a synthesis of academic literature, this paper provides a new gradient of twelve types of human-nature relationships synthesized from scientific literature, and an analysis of where the DSP of industrialized, and more specifically, neoliberal societies fit on that gradient. We aim to answer how the industrialized DSP relates to nature, i.e. what types of human-nature relationships this DSP incorporates, and what the consequences of these relationships are for nature conservation and a sustainable future. The gradient of human-nature relationships is based on three defining characteristics 1) a nature-culture divide, 2) core values, and 3) being anthropocentric or ecocentric. We argue that the industrialized DSP includes elements of the anthropocentric relationships of mastery, utilization, detachment and stewardship. It therefore regards nature and culture as separate, is mainly driven by instrumental values, and drives detachment from and commodification of nature. Consequently, most 'green' initiatives and policies driven by an industrialized and neoliberal DSP are based on economic incentives and economic growth, without recognition of the needs and limits of natural systems. This leads to environmental degradation and social inequality, obstructing the path to a truly sustainable society. To reach a more ecocentric DSP, systemic changes, in addition to individual changes, in the political and economic structures of the industrialized DSP are needed, along with a change in values and approach towards nature, long term sustainability, and conservation.

AbstractPesticide toxicity is typically assessed by exposing model organisms to individual compounds and measuring effects on survival and reproduction. These tests are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and do not accurately capture the effect of pesticide mixtures. Moreover, it is unfeasible to screen the nearly infinite combinations of mixtures for synergistic effects on model organisms. Therefore, reliable molecular indicators of pesticide exposure have to be identified, i.e., biomarkers. These biomarkers can form the basis of rapid and economical screening procedures to assess the toxicity of pesticides even under synergistic interaction with other pollutants. In this study, we screened the expression patterns of eight genes for suitability as a biomarker for neonicotinoid exposure in the soil ecotoxicological modelFolsomia candida(springtails). Springtails were exposed to the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and thiacloprid either alone or with various levels of piperonyl butoxide (PBO), which inhibits cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs): a common point of synergistic interaction between neonicotinoid and other pesticides. First, we confirmed PBO as a potency enhancer for neonicotinoid toxicity to springtail fecundity, and then used it as a tool to confirm biomarker robustness. We identified two genes that are reliably indicative for neonicotinoid exposure even under metabolic inhibition of CYPs by PBO,nicotinic acetylcholine receptor–subunit alpha 1(nAchR) andsodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter(SMCT). These results can form the basis for developing high-throughput screening procedures for neonicotinoid exposure in varying mixture compositions.

Despite great advances, experiments concerning the response of ecosystems to climate change still face considerable challenges, including the high complexity of climate change in terms of environmental variables, constraints in the number and amplitude of climate treatment levels, and the limited scope of responses and interactions covered. Drawing on the expertise of researchers from a variety of disciplines, this Perspective outlines how computational and technological advances can help in designing experiments that can contribute to overcoming these challenges, and also outlines a first application of such an experimental design. ; We thank the Flemish government (through Hercules Stichting big infrastructure and the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders project G0H4117N) and LSM (Limburg Sterk Merk, project 271) for providing funds to build the UHasselt Ecotron; Hasselt University for both funding and policy support (project BOF12BR01 and Methusalem project 08M03VGRJ); and the ecotron research committee for comments on the experimental design. We also thank Regional Landscape Kempen and Maasland for its collaboration and support. N.W., S.L., A.N. and I.V. are funded by Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO).