pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases

Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease is detected, and plan subsequent actions that are conditional on disease emergence. We identify four main obstacles to developing proactive management strategies for the newly discovered salamander pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). Given that uncertainty is a hallmark of wildlife disease management and that associated decisions are often complicated by multiple competing objectives, we advocate using decision analysis to create and evaluate trade-offs between proactive (pre-emergence) and reactive (post-emergence) management options. Policy makers and natural resource agency personnel can apply principles from decision analysis to improve strategies for countering emerging infectious diseases
Can we manage coastal ecosystems to sequester more blue carbon?

To promote the sequestration of blue carbon, resource managers rely on best-management practices that have historically included protecting and restoring vegetated coastal habitats (seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves), but are now beginning to incorporate catchment-level approaches. Drawing upon knowledge from a broad range of environmental variables that influence blue carbon sequestration, including warming, carbon dioxide levels, water depth, nutrients, runoff, bioturbation, physical disturbances, and tidal exchange, we discuss three potential management strategies that hold promise for optimizing coastal blue carbon sequestration: (1) reducing anthropogenic nutrient inputs, (2) reinstating top-down control of bioturbator populations, and (3) restoring hydrology. By means of case studies, we explore how these three strategies can minimize blue carbon losses and maximize gains. A key research priority is to more accurately quantify the impacts of these strategies on atmospheric greenhouse-gas emissions in different settings at landscape scales
Bark beetles as agents of change in  social–ecological systems

Due  to  recent  outbreaks  of  native  bark  beetles,  forest  ecosystems  have  experienced  substantial  changes  in  landscape structure and function, which also affect nearby human populations. As a result, land managers have  been  tasked  with  sustaining  ecosystem  services  in  impacted  areas  by  considering  the  best  available  science, public perceptions, and monitoring data to develop strategies to suppress bark beetle epidemics, and in some cases to restore affected lands and ecosystem services. The effects of bark beetle outbreaks are often detrimental to the provision of ecosystem services, including degraded landscape aesthetics and diminished air  and  water  quality.  However,  there  have  been  instances  where  bark  beetle  outbreaks  have  benefited  communities by, for example, improving habitat for grazing animals and enhancing real- estate values. As a consequence of the interaction of a warming climate and susceptible forest stand conditions, the frequency, severity, and extent of bark beetle outbreaks are expected to increase and therefore will continue to challenge many social–ecological systems. We synthesize experiences from recent outbreaks to encourage knowledge transfer from previously impacted communities to potentially vulnerable locations that may be at risk from future bark beetle epidemic
Global importance of vertebrate pollinators for plant reproductive success: a meta-analysis

Vertebrate pollinators are increasingly threatened worldwide, but little is known about the potential consequences of their declines for plants and wider ecosystems. We present the first global assessment of the importance of vertebrate pollinators for zoophilous plant reproduction. Our meta-analysis of 126 experiments on plants revealed that excluding vertebrate pollinators reduced fruit and/or seed production by 63% on average. We found bat-pollinated plants to be more dependent on pollinators than bird-pollinated plants (an average 84% reduction in fruit/seed production when bats were being excluded, compared to 46% when birds were excluded). Dependence on vertebrate pollinators for fruit/seed production was greater in the tropics than at higher latitudes. With such a large potential impact of vertebrate pollinator loss, there is a clear need for prompt, effective conservation action for threatened flower-visiting vertebrate species. More research is needed on how such changes might affect wider ecosystems
Leopards provide public health benefits in Mumbai, India

Populations of large carnivores are often suppressed in human-dominated landscapes because they can kill or injure people and domestic animals. However, carnivores can also provide beneficial services to human societies, even in urban environments. We examined the services provided by leopards (Panthera pardus) to the residents of Mumbai, India, one of the world\u27s largest cities. We suggest that by preying on stray dogs, leopards reduce the number of people bitten by dogs, the risk of rabies transmission, and the costs associated with dog sterilization and management. Under one set of assumptions, the presence of leopards in this highly urbanized area could save up to 90 human lives per year. A further indirect benefit of leopard presence may be an increase in local abundance of other wildlife species that would otherwise be predated by dogs. The effective conservation of carnivores in human-dominated landscapes involves difficult trade-offs between human safety and conservation concerns. Quantitative assessments of how large carnivores negatively and positively affect urban ecosystems are critical, along with improved education of local communities about large carnivores and their impacts
Shifting baseline syndrome: causes, consequences and implications

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.With ongoing environmental degradation at local, regional, and global scales, people's accepted thresholds for environmental conditions are continually being lowered. In the absence of past information or experience with historical conditions, members of each new generation accept the situation in which they were raised as being normal. This psychological and sociological phenomenon is termed shifting baseline syndrome (SBS), which is increasingly recognized as one of the fundamental obstacles to addressing a wide range of today's global environmental issues. Yet our understanding of this phenomenon remains incomplete. We provide an overview of the nature and extent of SBS and propose a conceptual framework for understanding its causes, consequences, and implications. We suggest that there are several self‐reinforcing feedback loops that allow the consequences of SBS to further accelerate SBS through progressive environmental degradation. Such negative implications highlight the urgent need to dedicate considerable effort to preventing and ultimately reversing SBS.MS was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant no. 16K00631), and KJG by the Natural Environment Research Council (grant no. NE/J015237/1)
The case for evidence-based policy to support stress-resilient cropping systems

Research and the dissemination of evidence-based guidelines for best practice in crop production are fundamental for the protection of our crop yields against biotic and abiotic threats, and for meeting ambitious food production targets by 2050. The advances in knowledge required for sustaining crop productivity targets will be gained through three research tracks: (1) basic strategic research in the field, for example, crop breeding, agronomy, and advanced phenotyping; (2) translational research involving the application of advances in fundamental science; and (3) pure fundamental research to fuel future translational research. We propose that policy and funding structures need to be improved to facilitate and encourage more interactions between scientists involved in all three research tracks, and also between researchers and farmers, to improve the effectiveness of delivering improvements in crop stress resilience. History illustrates that it is challenging for public researchers to “stretch across” all of these research tracks, with effective farm-level solutions being more likely when end-users and industry are directly engaged in the research pipeline. As research proceeds from fundamental through to applied research, the demand for experimental rigor and a wider understanding of appropriate methods and outcomes is paramount, that is, demonstrating value in yield at the field level requires the input of experienced practitioners from each research track. The development of evidence-based policies to support all funding structures and the engagement of producers with both the development of research, and with the findings of such research, will form an important capability in meeting food security targets. This commentary, concentrating on the development of policies to support research and its dissemination, is based on discussions held at the Stress Resilience Symposium organized by the Global Plant Council and Society of Experimental Biology in October 2015.Matthew Gilliham, Scott Chapman, Lisa Martin, Sarah Jose and Ruth Basto
Integrating islands of knowledge for greater synergy and efficiency in crop research

A transnational approach to plant science is required to address global challenges such as food security and climate change. Action from the plant, crop and agricultural science communities will be required to meet these challenges. Islands of knowledge (e.g. crop, discipline, scale, environment, organization) need to be better integrated. Mapping is needed to identify gaps and make connections between these islands. Translational research, spanning from the molecular to farm scale, should be the focus. We need more `integrators' to manage complex global projects and integration should be recognized as an important skill in itself. We need to advocate teamwork over individuality - and reward teams. Impact should be taken much more seriously as an outcome and we need to better understand impact pathways. Focusing on key game-changers will more likely lead to impact rather than attempting to do everything
Root imaging showing comparisons in root distribution and ontogeny in novel Festulolium populations and closely related perennial ryegrass varieties

The incorporation of new sophisticated phenotyping technologies within a crop improvement program allows for a plant breeding strategy that can include selections
for major root traits previously inaccessible due to the challenges in their phenotype assessment. High-throughput precision phenotyping technology is employed to evaluate root ontogeny and progressive changes to root architecture of both novel amphiploid and introgression lines of Festulolium over four consecutive months of the growing season and these compared under the same time frame to that of closely
related perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) varieties. Root imaging using conventional photography and assembled multiple merged images was used to compare frequencies in root number, their distribution within 0–20 and 20–40 cm depths within soil columns, and progressive changes over time. The Festulolium hybrids had more extensive root systems in comparison with L. perenne, and this was especially evident
at depth. It was shown that the acquisition of extensive root systems in Festulolium hybrids was not dependent on the presence of an entire Festuca genome. On the contrary, the most pronounced effect on root development within the four Festulolium populations studied was observed in the introgression line Bx509, where a single small genome sequence from F. arundinacea had been previously transferred onto its homoeologous site on the long arm of chromosome 3 of an otherwise complete L. perenne genome. This demonstrates that a targeted introgression-breeding approach may be sufficient to confer a significant improvement in the root morphology in Lolium without a significant compromise to its genome integrity. The forage production of Bx509 was either higher (months 1–3) or equivalent to (month 4) that of
its L. perenne parent control demonstrating that the enhanced root development achieved by the introgression line was without compromise to its agronomic
performance
Photosynthesis and growth in diverse willow genotypes

During a study of the contribution of photosynthetic traits to biomass yield among 11 diverse species of willow, the light and CO2 dependence of photosynthesis were found to differ, with absolute rates at ambient and saturating CO2, together with maximum rates of Rubsico‐limited and electron‐transport‐limited photosynthesis (Vcmax and J, respectively) varying by factors in excess of 2 between the extremes of performance. In spite of this, the ratio, J/Vcmax – indicative of the relative investment of resource into RuBP regeneration and RuBP carboxylation – was found to fall within a narrow range (1.9–2.5) for all genotypes over two successive years. Photosynthetic rate (μmol CO2 fixed m−2 sec−1) showed a strong, inverse correlation with total leaf area per plant. Photosynthetic capacity, expressed on a leaf area basis, showed a strong, positive correlation with yield among some of the species, but when expressed on a whole plant basis all species indicated a positive correlation with yield. Thus, both leaf area per plant and photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area contribute to this relationship. The abundance and kinetic characteristics of Rubisco play a pivotal role in determining photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area and so were determined for the chosen willow species, in parallel with Rubisco large subunit (LSU) gene sequencing. Significant differences in the rate constants for carboxylation and oxygenation as well as the affinity for CO2 were identified, and rationalized in terms of LSU sequence polymorphism. Those LSU sequences with isoleucine instead of methionine at residue 309 had up to 29% higher carboxylase rate constants. Furthermore, the A/Ci curves predicted from each distinct set of Rubisco kinetic parameters under otherwise identical conditions indicated substantial differences in photosynthetic performance. Thus, genetic traits relating specifically to Rubisco and by implication to photosynthetic performance were also identified
The potential of novel Festulolium (2n=4x=28) hybrids as productive, nutrient-use-efficient fodder for ruminants

Humphreys, M. W., O'Donovan, S. A., Farrell, M. S., Gay, A. P., Kingston-Smith, A. H. (2014). The potential of novel Festulolium (2n=4x=28) hybrids as productive, nutrient-use-efficient fodder for ruminants.Food and Energy Security, 3(2), 98-110.The field performance and potential future use of F1 Lolium multiflorum and Lolium perenne ? Festuca arundinacea var. glaucescens and Festuca mairei hybrids (2n = 4x = 28) are described. Foliar trait expression in the hybrids was largely determined by the Lolium rather than their Festuca parent ensuring maintenance of high-forage quality. All four Festulolium populations comprised high-yielding genotypes, but the L. multiflorum populations were particularly erect and tall, while the L. perenne populations had significantly higher numbers of tillers and were prostrate. Forage yields of the Festulolium populations assessed in field plot trials were either not significantly different from, or were superior to leading L. multiflorum and L. perenne cultivars used as controls. Endogenous plant proteases contribute to excessive proteolysis in the rumen which causes environmental N pollution. Protein degradation due to plant-mediated proteolysis was assessed by in vitro exposure of leaves to the environmental conditions of the rumen (39?C, anaerobic) and calculated based on the time taken for protein levels to be reduced to half their original levels (t?). Leaf proteins were significantly more stable in L. multiflorum ? F. arundinacea var. glaucescens and L. perenne ? F. arundinacea var. glaucescens F1 hybrids (t? 18?21 h) than in their respective Lolium parental genotypes (t? 4?5 h), and there was a highly significant genome interaction. The t? in the majority of the L. multiflorum ? F. arundinacea var. glaucescens F1 hybrids studied often exceeded 24 h, whereas t? of their Lolium and Festuca parents was consistently <14 h. Although inferior to the F1, F. arundinacea var. glaucescens genotypes tested had significantly greater t? than L. perenne under rumen-simulated conditions. Significant variation in protein stability was apparent within the F1 and their respective parent species' groups. The initial protein content of the F1 hybrids was lower than their respective parents, but following 24-h exposure to anoxia at 39?C, the protein content of both parent and hybrid genotypes was similar. The differences in protein stability between parental and hybrid genotypes was due to the greater rate of protein decline observed in the Lolium genotypes. Hence, uptake of these Festulolium hybrids as forage crops has potential to directly mitigate environmental impact of livestock farming without affecting production capacity.publishersversionPeer reviewe
Unseen dangers of inappropriate legislation in agriculture

World food production is increasingly threatened by a range of factors, such as climate, water, other natural resources, and land availability, which can potentially limit our ability to produce food crops. Thus, it is very important that we maximize yields whenever possible and this includes protecting crops from pests, diseases, and weeds which can significantly reduce yields (European Crop Protection Agency  2015 ), often after expensive inputs in time and resource have been invested. At present, and in my view for the foreseeable future, such crop protection relies on the use of chemical pesticides, especially for “firefighting” when other control measures fail
Food security through translational biology between wheat and rice

Wheat and rice are the most important food crops in agriculture providing around 50% of all calories consumed in the human diet. While both are C3 species, the evolution and domestication of wheat and rice occurred in very different environments, resulting in diverse anatomical and metabolic adaptation. This review focuses on the current understanding of their adaptation in an agronomic context. The similarities and differences between wheat and rice are discussed, focusing on traits related to phenology, photosynthesis, assimilate partitioning, and lodging resistance, these being the main abiotic drivers of yield expression in most agro-ecosystems. Currently, there are significant knowledge gaps in the major biological processes that account not only for differential adaption among cultivars within each species, but even between the two species. By addressing what is known as well as where gaps exist in a comparative context, this review aims to highlight translational research approaches that could provide insights into the genetic improvement of both crops. (Résumé d'auteur
Diversification and use of bioenergy to maintain future grasslands

Grassland agriculture is experiencing a number of threats including declining profitability and loss of area to other land uses including expansion of the built environment as well as from cropland and forestry. The use of grassland as a natural resource either in terms of existing vegetation and land cover or planting of new species for bioenergy and other nonfood applications presents an opportunity, and potential solution, to maintain the broader ecosystem services that perennial grasslands provide as well as to improve the options for grassland farmers and their communities. This paper brings together different grass or grassland-based studies and considers them as part of a continuum of strategies that, when also combined with improvements in grassland production systems, will improve the overall efficiency of grasslands as an important natural resource and enable a greater area to be managed, replanted or conserved. These diversification options relate to those most likely to be available to farmers and land owners in the marginally economic or uneconomic grasslands of middle to northern Europe and specifically in the UK. Grasslands represent the predominant global land use and so these strategies are likely to be relevant to other areas although the grass species used may vary. The options covered include the use of biomass derived from the management of grasses in the urban and semi urban environment, semi-natural grassland systems as part of ecosystem management, pasture in addition to livestock production, and the planting and cropping of dedicated energy grasses. The adoption of such approaches would not only increase income from economically marginal grasslands, but would also mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production and help fund conservation of these valuable grassland ecosystems and landscapes, which is increasingly becoming a challenge.publishersversionPeer reviewe
A new emphasis on root traits for perennial grass and legume varieties with environmental and ecological benefits

Grasslands cover a significant proportion of the agricultural land within the UK and across the EU, providing a relatively cheap source of feed for ruminants and supporting the production of meat, wool and milk from grazing animals. Delivering efficient animal production from grassland systems has traditionally been the primary focus of grassland-based research. But there is increasing recognition of the ecological and environmental benefits of these grassland systems and the importance of the interaction between their component plants and a host of other biological organisms in the soil and in adjoining habitats. Many of the ecological and environmental benefits provided by grasslands emanate from the interactions between the roots of plant species and the soil in which they grow. We review current knowledge on the role of grassland ecosystems in delivering ecological and environmental benefits. We will consider how improved grassland can deliver these benefits, and the potential opportunities for plant breeding to improve specific traits that will enhance these benefits whilst maintaining forage production for livestock consumption. Opportunities for exploiting new plant breeding approaches, including high throughput phenotyping, and for introducing traits from closely related species are discussed.publishersversionPeer reviewe