Impact of shortened crop rotation of oilseed rape on soil and rhizosphere microbial diversity in relation to yield decline

Oilseed rape (OSR) grown in monoculture shows a decline in yield relative to virgin OSR of up to 25%, but the mechanisms responsible are unknown. A long term field experiment of OSR grown in a range of rotations with wheat was used to determine whether shifts in fungal and bacterial populations of the rhizosphere and bulk soil were associated with the development of OSR yield decline. The communities of fungi and bacteria in the rhizosphere and bulk soil from the field experiment were profiled using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) and sequencing of cloned internal transcribed spacer regions and 16S rRNA genes, respectively. OSR cropping frequency had no effect on rhizosphere bacterial communities. However, the rhizosphere fungal communities from continuously grown OSR were significantly different to those from other rotations. This was due primarily to an increase in abundance of two fungi which showed 100% and 95% DNA identity to the plant pathogens Olpidium brassicae and Pyrenochaeta lycopersici, respectively. Real-time PCR confirmed that there was significantly more of these fungi in the continuously grown OSR than the other rotations. These two fungi were isolated from the field and used to inoculate OSR and Brassica oleracea grown under controlled conditions in a glasshouse to determine their effect on yield. At high doses, Olpidium brassicae reduced top growth and root biomass in seedlings and reduced branching and subsequent pod and seed production. Pyrenochaeta sp. formed lesions on the roots of seedlings, and at high doses delayed flowering and had a negative impact on seed quantity and quality

Vernal Pools: Nature\u27s Laboratory

Vernal pools are described and discussed. The importance to wildlife and ecology is explained

First results from the LUCID-Timepix spacecraft payload onboard the TechDemoSat-1 satellite in Low Earth Orbit

The Langton Ultimate Cosmic ray Intensity Detector (LUCID) is a payload onboard the satellite TechDemoSat-1, used to study the radiation environment in Low Earth Orbit ($\sim$635km). LUCID operated from 2014 to 2017, collecting over 2.1 million frames of radiation data from its five Timepix detectors on board. LUCID is one of the first uses of the Timepix detector technology in open space, with the data providing useful insight into the performance of this technology in new environments. It provides high-sensitivity imaging measurements of the mixed radiation field, with a wide dynamic range in terms of spectral response, particle type and direction. The data has been analysed using computing resources provided by GridPP, with a new machine learning algorithm that uses the Tensorflow framework. This algorithm provides a new approach to processing Medipix data, using a training set of human labelled tracks, providing greater particle classification accuracy than other algorithms. For managing the LUCID data, we have developed an online platform called Timepix Analysis Platform at School (TAPAS). This provides a swift and simple way for users to analyse data that they collect using Timepix detectors from both LUCID and other experiments. We also present some possible future uses of the LUCID data and Medipix detectors in space.Comment: Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Researc

Ohustatud Euroopa naaritsa (Mustela lutreola) sigimine ja käitumine tehiskeskkonnas

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneEuroopa naarits on kriitiliselt ohustatud imetaja, mis on loodusest kadumas. Päästmaks liiki väljasuremisest hakati naaritsaid pidama loomaaedades. Vangistuses on loomade paljundamine keeruline, kuna sealne keskkond erineb looma looduslikust elupaigast. Loomaaias elavatel naaritsatel on täheldatud probleeme sigimisega. Paljud ei saa järglasi, mis võib saada saatuslikuks asurkonna jätkusuutlikkusele. Käesolevas doktoritöös uurisin, miks on naaritsa sigimine loomaaias ebaedukas ja kuidas leida probleemile lahendus. Olukorrast parema ülevaate saamiseks uurisime, mis mõjutab pesakonna suurust ja poegade tõenäosust ellu jääda. Leidsime, et olulised on ema vanus ja kaal, kuid muidu oli emaste sigimisedu sarnane. Lisaks uurisime emase hormonaaltsüklit indlemise ja tiinuse ajal. Tulemused olid ootuspärased, hormonaaltsükkel järgis liigile tüüpilist rada. Me ei leidnud tõendeid, et paaritamiskatsete ebaõnnestumise põhjust tuleks otsida emastest. Leidsime, et ebaedu sigimisel on seotud vangistuses sündinud isastega. Mõni isane on paaritamiskatses emase vastu agressiivne või siis neil puudub indleva emase vastu huvi. Mõistmaks isaste käitumist vaatlesime naaritsate lapsepõlve – uurisime poegade vahelisi suhteid pesakonnas kasvamise ajal. Paljudel imetajatel on tõendatud, et varajane keskkond mõjutab isendi käitumist täiskasvanueas. Me ei leidnud, et naaritsatel oleks pesakonnaperioodil ebanormaalset käitumist. Nagu igati kohane, kulus poegade põhiaeg mängule. Agressiivsust ei olnud palju ja see ei tõusnud ajas. Pesakonnad ei erinenud käitumismustrilt üksteisest, seega ei leidnud me hälbiva poegade käitumisega pesakondi, mis oleksid võinud ebasobiva sigimiskäitumise tekkimist seletada. Töötasime välja metoodika naartisate iseloomutüüpide määramiseks, sest üha enam soovitatakse, et loomadesse tuleks loomaaias suhtuda neist igaühe iseloomu arvestades. Leidsime, et naaritsaid saab eristada julguse, uurivuse ja sotsiaalsuse alusel . Meie töös ilmnes, et probleemid sigimishooajal on seotud eelkõige vangistuses sündinud isastega, nende põhjuseid peaks otsima mujalt kui pesakonnaperioodist, abi võiks olla iga looma iseloomu tundmisest. Saadud tulemused on oluliseks alusteadmisteks töös, mis on suunatud naaritsate tehiskeskkonnas pidamise edukuse tõstmisele.European mink is a critically endangered carnivore which has almost disappeared from nature. To save the species from extinction a captive population was established. Unfortunately, keeping wild animals in captivity always causes problems, just because in a zoo everything is different from the species’ natural habitat. In the case of the European mink, there are problems with breeding in captive conditions. Some animals will fail to produce offspring which may threaten the persistence of the captive population. In this doctorial thesis, I addressed the reasons of breeding failures and how to find solutions to this problem. At first we studied what affects the size and survival of the litter. We found that the weight and age of the mother are most significant. Additionally we studied the hormonal cycle of the females during the mating season and gestation. Results were expectable: the hormonal cycle followed a profile typical of the species. Analysing the diaries kept at Tallinn zoo for 20 years, we did not find that something is wrong on the females’ side. Instead, we found that the breeding problems are caused by males which have been born in captivity. Some males are aggressive toward the female during the mating attempt or remain passive. To understand the reasons for kind of behaviour, we focused on the childhood of the mink: we studied the interactions between the cubs during the litter period. It has often been found that, in mammals, the early environment affects the development of the behaviour of an animal. In our study, however, we did not find abnormalities in cubs’ behaviour during the litter period. As it should be, the most frequent type of behaviour was play. Aggression was low, it did not rise in time and did not differ between the litters. We developed tests to identify personality types in European mink. We found that it is possible to distinguish individual mink in boldness, sociability and exploration. In summary, we found that the main reason why breeding fails in the European mink is in the behaviour of captive born males. The causes of behavioural distortion may not be related to the litter period, an analysis of personality types may help here. The knowledge obtained forms important basis information for the work aimed at improving keeping condition of captive European mink

Salford postgraduate annual research conference (SPARC) 2012 proceedings

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2012 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC). They reflect the breadth and diversity of research interests showcased at the conference, at which over 130 researchers from Salford, the North West and other UK universities presented their work. 21 papers are collated here from the humanities, arts, social sciences, health, engineering, environment and life sciences, built environment and business

Insights into invasion and restoration ecology : time to collaborate towards a holistic approach to tackle biological invasions

The aim of our study is to provide an integrated framework for the management of alien plant invasions, combining insights and experiences from the fields of invasion and restoration ecology to enable more effective management of invasive species. To determine linkages between the scientific outputs of the two disciplines we used an existing data base on restoration studies between 2000 and 2008 and did a bibliometric analysis. We identified the type of restoration applied, determined by the aim of the study, and conducted a content analysis on 208 selected studies with a link to biological invasions (invasion-restoration studies). We found a total of 1075 articles on ecosystem restoration, with only eight percent of the studies having the main objective to control alien invasions. The content analysis of 208 invasion-restoration studies showed that the majority of the studies focused on causes of degradation other than alien invasions. If invaders were referred to as the main driver of degradation, the prevalent cause for degradation was invaders outcompeting and replacing native species. Mechanical control of alien plant invasions was by far the most common control method used. Measures that went beyond the removal of alien plants were implemented in sixty-five percent of the studies. Although invasion control was not as common as other types of restoration, a closer look at the sub-group of invasion-restoration studies shows a clear link between restoration and invasion ecology. Concerns, as identified in the literature review, are firstly that restoration activities mostly focus on controlling the invader while other underlying causes for degradation are neglected, and secondly that the current approach of dealing with alien invasions lacks a combination of theoretical and practical aspects. We suggest that closer collaboration between invasion and restoration ecologists can help to improve the management of alien plant invasions. We conclude with a framework and a case study from Perth Western Australia integrating the two disciplines, with the aim of informing restoration practice

Understanding citizen science and environmental monitoring: final report on behalf of UK Environmental Observation Framework

Citizen science can broadly be defined as the involvement of volunteers in science. Over the past decade there has been a rapid increase in the number of citizen science initiatives. The breadth of environmental-based citizen science is immense. Citizen scientists have surveyed for and monitored a broad range of taxa, and also contributed data on weather and habitats reflecting an increase in engagement with a diverse range of observational science. Citizen science has taken many varied approaches from citizen-led (co-created) projects with local community groups to, more commonly, scientist-led mass participation initiatives that are open to all sectors of society. Citizen science provides an indispensable means of combining environmental research with environmental education and wildlife recording. Here we provide a synthesis of extant citizen science projects using a novel cross-cutting approach to objectively assess understanding of citizen science and environmental monitoring including: 1. Brief overview of knowledge on the motivations of volunteers. 2. Semi-systematic review of environmental citizen science projects in order to understand the variety of extant citizen science projects. 3. Collation of detailed case studies on a selection of projects to complement the semi-systematic review. 4. Structured interviews with users of citizen science and environmental monitoring data focussing on policy, in order to more fully understand how citizen science can fit into policy needs. 5. Review of technology in citizen science and an exploration of future opportunities