Early land plants as mediators of geochemical fluxes

While the results of the study presented here suggest that the evolution of rooted tracheophytes led to an increase in chemical weathering, this enhancement was relatively small compared with vegetation with small or no below-ground organs. The evolution of rooted tracheophytes during the Middle Devonian may thus have been involved in lowering atmospheric pCO2 level

Standardizing and communicating IPM data

The practice of integrated pest management is well defined, and a common approach is spreading internationally following the production of protocols and standards that describe good practice. One essential element of IPM is the collection of data. This paper explores the potentials and limitations of data collection and presentation as commonly practiced within IPM, in particular the potential for confirmation bias in data collection following patterns of placement of insect pest monitors where problems are already identified. The paper examines the outcomes being sought from using IPM and asks whether the data collection and presentation currently offered are a good fit. Many IPM research questions identify dynamic challenges, such as the migration of a new pest through a country, or the spread of an established pest within a collection but data representation is less well suited to dynamic change. The paper proposes that a greater focus on the needs of the audience and the goal of data presentation is necessary to generate an effective range of approaches for peers, technical experts, colleagues and decision makers. To resolve this, the paper recommends a fundamental change to the way that IPM data is collected and shared, using standardisation of data collection and a consideration of user needs in presenting the findings

Water Maser Emission from the Active Nucleus in M51

22 GHz water vapor `kilomaser' emission is reported from the central region of the Whirlpool galaxy M 51 (NGC 5194). The red-shifted spectral features (Vlsr ~ 560 km/s), flaring during most of the year 2000, originate from a spatially unresolved maser spot of size < 30 mas (< 1.5 pc), displaced by < 250 mas from the nucleus. The data provide the first direct evidence for the association of an H2O kilomaser with an active galactic nucleus (AGN). In early 2001, blue-shifted maser emission (Vlsr ~ 435 km/s) was also detected. Red- and blue-shifted features bracket the systemic velocity asymmetrically. Within the standard model of a rotating Keplerian torus, this may either suggest the presence of a highly eccentric circumnuclear cloud or red- and blue-shifted `high velocity' emission from a radially extended torus. Most consistent with the measured H2O position is, however, an association of the red-shifted H2O emission with the northern part of the bipolar radio jet. In this scenario, the (weaker) northern jet is receding while the blue-shifted H2O emission is associated with the approaching southern jet.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Microcosm studies of the role of land plants in elevating soil carbon dioxide and chemical weathering

A decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration during the mid-Palaeozoic is postulated to have been partially the consequence of the evolution of rooted land plants. Root development increased the amount of carbonic acid generated by root respiration within soils. This led to increased chemical weathering of silicates and subsequent formation of carbonates, resulting in lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations. To test this assumption, analog (morphologically equivalent) plant species, ranging from those possessing no roots to those with complex rhizomatous rooting systems, were grown in trays within microcosms at ambient (360 ppm/0.37 mbar) and highly elevated (3500 ppm/3.55 mbar) atmospheric CO2 concentrations in a controlled environment facility. Substrate CO2 concentrations increased significantly under elevated atmospheric CO2, and Equisetum hyemale (L.). The latter is postulated to result from the effects of deeply rooted plants, elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, or both. Plants with simple or no rooting systems or the addition of dead organic matter as a substrate for microorganisms did not enhance substrate CO2 concentrations

Better pest management through more effective communication of data

Natural history collections belong to those museum collections most vulnerable to pest damage. Preventing collections from being damaged by pests is a major challenge of collection care. Integrated pest management (IPM) programmes are currently the preferred option within the heritage sector for protecting collections from insect pests. One essential feature of IPM is monitoring and recording, resulting in large amounts of data. While there is a considerable body of literature on the implementation and maintenance of an IPMprogramme, little guidance exists on effective analysis and communication of data. Our work on data visualisation advocates for more effective communication by adopting novel graphical representations to achieve improvements in communication, which remains an under-researched aspect of collection care

Novel ways of communicating museum pest monitoring data: practical implementation

In a bid to improve communication of data relating to the conservation of cultural heritage collections, the authors present a solution and technique that makes analysis and communication of pest monitoring data more user-friendly. This novel technique includes calculation of the new Pest Occurrence Index (POI), which integrates recorded pest occurrence numbers over number of pest monitors and room size, decreasing unintentional bias introduced by previously used analytical techniques. Calculation of POI requires that contextual information such as type of collection affected, room size, and number of pest monitors deployed also need to be reported during pest monitoring to enable meaningful data interpretation. Trials at National Museum Cardiff (NMC) using different types of illustrations, based on the newly developed POI and with messages targeted at specific recipients, indicated that risk perception based on visualisations is affected by user background, expertise in relation to pest management and familiarity with certain types of graphical representations. The introduction of novel and comprehensive forms of graphical data interpretation at NMC, including greater focus on developing visualisations with specific messages for different target audiences, resulted in increased staff buy-in and willingness to assist with pest management and a demonstrable decrease in pest occurrences in collections areas of the museum

Standardizing and communicating IPM data

The practice of integrated pest management is well defined, and a common approach is spreading internationally following the production of protocols and standards that describe good practice. One essential element of IPM is the collection of data. This paper explores the potentials and limitations of data collection and presentation as commonly practiced within IPM, in particular the potential for confirmation bias in data collection following patterns of placement of insect pest monitors where problems are already identified. The paper examines the outcomes being sought from using IPM and asks whether the data collection and presentation currently offered are a good fit. Many IPM research questions identify dynamic challenges, such as the migration of a new pest through a country, or the spread of an established pest within a collection but data representation is less well suited to dynamic change. The paper proposes that a greater focus on the needs of the audience and the goal of data presentation is necessary to generate an effective range of approaches for peers, technical experts, colleagues and decision makers. To resolve this, the paper recommends a fundamental change to the way that IPM data is collected and shared, using standardisation of data collection and a consideration of user needs in presenting the findings

Tracer Survey in the Cape Verde Region Traceraufnahme in der Kapverdenregion Cruise No. 10, Leg 1 October 31 – December 06, 2008 Ponta Delgada (Portugal) – Mindelo (Cape Verde Islands)

The research cruise MSM10/1 was extremely successful. All programs were able to collect high quality data and the anticipated goals of the expedition were fully met. We have been able to carry out the first comprehensive survey of a tracer release in the Guinea Upwelling region (GUTRE) roughly seven month after the tracer was released at 8°N 23°W in April 2008. We have estimated that a total of 40% of the tracer was found during this cruise. While the horizontal spreading and mixing was larger than anticipated, the vertical extent of the tracer found was small. The low vertical tracer spreading rate estimates are supported by the micro structure profile data. The extensive survey of the upper 1000m of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) allowed comparing our sections with several previous surveys. We found that the lowest oxygen values in the core of the OMZ have dropped at record low values below 40 μmol/kg. The preliminary findings from the trace metal work focused on Fe ligand measurements shows a slight higher excess ligand concentration in the surface (50m) for three stations. The two other stations show a slight decrease at this depth. A large number of biochemical samples were taken and were analyzed in Kiel for DNA and RNA diversity. The tracer release experiment provided an ideal environment for repeated biochemical sampling in the same water mass

Multidrug-Resistant and Clinically Relevant Gram-Negative Bacteria Are Present in German Surface Waters

Water is considered to play a role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria including those encoding Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases. To investigate the role of water for their spread in more detail, we characterized ESBL/Carbapenemase-producing bacteria from surface water and sediment samples using phenotypic and genotypic approaches. ESBL/Carbapenemase-producing isolates were obtained from water/sediment samples. Species and antibiotic resistance were determined. A subset of these isolates (n = 33) was whole-genome-sequenced and analyzed for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence determinants. Their relatedness to isolates associated with human infections was investigated using multilocus sequence type and cgMLST-based analysis. Eighty-nine percent of the isolates comprised of clinically relevant species. Fifty-eight percent exhibited a multidrug-resistance phenotype. Two isolates harbored the mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-1. One carbapenemase-producing isolate identified as Enterobacter kobei harbored bla(VIM-)(1). Two Escherichia coli isolates had sequence types (ST) associated with human infections (ST131 and ST1485) and a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate was classified as hypervirulent. A multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate encoding known virulence genes associated with severe lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients was also detected. The presence of MDR and clinically relevant isolates in recreational and surface water underlines the role of aquatic environments as both reservoirs and hot spots for MDR bacteria. Future assessment of water quality should include the examination of the multidrug resistance of clinically relevant bacterial species and thus provide an important link regarding the spread of MDR bacteria in a One Health context.Peer reviewe