Postcards from the Field

Increasingly, botanic gardens and arboreta are highlighted as effective partners to conserve plant species diversity and restore natural communities at a time when the need for these activities has become more urgent. Capacity for restoration and conservation at botanic gardens comes directly from staff expertise for horticulture and research. Botanic gardens make good partners for connecting botanical science with conservation practice. They are in a position to communicate information about rare plant species to owners and managers of public and private lands, and they can be instrumental in creating networks for effective conservation action. Several examples from south-eastern United States of America illustrate how this has been put into practice. These examples provide evidence that efforts to expand collaboration between federal agencies, states and non-governmental organisations can lead to effective alliances to conserve plant biodiversity, especially when plants receive a disproportionately low share of resources for conservation

Species Status of Sclerocactus brevispinus, S. wetlandicus, and S. glaucus: Inferences from Morphology, Chloroplast DNA Sequences, and AFLP Markers

We examine patterns of variation in 12 continuous morphological traits, chloroplast DNA sequences from 10 intergenic spacer regions (petA-psbJ, psbk-trnS, psbM-trnD, rpob-trnC, trnC-trnD, trnGCU-trnG2S, trnFM-trnUGA, atpF-atpH, trnT-trnD, trnQ-psbk), atpF, and rpl16, and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) genetic markers in Sclerocactus glaucus sensu lato (= S. brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus), a complex that historically has been considered conspecific and afforded protection under the Endangered Species Act. This complex is considered to represent three different species by some authors. We describe the expected patterns of morphological, DNA, and AFLP variation under the conditions that (a) the complex is a single species, and (b) that there are three antonymous species. We show that morphological evidence is consistent with the presence of three significantly different morphological species. Chloroplast DNA sequences provide evidence that the populations of S. glaucus (restricted to Colorado) are a lineage distinct from the populations of S. brevispinus and S. wetlandicus (restricted to Utah). AFLP genetic markers reveal significant genetic divergence among S. brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus. Equally important, there is greater divergence among species than among populations within the species. The three sources of evidence all support the presence of three species and not a single species. These results indicate that protection of S. glaucus as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, as historically prescribed, includes populations of three species, two in Utah (S. brevispinus and S. wetlandicus) and one in Colorado (S. glaucus)

Low levels of artificial light at night strengthen top-down control in insect food web

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Artificial light has transformed the nighttime environment of large areas of the earth, with 88% of Europe and almost 50% of the United States experiencing light-polluted night skies [1]. The consequences for ecosystems range from exposure to high light intensities in the vicinity of direct light sources to the very widespread but lower lighting levels further away [2]. While it is known that species exhibit a range of physiological and behavioural responses to artificial nighttime lighting [e.g., 3, 4, 5], there is a need to gain a mechanistic understanding of whole ecological community impacts [6, 7], especially to different light intensities. Using a mesocosm field experiment with insect communities, we determined the impact of intensities of artificial light ranging from 0.1 to 100 lux on different trophic levels and interactions between species. Strikingly, we found the strongest impact at low levels of artificial lighting (0.1 to 5 lux), which led to a 1.8 times overall reduction in aphid densities. Mechanistically, artificial light at night increased the efficiency of parasitoid wasps in attacking aphids, with twice the parasitism rate under low light levels compared to unlit controls. However at higher light levels, parasitoid wasps spent longer away from the aphid host plants, diminishing this increased efficiency. Therefore aphids reached higher densities under increased light intensity as compared to low levels of lighting where they were limited by higher parasitoid efficiency. Our study highlights the importance of different intensities of artificial light in driving the strength of species interactions and ecosystem functions.The research leading to this paper was funded from NERC grant NE/N001672/1

Artificial nighttime light changes aphid-parasitoid population dynamics

This is the final version of the article. Available from Nature Publishing Group via the DOI in this record.Artificial light at night (ALAN) is recognized as a widespread and increasingly important anthropogenic environmental pressure on wild species and their interactions. Understanding of how these impacts translate into changes in population dynamics of communities with multiple trophic levels is, however, severely lacking. In an outdoor mesocosm experiment we tested the effect of ALAN on the population dynamics of a plant-aphid-parasitoid community with one plant species, three aphid species and their specialist parasitoids. The light treatment reduced the abundance of two aphid species by 20% over five generations, most likely as a consequence of bottom-up effects, with reductions in bean plant biomass being observed. For the aphid Megoura viciae this effect was reversed under autumn conditions with the light treatment promoting continuous reproduction through asexuals. All three parasitoid species were negatively affected by the light treatment, through reduced host numbers and we discuss induced possible behavioural changes. These results suggest that, in addition to direct impacts on species behaviour, the impacts of ALAN can cascade through food webs with potentially far reaching effects on the wider ecosystem.The research leading to this paper was funded by the European Research council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 268504 to KJG, and by NERC (grant no. NE/K005650/1) to FJFvV

Quality and methods of developing practice guidelines

BACKGROUND: It is not known whether there are differences in the quality and recommendations between evidence-based (EB) and consensus-based (CB) guidelines. We used breast cancer guidelines as a case study to assess for these differences. METHODS: Five different instruments to evaluate the quality of guidelines were identified by a literature search. We also searched MEDLINE and the Internet to locate 8 breast cancer guidelines. These guidelines were classified in three categories: evidence based, consensus based and consensus based with no explicit consideration of evidence (CB-EB). Each guideline was evaluated by three of the authors using each of the instruments. For each guideline we assessed the agreement among 14 decision points which were selected from the NCCN (National Cancer Comprehensive Network) guidelines algorithm. For each decision point we recorded the level of the quality of the information used to support it. A regression analysis was performed to assess if the percentage of high quality evidence used in the guidelines development was related to the overall quality of the guidelines. RESULTS: Three guidelines were classified as EB, three as CB-EB and two as CB. The EB guidelines scored better than CB, with the CB-EB scoring in the middle among all instruments for guidelines quality assessment. No major disagreement in recommendations was detected among the guidelines regardless of the method used for development, but the EB guidelines had a better agreement with the benchmark guideline for any decision point. When the source of evidence used to support decision were of high quality, we found a higher level of full agreement among the guidelines' recommendations. Up to 94% of variation in the quality score among guidelines could be explained by the quality of evidence used for guidelines development. CONCLUSION: EB guidelines have a better quality than CB guidelines and CB-EB guidelines. Explicit use of high quality evidence can lead to a better agreement among recommendations. However, no major disagreement among guidelines was noted regardless of the method for their development

The Influence of Manga on the Graphic Novel

This material has been published in The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel edited by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, Stephen E. Tabachnick. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University PressProviding a range of cogent examples, this chapter describes the influences of the Manga genre of comics strip on the Graphic Novel genre, over the last 35 years, considering the functions of domestication, foreignisation and transmedia on readers, markets and forms

Seed Cryopreservation and Germination of <i>Rhus glabra</i> and the Critically Endangered Species <i>Rhus michauxii</i>

Rhus michauxii is a perennial rhizomatous shrub native to the southeastern United States that is found mainly in sunny, dry, open rocky or sandy woodlands. Moreover, it is found on ridges or river bluffs in the inner coastal plane and lower piedmont of Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Habitat conversion to agriculture, suppression of fires, and low reproduction have caused R. michauxii to become rare and it is now federally listed as threatened. Methods are needed to multiply and conserve R. michauxii. Protocols were developed for seed cryopreservation, in vitro germination, and micropropagation for R. glabra and R. michauxii. Seed scarification in concentrated sulfuric acid for 6 h and germination on ½ MS medium resulted in germination up to 96% for control and cryopreserved seeds of R. glabra and 70 and 40% for control and cryopreserved seeds of R. michauxii. Shortly after germination in vitro, young seedlings were established in a greenhouse potting mix providing new plants from the endemic Georgia R. michauxii populations. Several of the findings meet goals within the R. michauxii recovery plan by providing methods for sexual and asexual multiplication and long-term seed storage under cryogenic conditions. The protocols developed will assist in the safeguarding and conservation of dwindling natural R. michauxii populations