Effective learning with the help of animals

International studies show that children, when asked to list different species, generally talk about animals that are not found in their own environment. Remarkable and extraordinary vertebrates, especially mammals, are mentioned whereas small animals (invertebrates and insects) are hardly ever discussed. An insufficient awareness of invertebrates seems to be culturally universal and can be found in different countries and continents. Experiential learning and a direct animal encounter are suggested as a means for a modern environmental education to address issues of biodiversity. In this study we assessed attitudes towards animals of 57 students before and after a presentation of living animals which was undertaken during their lessons. We compared the answers they gave in their questionnaires with those of 50 students from a control group. Results suggest that the presentation of animals leads to more positive attitudes towards the listed animals

Das Grüne Klassenzimmer im Botanischen Garten der Universität Ulm: eine Wirkungsanalyse

'Die Ideen rund um das Grüne Klassenzimmer im Botanischen Garten der Universität Ulm entstanden vor ca. 10 Jahren. In der Zwischenzeit wurde ein Konzept etabliert, das jährlich von ca. 2500 Schülern zum Kennen lernen verschiedener Lebensräume (Wald, Wiese, Gewässer) genutzt wird. Fokussiert wird dabei auf das Erleben und Erfahren der Umwelt zur Herausbildung einer persönlichen Identität. Damit leistet das Grüne Klassenzimmer als außerschulischer Lernort einen konkreten Beitrag zur Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung. Zentrale Elemente sind: Handlungsorientierung, respektvoller Umgang mit Lebewesen und Anbahnung eines Verantwortungsbewusstseins, Wissensvermittlung der Biologie verschiedener Arten, Erreichen von positiven Einstellungen gegenüber Kleintieren und die Begegnung mit dem Original in seiner direkten Umgebung. In einer Teilstudie wurde die Einstellung von 40 Grundschülern vor und nach dem Besuch des Grünen Klassenzimmers erhoben. Der Vergleich mit der Kontrollgruppe aus 38 Schülern legt nahe, dass das Grüne Klassenzimmer dazu beiträgt, die Einstellung zu Kleintieren positiv zu beeinflussen. In einer zweiten Teilstudie wurden 119 Gymnasiasten (von denen 76 das 'Grüne Klassenzimmer' besucht hatten) gebeten, einen Aufsatz zu Kleintieren unserer Heimat zu schreiben. Es zeigte sich, dass Schüler, die im 'Grünen Klassenzimmer' waren, im Vergleich mehr Richtiges und weniger Falsches über diese Tiere niederschrieben.' (Autorenreferat)'Ten years ago the Botanical Garden at the University of Ulm established a 'Green classroom' - a location for experiential learning outside school. Meanwhile, about 2500 children annually get the opportunity to experience and reflect upon animals in the woods, meadows and in the water. Here they get hands-on experience and encounter animals in their native environment. The developed concept is directed towards education for sustainable development. The programme does not only teach biological knowledge of different species but also responsibility for and respect towards animals. 40 primary school students were tested on their attitudes towards animals before and after they visited the 'Green classroom'. A control group of 38 students was tested as well. Results suggest that the learning in the 'Green classroom' leads to more positive attitudes towards the encountered animals. Furthermore, 119 secondary students (76 of those had visited the 'Green classroom') were asked to write an essay about small animals such as insects. Students who at some stage had been in the 'Green classroom' reported more correct biological conceptions and fewer misconceptions than their peers.' (author's abstract

Acinetobacter baumannii from grass: novel but non-resistant clones

Acinetobacter baumannii is one the most worrisome nosocomial pathogens, which has long been considered almost mainly as a hospital-associated bacterium. There have been some studies about animal and environmental isolates over the last decade. However, little effort has been made to determine if this pathogen dwells in the grass. Here, we aim to determine the evolutionary relationships and antibiotic resistance of clones of A. baumannii sampled from grass to the major human international clones and animal clones. Two hundred and forty genomes were considered in total from four different sources for this study. Our core and accessory genomic epidemiology analyses showed that grass isolates cluster in seven groups well differentiated from one another and from the major human and animal isolates. Furthermore, we found new sequence types under both multilocus sequence typing schemes: two under the Pasteur scheme and seven for the Oxford scheme. The grass isolates contained fewer antibiotic-resistance genes and were not resistant to the antibiotics tested. Our results demonstrate that these novel clones appear to have limited antibiotic resistance potential. Given our findings, we propose that genomic epidemiology and surveillance of A. baumannii should go beyond the hospital settings and consider the environment in an explicit One Health approach

Common bacterial responses in six ecosystems exposed to 10 years of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91149/1/j.1462-2920.2011.02695.x.pd

The phylogenetic composition and structure of soil microbial communities shifts in response to elevated carbon dioxide

http://www.nature.com/ismej/journal/v6/n2/full/ismej201199a.htmlOne of the major factors associated with global change is the ever-increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2. Although the stimulating effects of elevated CO2 (eCO2) on plant growth and primary productivity have been established, its impacts on the diversity and function of soil microbial communities are poorly understood. In this study, phylogenetic microarrays (PhyloChip) were used to comprehensively survey the richness, composition and structure of soil microbial communities in a grassland experiment subjected to two CO2 conditions (ambient, 368 p.p.m., versus elevated, 560 p.p.m.) for 10 years. The richness based on the detected number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) significantly decreased under eCO2. PhyloChip detected 2269 OTUs derived from 45 phyla (including two from Archaea), 55 classes, 99 orders, 164 families and 190 subfamilies. Also, the signal intensity of five phyla (Crenarchaeota, Chloroflexi, OP10, OP9/JS1, Verrucomicrobia) significantly decreased at eCO2, and such significant effects of eCO2 on microbial composition were also observed at the class or lower taxonomic levels for most abundant phyla, such as Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Acidobacteria, suggesting a shift in microbial community composition at eCO2. Additionally, statistical analyses showed that the overall taxonomic structure of soil microbial communities was altered at eCO2. Mantel tests indicated that such changes in species richness, composition and structure of soil microbial communities were closely correlated with soil and plant properties. This study provides insights into our understanding of shifts in the richness, composition and structure of soil microbial communities under eCO2 and environmental factors shaping the microbial community structure

Erfolgreiche Geschäfte in der Golfregion: Wie Exporteure vom Wandel in Saudi-Arabien und den Golfstaaten profitieren

Dieses Buch zeigt, wie Unternehmen aus Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz in den arabischen Golfstaaten erfolgreich Geschäfte machen können. Die Region, die lange Zeit gut vom Verkauf von Öl und Gas gelebt hat, erfindet sich gerade neu. Mit viel Geld wird in rasantem Tempo eine nachhaltige Wirtschaft aufgebaut, die den vielen jungen Menschen dort Arbeit geben soll. Die Autoren beschreiben, wo die Golfstaaten geopolitisch stehen und erläutern, was für und was gegen ein Engagement dort spricht. Sie haben vor Ort recherchiert und über dreißig Interviews mit überwiegend arabischen Managern geführt. Ihre Ergebnisse präsentieren sie in realistischen Szenarien, die zeigen, welche Chancen sich Unternehmen aus der DACH-Region bieten. Die Stärken des Buches liegen in den Beobachtungen und Insidertipps. Oft unsichtbare Hürden, mit denen sich europäische Manager dort konfrontiert sehen, werden sichtbar gemacht, indem sie aus arabischer Sicht erklärt werden. Das Buch ist eine Anleitung für alle, die in der Golfregion Händler suchen, Kunden finden oder Niederlassungen gründen wollen - und die Dinge nicht nur wissen, sondern auch verstehen wollen

Chasing the structures of small molecules in arbuscular mycorrhizal signaling

The arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) is a symbiosis between most terrestrial plants and fungi of the ancient phylum Glomeromycota. AM improves the uptake of water and mineral nutrients, such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), of the host plant in exchange for photosynthetically fixed carbon. Successful colonization and a functional interaction between host plant and mycobiont are based upon exchange of signaling molecules at different stages of symbiosis development. Strigolactones, a novel class of plant hormones, are secreted by plant roots stimulating presymbiotic growth of AM fungi. Fungi release soluble signaling molecules, the enigmatic ‘Myc factors’, that activate early symbiotic root responses. Lysophosphatidylcholine is a lipophilic intraradical mycorrhizal signal triggering plant phosphate transporter gene expression late in AM development through a P-controlled transcriptional mechanism. This enables uptake of orthophosphate released from the AM fungus

MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy of yeasts and filamentous fungi for research and diagnostics in the agricultural value chain

Abstract Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS; MALDI biotyping) has become a standard tool for the accurate, rapid, and economical identification of pathogens in the clinical diagnostics laboratory. The method is continuously being improved, and new applications for distinguishing strains, identifying metabolites or functional characteristics (e.g., antibiotic resistance), and detecting microbes directly in patient samples have been developed. Adopting these methods in other disciplines than clinical diagnostics, for example, in agriculture, food safety and quality testing, or ecology, will open up new opportunities for diagnostics and research. This review focuses on MALDI-TOF MS approaches for the identification of yeasts and filamentous fungi. In contrast to bacterial diagnostics, MALDI biotyping of fungi is more challenging and less established. We thus start by discussing the role of MALDI-TOF MS as a tool for species identification; in particular with respect to DNA-based identification methods. The review then highlights the value of custom-made reference spectra for MALDI biotyping and points out recent advancements of MALDI-TOF MS, mainly from the field of clinical diagnostics that may be adopted and used for fungal diagnostic challenges. The overview ends with a summary of MALDI-TOF MS studies of yeasts and filamentous fungi of agricultural relevance. Graphical abstract MALDI biotyping is the method of choice for the repeated, rapid identification of a defined number of species