A methodological framework for quantification and valuation of ecosystem services of tree-based intercropping systems

PresentationAlley cropping, also known as tree-based intercropping (TBI), holds a great potential in providing, in agricultural landscapes, a number of ecosystem services such as reduction of nutrient leaching, enhancement of soil nutrient status, increase of soil microbial biomass and diversity, biological pest control and global climate regulation. We developed and tested a framework for biophysical quantification and economic valuation of several such ecosystem services through a case study in southern Québec, Canada. We used a range of mathematical models for quantification of the services and valued them in economic terms. In some instances, we used existing models and equations, but in most instances we developed new ones to meet study objectives. We have found that the economic value of ecosystem services ranged from as low as 24 $ha-1y-1 for pollination to as high as 785$ ha-1y-1 for agricultural products. Water quality regulation ranked highest among the non-market services, followed by air quality regulation and carbon sequestration. The total potential value of TBI ecosystem services was estimated to be 5 billion dollars a year, if the system was implemented in 20 % of Québec’s 1,93 M ha croplands. The study suggests that incentives are needed to interest farmers in adopting TBI systems that benefit society as a whole

Defusing the legal and ethical minefield of epigenetic applications in the military, defense, and security context

Epigenetic research has brought several important technological achievements, including identifying epigenetic clocks and signatures, and developing epigenetic editing. The potential military applications of such technologies we discuss are stratifying soldiers’ health, exposure to trauma using epigenetic testing, information about biological clocks, confirming child soldiers’ minor status using epigenetic clocks, and inducing epigenetic modifications in soldiers. These uses could become a reality. This article presents a comprehensive literature review, and analysis by interdisciplinary experts of the scientific, legal, ethical, and societal issues surrounding epigenetics and the military. Notwithstanding the potential benefit from these applications, our findings indicate that the current lack of scientific validation for epigenetic technologies suggests a careful scientific review and the establishment of a robust governance framework before consideration for use in the military. In this article, we highlight general concerns about the application of epigenetic technologies in the military context, especially discrimination and data privacy issues if soldiers are used as research subjects. We also highlight the potential of epigenetic clocks to support child soldiers’ rights and ethical questions about using epigenetic engineering for soldiers’ enhancement and conclude with considerations for an ethical framework for epigenetic applications in the military, defense, and security contexts.</p

Points-to-consider on the return of results in epigenetic research

As epigenetic studies become more common and lead to new insights into health and disease, the return of individual epigenetic results to research participants, in particular in large-scale epigenomic studies, will be of growing importance. Members of the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) Bioethics Workgroup considered the potential ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) involved in returning epigenetic research results and incidental findings in order to produce a set of ‘Points-to-consider’ (P-t-C) for the epigenetics research community. These P-t-C draw on existing guidance on the return of genetic research results, while also integrating the IHEC Bioethics Workgroup’s ELSI research on and discussion of the issues associated with epigenetic data as well as the experience of a return of results pilot study by the Personal Genome Project UK (PGP-UK). Major challenges include how to determine the clinical validity and actionability of epigenetic results, and considerations related to environmental exposures and epigenetic marks, including circumstances warranting the sharing of results with family members and third parties. Interdisciplinary collaboration and good public communication regarding epigenetic risk will be important to advance the return of results framework for epigenetic science

Urban Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology: Patterns, Processes and Planning

Effective planning for biodiversity in cities and towns is increasingly important as urban areas and their human populations grow, both to achieve conservation goals and because ecological communities support services on which humans depend. Landscape ecology provides important frameworks for understanding and conserving urban biodiversity both within cities and considering whole cities in their regional context, and has played an important role in the development of a substantial and expanding body of knowledge about urban landscapes and communities. Characteristics of the whole city including size, overall amount of green space, age and regional context are important considerations for understanding and planning for biotic assemblages at the scale of entire cities, but have received relatively little research attention. Studies of biodiversity within cities are more abundant and show that longstanding principles regarding how patch size, configuration and composition influence biodiversity apply to urban areas as they do in other habitats. However, the fine spatial scales at which urban areas are fragmented and the altered temporal dynamics compared to non-urban areas indicate a need to apply hierarchical multi-scalar landscape ecology models to urban environments. Transferring results from landscape-scale urban biodiversity research into planning remains challenging, not least because of the requirements for urban green space to provide multiple functions. An increasing array of tools is available to meet this challenge and increasingly requires ecologists to work with planners to address biodiversity challenges. Biodiversity conservation and enhancement is just one strand in urban planning, but is increasingly important in a rapidly urbanising world

The Virtual Forest: Integrating VRML Worlds and Generative Music

The Virtual Forest is a VRML world representing an imaginary forest, with a real-time generated music soundtrack. This soundtrack is generated by an algorithm which responds via network messages to actions happening in the VRML world. The VRML model uses real-life data (elevation maps, aerial and landscape photography) from a real forest to model an imaginary forest area of approximately 3 square km. The forest has a small number of animated books which when touched, trigger'state'changes in the sound producing algorithm to alter the mood of the soundtrack. This is achieved by sending URL messages to a PHP gateway which then informs a PD (Pure Data) program to change its internal state accordingly. The PD program uses stochastic processes to generate, manipulate and recycle (or feedback) a sound stream. To further enhance the user experience ofinteraction with the generative process, some sounds are also immediately triggered by the books, additionally, a short generative poem is also returned to the user, as the content of the relevant page in the virtual book