Filling the sensor gap: applying UAS technology to land-use research

Collecting data at ground level typically yields the most detailed information on a subject, however it is limited by the spatial extent that can be covered within a specific timeframe. Remote sensing from an aerial platform increases this spatial extent and the deployment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can provide this ability directly to researchers at an affordable cost and at data resolutions that are very applicable for site specific surveys. Further to this, developments in photogrammetry software allow the creation of orthorectified spectral and structural data that can that can be classified via pixel or object-based analysis methods and applied to a wide variety of different land-use research areas. In this study a sensor package was created consisting of two off the shelf digital cameras, one un-modified and the other modified to be sensitive to near infra-red wavelengths of light. A multi-rotor aerial platform utilising an open source autopilot was assembled to enable data collection and a processing pipeline was devised to transform RAW camera imagery into georeferenced and orthorectified data, using computer vision software following the structure from motion (SfM) approach. This remote sensing tool was applied to a variety of land-use research study sites in central Scotland and Northern England with two main areas focused on. (1) The use of spectral and structural data for the detection of disease within a potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crop revealed that UAS could be an effective tool for mapping the distribution of diseased plants. (2) Comparisons between aerial data and traditional manual assessments of a trial crop of potatoes revealed that the earliest stages of plant emergence could not be detected but later plant counts, and ground cover estimates correlated well, indicating that UAS could be an effective trials monitoring tool, giving extra structural data and potentially a more representative measure of canopy ground cover compared to traditional manual techniques. This study also showed results from experimental applications investigating the mapping of invasive non-native species and ways of enabling upscaling of greenhouse gas emissions from different land use types. Therefore, this study demonstrates that UAS equipped with basic imaging technology can be of use to a variety of land-use research areas and look set to become an invaluable remote sensing tool, which will improve further with the addition of calibrated multi-spectral sensor payloads, high precision global navigation satellite systems and relaxation in regulations governing their use

Species-Level Classification of Peatland Vegetation Using Ultra-High-Resolution UAV Imagery

Peatland restoration projects are being employed worldwide as a form of climate change mitigation due to their potential for long-term carbon sequestration. Monitoring these environments (e.g., cover of keystone species) is therefore essential to evaluate success. However, existing studies have rarely examined peatland vegetation at fine scales due to its strong spatial heterogeneity and seasonal canopy development. The present study collected centimetre-scale multispectral Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery with a Parrot Sequoia camera (2.8 cm resolution; Parrot Drones SAS, Paris, France) in a temperate peatland over a complete growing season. Supervised classification algorithms were used to map the vegetation at the single-species level, and the Maximum Likelihood classifier was found to perform best at the site level (69% overall accuracy). The classification accuracy increased with the spatial resolution of the input data, and a large reduction in accuracy was observed when employing imagery of >11 cm resolution. Finally, the most accurate classifications were produced using imagery collected during the peak (July–August) or early growing season (start of May). These findings suggest that despite the strong heterogeneity of peatlands, these environments can be mapped at the species level using UAVs. Such an approach would benefit studies estimating peatland carbon emissions or using the cover of keystone species to evaluate restoration projects

An extreme case of plant-insect co-diversification: figs and fig-pollinating wasps

It is thought that speciation in phytophagous insects is often due to colonization of novel host plants, because radiations of plant and insect lineages are typically asynchronous. Recent phylogenetic comparisons have supported this model of diversification for both insect herbivores and specialized pollinators. An exceptional case where contemporaneous plant insect diversification might be expected is the obligate mutualism between fig trees (Ficus species, Moraceae) and their pollinating wasps (Agaonidae, Hymenoptera). The ubiquity and ecological significance of this mutualism in tropical and subtropical ecosystems has long intrigued biologists, but the systematic challenge posed by >750 interacting species pairs has hindered progress toward understanding its evolutionary history. In particular, taxon sampling and analytical tools have been insufficient for large-scale co-phylogenetic analyses. Here, we sampled nearly 200 interacting pairs of fig and wasp species from across the globe. Two supermatrices were assembled: on average, wasps had sequences from 77% of six genes (5.6kb), figs had sequences from 60% of five genes (5.5 kb), and overall 850 new DNA sequences were generated for this study. We also developed a new analytical tool, Jane 2, for event-based phylogenetic reconciliation analysis of very large data sets. Separate Bayesian phylogenetic analyses for figs and fig wasps under relaxed molecular clock assumptions indicate Cretaceous diversification of crown groups and contemporaneous divergence for nearly half of all fig and pollinator lineages. Event-based co-phylogenetic analyses further support the co-diversification hypothesis. Biogeographic analyses indicate that the presentday distribution of fig and pollinator lineages is consistent with an Eurasian origin and subsequent dispersal, rather than with Gondwanan vicariance. Overall, our findings indicate that the fig-pollinator mutualism represents an extreme case among plant-insect interactions of coordinated dispersal and long-term co-diversification

Comparing Notes: Recording and Criticism

This chapter charts the ways in which recording has changed the nature of music criticism. It both provides an overview of the history of recording and music criticism, from the advent of Edison’s Phonograph to the present day, and examines the issues arising from this new technology and the consequent transformation of critical thought and practice

Case Reports1. A Late Presentation of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Beware of TGFβ Receptor Mutations in Benign Joint Hypermobility

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and dissections are not uncommon causes of sudden death in young adults. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant, connective tissue disease characterized by aggressive arterial aneurysms, resulting from mutations in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor genes TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Mean age at death is 26.1 years, most often due to aortic dissection. We report an unusually late presentation of LDS, diagnosed following elective surgery in a female with a long history of joint hypermobility. Methods: A 51-year-old Caucasian lady complained of chest pain and headache following a dural leak from spinal anaesthesia for an elective ankle arthroscopy. CT scan and echocardiography demonstrated a dilated aortic root and significant aortic regurgitation. MRA demonstrated aortic tortuosity, an infrarenal aortic aneurysm and aneurysms in the left renal and right internal mammary arteries. She underwent aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement. She had a background of long-standing joint pains secondary to hypermobility, easy bruising, unusual fracture susceptibility and mild bronchiectasis. She had one healthy child age 32, after which she suffered a uterine prolapse. Examination revealed mild Marfanoid features. Uvula, skin and ophthalmological examination was normal. Results: Fibrillin-1 testing for Marfan syndrome (MFS) was negative. Detection of a c.1270G > C (p.Gly424Arg) TGFBR2 mutation confirmed the diagnosis of LDS. Losartan was started for vascular protection. Conclusions: LDS is a severe inherited vasculopathy that usually presents in childhood. It is characterized by aortic root dilatation and ascending aneurysms. There is a higher risk of aortic dissection compared with MFS. Clinical features overlap with MFS and Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type IV, but differentiating dysmorphogenic features include ocular hypertelorism, bifid uvula and cleft palate. Echocardiography and MRA or CT scanning from head to pelvis is recommended to establish the extent of vascular involvement. Management involves early surgical intervention, including early valve-sparing aortic root replacement, genetic counselling and close monitoring in pregnancy. Despite being caused by loss of function mutations in either TGFβ receptor, paradoxical activation of TGFβ signalling is seen, suggesting that TGFβ antagonism may confer disease modifying effects similar to those observed in MFS. TGFβ antagonism can be achieved with angiotensin antagonists, such as Losartan, which is able to delay aortic aneurysm development in preclinical models and in patients with MFS. Our case emphasizes the importance of timely recognition of vasculopathy syndromes in patients with hypermobility and the need for early surgical intervention. It also highlights their heterogeneity and the potential for late presentation. Disclosures: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Wider Still and Wider: British Music Criticism since the Second World War

This chapter provides the first historical examination of music criticism in Britain since the Second World War. In the process, it also challenges the simplistic prevailing view of this being a period of decline from a golden age in music criticism

Mapping Scottish Landownership:Research Briefing

What were we trying to find out?We developed a methodology to determine if there is a relationship betweenlandownership and, firstly, land use decisions (a land use change, continuation on thesame path, diversification etc.), and secondly, monetary flows into land, and whethereither of these are affected by a recent sale (i.e. a sale triggers a change of land useor a change of monetary flows). This is a multi-year process which is ongoing. In thisresearch briefing we present our work to date, which includes a working example ofan area of the Spey Catchment.What did we do?We utilised multiple data sources to compile a map representing land ownership,recent sales, monetary flows and land use/land cover. This was a complicated task,with a new method created to aid and partly automate this process. The main data setutilised to map land transactions was purchased from the Registers of Scotland (RoS)which proved very hard to work with due to multiple inconsistencies at the data entrystage. Land ownership was mapped primarily with purchased Who Owns Scotlanddata. Land use/cover was mapped using a suite of different data sources. When theprocess was refined, it was applied to a small case study.Parallel to the mapping work, a landownership typology was created. This is a seven-fold typology that categorises individual parcels of land according to size, ownership,land use, type (farm/forest/estate), size descriptor and any defining characteristics.The ownership typology was then applied to the case study area. Multiple data sourceswere used to map monetary flows.What did we learn?Spatially mapping landownership and recent sale transactions of land is complex andarduous. Despite these issues, we still managed to create a working methodology formapping landownership using Registers of Scotland data, and successfully integratedthis with multiple other data sources. Through this process we have developed a toolthat is (once the landownership level is complete) fully automated and can produceuseful maps and descriptors of any piece of land in Scotland, so long as ownership isknown.What do we recommend and what happens next?In the coming years of the project this mapping exercise will be applied to four casestudy areas across Scotland (Tweed Catchment, Spey Catchment, Shetland Islands,and Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve). The case study presented inthis Research Briefing is static in time, but we also intend to map these areas overmultiple historic years to track patterns in landownership, land use change andmonetary flows into land