L-VRAP-a lunar volatile resources analysis package for lunar exploration

The Lunar Volatile Resources Analysis Package (L-VRAP) has been conceived to deliver some of the objectives of the proposed Lunar Lander mission currently being studied by the European Space Agency. The purpose of the mission is to demonstrate and develop capability; the impetus is very much driven by a desire to lay the foundations for future human exploration of the Moon. Thus, LVRAP has design goals that consider lunar volatiles from the perspective of both their innate scientific interest and also their potential for in situ utilisation as a resource. The device is a dual mass spectrometer system and is capable of meeting the requirements of the mission with respect to detection, quantification and characterisation of volatiles. Through the use of appropriate sampling techniques, volatiles from either the regolith or atmosphere (exosphere) can be analysed. Furthermore, since L-VRAP has the capacity to determine isotopic compositions, it should be possible for the instrument to determine the sources of the volatiles that are found on the Moon (be they lunar per se, extra-lunar, or contaminants imparted by the mission itself

A note on the ‘Variolaris Bed’ (Palaeogene) near Newport, Isle of Wight, and its Ostracod assemblage

Augering to the east of Newport, Isle of Wight, has proved the presence of the ‘Variolarius Bed’ at the top of the Selsey Sand Formation. As well as its characteristic flood of the foraminifer Nummulites variolarius it contains a biostratigraphically useful ostracod assemblage, characterised by dominant Leguminocythereis haskinsi and subdominant Cytherella dixoni, with less numerous Cytheridea rigida, Oertliella aculeata, Cytheretta forticosta and Pterygocythereis cornuta

Developing biosafety risk hypotheses for invertebrates exposed to GM plants using conceptual food webs: A case study with elevated triacylglyceride levels in ryegrass

Regulators are acutely aware of the need for meaningful risk assessments to support decisions on the safety of GM crops to non-target invertebrates in determining their suitability for field release. We describe a process for developing appropriate, testable risk hypotheses for invertebrates in agroecosystems that might be exposed to plants developed by GM and future novel technologies. An existing model (PRONTI) generates a ranked list of invertebrate species for biosafety testing by accessing a database of biological, ecological and food web information about species which occur in cropping environments and their potential interactions with a particular stressor (Eco Invertebase). Our objective in this contribution is to explore and further utilise these resources to assist in the process of problem formulation by identifying potentially significant effects of the stressor on the invertebrate community and the ecosystem services they provide. We propose that for high ranking species, a conceptual food web using information in Eco Invertebase is constructed, and using an accepted regulatory risk analysis framework, the likelihood of risk, and magnitude of impact for each link in the food web is evaluated. Using as filters only those risks evaluated as likely to extremely likely, and the magnitude of an effect being considered as moderate to massive, the most significant potential effects can be identified. A stepwise approach is suggested to develop a sequence of appropriate tests. The GM ryegrass plant used as the “stressor” in this study has been modified to increase triacylglyceride levels in foliage by 100% to increase the metabolisable energy content of forage for grazing animals. The high-ranking “test” species chosen to illustrate the concept are New Zealand native species Wiseana cervinata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), Persectania aversa (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and the self-introduced grey field slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Müller)

Developing risk hypotheses and selecting species for assessing non-target impacts of GM trees with novel traits: The case of altered-lignin pine trees

A procedure is presented for developing environmental risk hypotheses associated with the deployment of forest trees genetically modified to have altered wood properties and for selecting non-target species to test these hypotheses. Altered-lignin Pinus radiata trees intended for use in New Zealand are used as a hypothetical case study to illustrate our approach. Firstly, environmental management goals (such as wood production, flood control or preservation of biodiversity) were identified and linked to the forest attributes they require. Necessary conditions for each attribute were listed and appropriate assessment endpoints for them developed. For example, biological control of pests may be one condition necessary for a forest to have healthy trees, and the diversity and abundance of natural enemy species in the forest could be an appropriate assessment endpoint for measuring this condition. A conceptual model describing the relationships between an altered-lignin GM pine tree and potentially affected invertebrates and micro-organisms in a plantation forest was used to develop a set of risk hypotheses describing how the GM trees might affect each assessment endpoint. Because purified lignin does not represent the properties it imparts to wood, maximum hazard dose tests with non-target organisms, as are used to inform toxin risk assessment, cannot be conducted. Alternative experiments, based on current knowledge of the responses of organisms to lignin, must be designed. A screening method was adapted and applied to a database of invertebrate species known to inhabit New Zealand pine forests to identify and prioritize non-target invertebrate species that could be used as experimental subjects for examining these hypotheses. The screening model and its application are presented, along with a set of recommendations for pre-release tests with GM pines and potentially affected invertebrates and micro-organisms

Shifts in the phylogenetic structure and functional capacity of soil microbial communities follow alteration of native tussock grassland ecosystems

Globally, tussock-based grasslands are being modified to increase productive capacity. The impacts of cultivation and over-sowing with exotic grass and legumes on soil microbiology were assessed at four sites in New Zealand which differed in soil type, climate and vegetation. Primary alteration of the soil physicochemical status occurred with land use change. This was driven by addition of mineral fertiliser and alteration of pH. Genes associated with several biogeochemical cycles (GeoChip data) were impacted by land-use but not sampling location. A number of functional gene families associated with biogeochemical cycling of C, N and S were present in greater relative abundance in the undisturbed soils. Similarly, soil bacterial (PhyloChip) and fungal (TRFLP) communities were strongly influenced by land-use change, but unaffected by sampling location. Alteration of land-use increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and OD1 phyla, but many of the less-common phyla, such as Verrucomicrobia and Dictyoglomi decreased in abundance; these phyla may be important in internal soil nutrient cycling processes. This work provides evidence that tussock grassland soils are strongly dependent on microbially-mediated nutrient cycling, and these processes are highly-sensitive to exogenous nutrient inputs and/or alteration of pH. De-coupling of processes following addition of fertilisers or removal of organic matter (grazing) may make these improved grassland systems more susceptible to nutrient leakage. This has important implications for environmental quality

Resistência parasitária em helmintos de eqüídeos e propostas de manejo Parasite resistance on helminths of equids and management proposal’s

Os eqüinos apresentam uma grande variedade de parasitas em sua fauna helmíntica, e algumas espécies/gêneros são de relevada importância, como: Parascaris equorum, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Oxyuris equi, Cyathostomum spp. e Strongylus spp. O controle destas infecções depende principalmente da utilização de produtos antiparasitários de forma supressiva ou estratégica e, em menor escala, de forma curativa. O tratamento supressivo é o fator mais importante na promoção da seleção de organismos resistentes, prejudicando a sustentabilidade de qualquer programa sanitário. As formas de detecção da resistência parasitária são onerosas e as mais comuns expressam resultados imprecisos. Entretanto, estas técnicas servem para monitorar a evolução e determinar os organismos envolvidos. A combinação de drogas é uma ferramenta que deve ser utilizada com muita cautela, pois esta alternativa não garante uma redução significativa de organismos resistentes aos compostos envolvidos. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar formas de planejamento que auxiliem a melhorar a condição sanitária, o bem-estar dos animais e preserve o efeito tóxico dos produtos antiparasitários.<br>Equines harbour a variety of parasitic organisms on their helminth fauna and there are a few species/genus of interest, such as: Parascaris equorum, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Oxyuris equi, Cyathostomum spp. and Strongylus spp. The control of these infections relies mostly on the suppressive or strategic usage of antiparasitic compounds, and to a less extent on curative/salvage treatments. Suppressive treatment is the most important factor regarding the selection of resistant organisms, causing the impairment of sanitary programs. Detection methods of parasite resistance are expensive and the most common ones express variable results. Although, these techniques allow monitoring the evolution and the determination of which organisms are involved. Drug combination is a toll that should be used with caution, because it may not reduce the presence of resistant organisms to the compounds involved. The objective of this article is to demonstrate control alternatives that would contribute to sanitary management, to improve animal welfare and to preserve the toxic effect of the antiparasitic products

Changing times, spaces, and faces: tests and implications of adaptive morphological plasticity in the fishes of northern postglacial lakes

The phenotypic diversity exhibited within and among populations of freshwater fishes in postglacial lakes has intrigued biologists for two reasons: (i) their high phenotypic variation and (ii) the apparently recent and rapid divergence of forms. Genetic and ecological studies of these taxa are shedding new light on mechanisms of divergence and species formation. Surprisingly, the roles of phenotypic plasticity in the origins, maintenance, and generation of phenotypic diversity in this system are rarely directly addressed. We synthesize the available literature on morphological plasticity in these fishes and, using a meta-analysis, test for adaptive plasticity. We conclude that (i) morphological plasticity is common in at least six families of northern freshwater fishes, (ii) plastic responses can often be induced by conditions related to littoral and pelagic lake environments, (iii) plasticity often represents adaptive responses to conditions in these habitats, and (iv) that although rarely tested, heritable variation in morphological plasticity is present. The rich amount of phenotypic plasticity has not constrained recent adaptive divergence and species formation in postglacial fishes, and instead plasticity may play a role in the notably high rates of divergence observed in these and other fishes currently undergoing adaptive radiation