Das aktuelle und zukünftige Öko-Kontrollverfahren aus Sicht ausgewählter Branchenexperten

Das deutsche Öko-Kontrollsystem zertifiziert Produkte, deren Herstellungsprozess in Kompatibi-lität mit den Richtlinien der EU-Ökoverordnung erfolgt. Die Verlässlichkeit dieses Systems ist aus-schlaggebend für das Vertrauen der Verbraucher und Produzenten. Die in Deutschland charak-teristische Struktur von staatlichen Überwachungsinstitutionen und beliehenen privaten Kon-trollstellen stellt, v.a. im Zuge des Wachstums und der Diversifizierung des Marktes ökologisch hergestellter Lebensmittel, Anforderungen an die Verlässlichkeit, die Zusammenarbeit der ver-schiedenen Akteursgruppen und die Kompetenz des Kontrollpersonals. Ziel dieses Arbeitspaketes (AP2) ist es, anhand von Interviews mit Branchenexperten Impulse für den Dialogprozess der Stakeholder und die didaktisch konzeptionelle Arbeit zu gewinnen. Dabei wurde drei zentralen Fragestellungen nachgegangen: Wie wird das aktuelle Öko-Kontrollverfahren wahrgenommen und bewertet? Wie soll eine moderne und effiziente Öko-Kontrolle in der Zukunft aussehen? Inwieweit existieren Differenzen in den Perspektiven unterschiedlicher Stakeholdergruppen bzw. Akteure bezüglich der Zukunft des Öko-Kontrollverfahrens

Next-generation conservation genetics and biodiversity monitoring

This special issue of Evolutionary Applications consists of 10 publications investigating the use of next-generation tools and techniques in population genetic analyses and biodiversity assessment. The special issue stems from a 2016 Next Generation Genetic Monitoring Workshop, hosted by the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) in Tennessee, USA. The improved accessibility of next-generation sequencing platforms has allowed molecular ecologists to rapidly produce large amounts of data. However, with the increased availability of new genomic markers and mathematical techniques, care is needed in selecting appropriate study designs, interpreting results in light of conservation concerns, and determining appropriate management actions. This special issue identifies key attributes of successful genetic data analyses in biodiversity evaluation and suggests ways to improve analyses and their application in current population and conservation genetics research

Expressed Exome Capture Sequencing (EecSeq): a method for cost-effective exome sequencing for all organisms

Exome capture is an effective tool for surveying the genome for loci under selection. However, traditional methods require annotated genomic resources. Here, we present a method for creating cDNA probes from expressed mRNA, which are then used to enrich and capture genomic DNA for exon regions. This approach, called “EecSeq,” eliminates the need for costly probe design and synthesis. We tested EecSeq in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, using a controlled exposure experiment. Four adult oysters were heat shocked at 36°C for 1 hr along with four control oysters kept at 14°C. Stranded mRNA libraries were prepared for two individuals from each treatment and pooled. Half of the combined library was used for probe synthesis, and half was sequenced to evaluate capture efficiency. Genomic DNA was extracted from all individuals, enriched via captured probes, and sequenced directly. We found that EecSeq had an average capture sensitivity of 86.8% across all known exons and had over 99.4% sensitivity for exons with detectable levels of expression in the mRNA library. For all mapped reads, over 47.9% mapped to exons and 37.0% mapped to expressed targets, which is similar to previously published exon capture studies. EecSeq displayed relatively even coverage within exons (i.e., minor “edge effects”) and even coverage across exon GC content. We discovered 5,951 SNPs with a minimum average coverage of 80×, with 3,508 SNPs appearing in exonic regions. We show that EecSeq provides comparable, if not superior, specificity and capture efficiency compared to costly, traditional methods

Scans for signatures of selection in Russian cattle breed genomes reveal new candidate genes for environmental adaptation and acclimation

Domestication and selective breeding has resulted in over 1000 extant cattle breeds. Many of these breeds do not excel in important traits but are adapted to local environments. These adaptations are a valuable source of genetic material for efforts to improve commercial breeds. As a step toward this goal we identified candidate regions to be under selection in genomes of nine Russian native cattle breeds adapted to survive in harsh climates. After comparing our data to other breeds of European and Asian origins we found known and novel candidate genes that could potentially be related to domestication, economically important traits and environmental adaptations in cattle. The Russian cattle breed genomes contained regions under putative selection with genes that may be related to adaptations to harsh environments (e.g., AQP5, RAD50, and RETREG1). We found genomic signatures of selective sweeps near key genes related to economically important traits, such as the milk production (e.g., DGAT1, ABCG2), growth (e.g., XKR4), and reproduction (e.g., CSF2). Our data point to candidate genes which should be included in future studies attempting to identify genes to improve the extant breeds and facilitate generation of commercial breeds that fit better into the environments of Russia and other countries with similar climates

Lighting Pathways to Success in STEM: A Virtual Laboratory Meeting Programme (LaMP) Mutually Benefits Mentees and Host Laboratories

Developing robust professional networks can help shape the trajectories of early career scientists. Yet, historical inequities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields make access to these networks highly variable across academic programmes, and senior academics often have little time for mentoring. Here, we illustrate the success of a virtual Laboratory Meeting Programme (LaMP). In this programme, we matched students (mentees) with a more experienced scientist (mentors) from a research group. The mentees then attended the mentors’ laboratory meetings during the academic year with two laboratory meetings specifically dedicated to the mentee’s professional development. Survey results indicate that mentees expanded their knowledge of the hidden curriculum as well as their professional network, while only requiring a few extra hours of their mentor’s time over eight months. In addition, host laboratories benefitted from mentees sharing new perspectives and knowledge in laboratory meetings. Diversity of the mentees was significantly higher than the mentors, suggesting that the programme increased the participation of traditionally under-represented groups. Finally, we found that providing a stipend was very important to many mentees. We conclude that virtual LaMPs can be an inclusive and costeffective way to foster trainee development and increase diversity within STEM fields with little additional time commitment

Men Cry: Embodiments of Masculinity in Western Cinema circa 1999

This thesis examines two films released in 1999, Fight Club (Fincher 1999) and Boys Don’t Cry (Pierce 1999), through the theoretical framework of queer theory, gender theory, and feminist theory to analyze systemic structures and cultural notions of masculinity. Mainstream cinema depicts gender identity and gender roles to promote bigenderism and maintain patriarchal hierarchy. Rarely films and the characters within them break out of this ideological norm. By depicting masculine identified characters who cry, Fight Club and Boys Don’t Cry expose the characters’ vulnerabilities and flaws and challenge the “perfect masculine ideal.” These films question what it means to have a masculine identity when the characters behave in a way that is counter to normative patriarchal masculine identities. As a transgender masculine identified person, I have a unique interest in masculine identity formation and a personal desire to explore different embodiments of masculinity. Examining research conducted in the transgender community through social media sites and online forums and providing insight from my own life, this paper elucidates ideas about hormonal and biological processes related to sex and gender characteristics and identifications. A critical analysis of the cinematic and written texts of Fight Club and Boys Don’t Cry through the lens of personal experience, this thesis addresses concepts of fluidity in male identified characters in scenes in which they cry and what this act says about them and about masculinity. Further, it exposes the failures and dangers of streamlining boys and men into normative patriarchal masculine identities and practices

Genetic, Spatial, and Temporal Components of Precise Spawning Synchrony in Reef Building Corals of the Montastraea annularis Species Complex

When organisms release gametes into the sea, synchrony must be precise to increase fertilization and decrease hybridization. We tagged and genotyped over 400 spawning corals from the three species in the Montastraea annularis species complex. We report on the influence of species, individuals, and genotypes on timing of spawning from 2002 through 2009. During their annual spawning event M. franksi spawns on average 2 h after sunset, whereas M. annularis and M. faveolata spawn 3.5 h after sunset. Only M. franksi and M. annularis have compatible gametes. Individual colonies of the same genotype spawn at approximately the same time after sunset within and across years (within minutes), but different genotypes have significantly different spawning times. Neighboring colonies, regardless of genotype, spawn more synchronously than individuals spaced further apart. At a given distance, clone-mates spawn more synchronously than nonclone-mates. A transplant experiment indicates a genetic and environmental influence on spawn time. There is strong, but not absolute, concordance between spawn time, morphology, and genetics. Tight precision in spawning is achieved via a combination of external cues, genetic precision, and perhaps conspecific signaling. These mechanisms are likely to influence reproductive success and reproductive isolation in a density-dependent manner

Local interspecies introgression is the main cause of extreme levels of intraspecific differentiation in mussels.

Structured populations, and replicated zones of contact between species, are an ideal opportunity to study regions of the genome with unusual levels of differentiation; and these can illuminate the genomic architecture of species isolation, and the spread of adaptive alleles across species ranges. Here, we investigated the effects of gene flow on divergence and adaptation in the Mytilus complex of species, including replicated parental populations in quite distant geographical locations. We used target enrichment sequencing of 1269 contigs of a few kb each, including some genes of known function, to infer gene genealogies at a small chromosomal scale. We show that geography is an important determinant of the genomewide patterns of introgression in Mytilus and that gene flow between different species, with contiguous ranges, explained up to half of the intraspecific outliers. This suggests that local introgression is both widespread and tends to affect larger chromosomal regions than purely intraspecific processes. We argue that this situation might be common, and this implies that genome scans should always consider the possibility of introgression from sister species, unsampled differentiated backgrounds, or even extinct relatives, for example Neanderthals in humans. The hypothesis that reticulate evolution over long periods of time contributes widely to adaptation, and to the spatial and genomic reorganization of genetic backgrounds, needs to be more widely considered to make better sense of genome scans.This work was funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (HYSEA project, ANR-12-BSV7- 0011) and the project Aquagenet (SUDOE, INTERREG IV B). This is article 2015-XXX of Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.1329

Males and Females Contribute Unequally to Offspring Genetic Diversity in the Polygynandrous Mating System of Wild Boar

The maintenance of genetic diversity across generations depends on both the number of reproducing males and females. Variance in reproductive success, multiple paternity and litter size can all affect the relative contributions of male and female parents to genetic variation of progeny. The mating system of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) has been described as polygynous, although evidence of multiple paternity in litters has been found. Using 14 microsatellite markers, we evaluated the contribution of males and females to genetic variation in the next generation in independent wild boar populations from the Iberian Peninsula and Hungary. Genetic contributions of males and females were obtained by distinguishing the paternal and maternal genetic component inherited by the progeny. We found that the paternally inherited genetic component of progeny was more diverse than the maternally inherited component. Simulations showed that this finding might be due to a sampling bias. However, after controlling for the bias by fitting both the genetic diversity in the adult population and the number of reproductive individuals in the models, paternally inherited genotypes remained more diverse than those inherited maternally. Our results suggest new insights into how promiscuous mating systems can help maintain genetic variation