Diversity Management: Vorteile statt Vorurteile.

„Diversity zu praktizieren bedeutet Unterschiedlichkeiten anzuerkennen, auf Bedürfnisse einzugehen und Potentiale zu nutzen.“ Dieser praxisnahe Ratgeber führt in die Hintergründe von Diversity Management ein – und gibt konkrete Beispiele, wie die unterschiedlichen Aspekte von Diversity Management gelingen. Der Sammelband entstand aus einem Seminar am Südasien- Institut der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg unter Mitarbeit von DozentInnen, DoktorandInnen und StudentInnen

Introducing the JMBE themed issue on science communication

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Genetically modified crops and aquatic ecosystems: considerations for environmental risk assessment and non-target organism testing

Environmental risk assessments (ERA) support regulatory decisions for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. The ERA for terrestrial agroecosystems is well-developed, whereas guidance for ERA of GM crops in aquatic ecosystems is not as well-defined. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how comprehensive problem formulation can be used to develop a conceptual model and to identify potential exposure pathways, using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize as a case study. Within problem formulation, the insecticidal trait, the crop, the receiving environment, and protection goals were characterized, and a conceptual model was developed to identify routes through which aquatic organisms may be exposed to insecticidal proteins in maize tissue. Following a tiered approach for exposure assessment, worst-case exposures were estimated using standardized models, and factors mitigating exposure were described. Based on exposure estimates, shredders were identified as the functional group most likely to be exposed to insecticidal proteins. However, even using worst-case assumptions, the exposure of shredders to Bt maize was low and studies supporting the current risk assessments were deemed adequate. Determining if early tier toxicity studies are necessary to inform the risk assessment for a specific GM crop should be done on a case by case basis, and should be guided by thorough problem formulation and exposure assessment. The processes used to develop the Bt maize case study are intended to serve as a model for performing risk assessments on future traits and crops. -® 2011 The Author(s

Tales of diversity: Genomic and morphological characteristics of forty-six <i>Arthrobacter</i> phages

<div><p>The vast bacteriophage population harbors an immense reservoir of genetic information. Almost 2000 phage genomes have been sequenced from phages infecting hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria, and analysis of these genomes reveals substantial diversity, pervasive mosaicism, and novel mechanisms for phage replication and lysogeny. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic characterization of 46 phages from environmental samples at various geographic locations in the U.S. infecting a single <i>Arthrobacter</i> sp. strain. These phages include representatives of all three virion morphologies, and Jasmine is the first sequenced podovirus of an actinobacterial host. The phages also span considerable sequence diversity, and can be grouped into 10 clusters according to their nucleotide diversity, and two singletons each with no close relatives. However, the clusters/singletons appear to be genomically well separated from each other, and relatively few genes are shared between clusters. Genome size varies from among the smallest of siphoviral phages (15,319 bp) to over 70 kbp, and G+C contents range from 45–68%, compared to 63.4% for the host genome. Although temperate phages are common among other actinobacterial hosts, these <i>Arthrobacter</i> phages are primarily lytic, and only the singleton Galaxy is likely temperate.</p></div

Genome organization of <i>Arthrobacter</i> phage Maggie, Cluster AN.

<p>See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180517#pone.0180517.g005" target="_blank">Fig 5</a> for details.</p