Mapping the broad habitats of the Burren using satellite imagery

Teagasc acknowledges the support of the Research Stimulus Fund of the Department of Agriculture and Food, funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2000 – 2006.End of project reportThis project has successfully used satellite imagery to survey and map the extent and spatial distribution of broad habitat types within the Burren, and we have represented this information on a digitised habitat map. this information on a digitised habitat map. This map is the first to show the distribution of the broad habitats of the Burren and will be an important tool in aiding future decisions as to how the habitats of the Burren should be managed to the benefit of both the farmer and the environment. The map provides the first estimate of the area of the Burren affected by scrub encroachment – this being one of the most significant threats to the EU priority habitats in the region. On a particularly challenging area with a high diversity and complexity of habitats, remote sensing appears to offer a very effective and cost-efficient alternative to broad-scale habitat mapping on a field-by-field basis. The use of high-resolution imagery and ground-truthing should be adopted to complete a detailed national survey of habitats and land use in Ireland. This would support more effective implementation of both the Agriculture sector’s obligations under the Habitats Directive, and agri-environmental schemes with wildlife objectives. The outputs provided by such mapping approaches could inform the targeting of agri-environmental objectives, and increase the efficiency of detecting areas of high conservation value for monitoring by more conventional methods. The detailed land use descriptions offered by such imagery are also of high relevance to modelling approaches and risk assessment for implementation of land use policies such as the Water Framework Directive and Nitrates Directive.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Botanical rejuvenation of field margins and benefits for invertebrate fauna on a drystock farm in County Longford

peer-reviewedThis study investigates methods to rejuvenate the fl ora of previously degraded fi eld margins on a pastoral farm in County Longford. We also assess the effects of individual treatments on the abundance of various orders of invertebrates recorded within the experimental plots. Field margin treatments were 1.5m-wide unfenced control margins, 1.5m-wide fenced margins or 3.5m-wide fenced margins. Nutrient inputs were excluded from all of the experimental plots. The botanical composition of the plots was examined on four occasions between 2002 and 2004 using permanent, nested quadrats. Emergence traps were used to measure invertebrate abundance within treatment plots and the main sward. Results indicated that 1) exclusion of nutrient inputs had a positive effect on plant species richness within the fi eld margins; 2) plant species richness decreased with increased distance from the hedgerow; 3) herb species richness was greatest in the 1.5m closest to the hedgerow; 4) greater abundance of invertebrates occurred within the 3.5m-wide margins; 5) successful control of Pteridium aquilinum was achieved through spot treatment with the selective herbicide ‘Asulox’; and 6) a combination of management techniques such as cutting and grazing is likely to enhance plant species richness and facilitate the structural diversity of vegetation that is necessary for many invertebrate taxa.Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm

Phosphorus Retention and sorption by constructed wetland soils.

End of Project ReportPhosphorus plays a major role in the eutrophication of freshwater systems. Wetland systems either natural or constructed have an inherent ability to cycle and retain P. Physical, chemical and biological processes regulate P retention in wetland soils and sediments. Of those processes, sorption and precipitation are important in retaining P. Sorption is typically greater under aerobic soil/sediment conditions than anaerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, Fe plays a major role in P dynamics, whereas Al is not affected by changes in redox. Precipitation of P as insoluble Ca bound P is a dominant transformation at high pH. Long-term P retention by wetland systems includes accretion and decomposition of organic and detrital material, and its associated P content. Case studies reviewed illustrated that P retention in natural and constructed wetland systems can vary by several orders of 30 magnitude depending on site-specific factors. The literature reviewed also indicates that using wetlands to retain P from agricultural practices is significant and variable

A Farm Scale integrated constructed wetland to treat farmyard dirty water.

End of Project ReportIn Ireland, the use of constructed wetlands to manage agricultural waters such as farm yard dirty water has been primarily based on an ecosystems approach. Integrated constructed wetlands, which are a design specific approach of conventional surface flow constructed wetlands, were first used in the Anne Valley, Waterford, Ireland (Harrington and Ryder, 2002). At present, 13 farms in the Anne Valley catchment use integrated constructed wetlands to manage farmyard dirty water (Harrington et al., 2004). Fundamental to their design is water quality improvement, landscape fit (designing the wetland into the topography of the landscape) and that the wetland provides an ecological habitat within the agricultural landscape. Typically, integrated constructed wetlands have greater land area requirements than conventional surface flow constructed wetlands in order to provide for these other fundamental ecological services. Few studies (Ryan, 1990) have addressed the issue of quality and quantity of farmyard dirty generated at farm-scales in Ireland. No studies were readily available documenting the effectiveness of a farm-scale constructed or integrated constructed wetland in Ireland to remove nutrients such as phosphorus (P) from dairy farmyard dirty water on a mass basis. To address such, the main objectives of this research were to (i) determine the quality and quantity of farmyard dirty water generated at a farm-scale (ii) determine the effectiveness of three treatment cells of an integrated constructed wetland to treat farmyard dirty, using the difference between input and output mass loadings, (iii) investigate if there were seasonal effects in the wetland’s performance to retain phosphorus, and (iv) assess the impact of the integrated constructed wetland on the receiving environment by monitoring soil-water parameter concentrations up gradient, down gradient and within the wetland system using piezometers at different soil depths.Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm

A brief report: de novo copy number variants in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Recent case–control genetic studies of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have implicated common and rare genetic risk alleles, highlighting the polygenic and complex aetiology of this neurodevelopmental disorder. Studies of other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Tourette disorder, developmental delay/intellectual disability and schizophrenia indicate that identification of specific risk alleles and additional insights into disorder biology can be gained by studying non-inherited de novo variation. In this study, we aimed to identify large de novo copy number variants (CNVs) in children with ADHD. Children with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD and their parents were genotyped and included in this sample. We used PennCNV to call large (>200 kb) CNVs and identified those calls that were present in the proband and absent in both biological parents. In 305 parent–offspring trios, we detected 14 de novo CNVs in 13 probands, giving a mutation rate of 4.6% and a per individual rate of 4.3%. This rate is higher than published reports in controls and similar to those observed for ASD, schizophrenia and Tourette disorder. We also identified de novo mutations at four genomic loci (15q13.1–13.2 duplication, 16p13.11 duplication, 16p12.2 deletion and 22q11.21 duplication) that have previously been implicated in other neurodevelopmental disorders, two of which (16p13.11 and 22q11.21) have also been implicated in case–control ADHD studies. Our study complements ADHD case–control genomic analyses and demonstrates the need for larger parent–offspring trio genetic studies to gain further insights into the complex aetiology of ADHD

An assessment of the genetic and phenotypic features of Schizophrenia in the UK biobank

IMPORTANCE Large-scale biobanks provide important opportunities for mental health research, but selection biases raise questions regarding the comparability of individuals with those in clinical research settings. OBJECTIVE To compare the genetic liability to psychiatric disorders in individuals with schizophrenia in the UK Biobank with individuals in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and to compare genetic liability and phenotypic features with participants recruited from clinical settings. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study included participants from the population-based UK Biobank and schizophrenia samples recruited from clinical settings (CLOZUK, CardiffCOGS, Cardiff F-Series, and Cardiff Affected Sib-Pairs). Data were collected between January 1993 and July 2021. Data analysis was conducted between July 2021 and June 2023. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES A genome-wide association study of UK Biobank schizophrenia case-control status was conducted, and the results were compared with those from the PGC via genetic correlations. To test for differences with the clinical samples, polygenic risk scores (PRS) were calculated for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and intelligence using PRS-CS. PRS and phenotypic comparisons were conducted using pairwise logistic regressions. The proportions of individuals with copy number variants associated with schizophrenia were compared using Firth logistic regression. RESULTS The sample of 517 375 participants included 1438 UK Biobank participants with schizophrenia (550 [38.2%] female; mean [SD] age, 54.7 [8.3] years), 499 475 UK Biobank controls (271 884 [54.4%] female; mean [SD] age, 56.5 [8.1] years), and 4 schizophrenia research samples (4758 [28.9%] female; mean [SD] age, 38.2 [21.0] years). Liability to schizophrenia in UK Biobank was highly correlated with the latest genome-wide association study from the PGC (genetic correlation, 0.98; SE, 0.18) and showed the expected patterns of correlations with other psychiatric disorders. The schizophrenia PRS explained 6.8% of the variance in liability for schizophrenia case status in UK Biobank. UK Biobank participants with schizophrenia had significantly lower schizophrenia PRS than 3 of the clinically ascertained samples and significantly lower rates of schizophrenia-associated copy number variants than the CLOZUK sample. UK Biobank participants with schizophrenia had higher educational attainment and employment rates than the clinically ascertained schizophrenia samples, lower rates of smoking, and a later age of onset of psychosis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Individuals with schizophrenia in the UK Biobank, and likely other volunteer-based biobanks, represent those less severely affected. Their inclusion in wider studies should enhance the representation of the full spectrum of illness severity

Description and preliminary results from a structured specialist behavioural weight management group intervention:Specialist Lifestyle Management (SLiM) programme

Background -  Specialist Lifestyle Management (SLiM) is a structured patient education and self-management group weight management programme. Each session is run monthly over a 6-month period providing a less intensive long-term approach. The groups are patient-centred incorporating educational, motivational, behavioural and cognitive elements. The theoretical background, programme structure and preliminary results of SLiM are presented. Subjects/methods - The study was a pragmatic service evaluation of obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m2 with comorbidity or ≥40 kg/m2 without comorbidity referred to a specialist weight management service in the West Midlands, UK. 828 patients were enrolled within SLiM over a 48-month period. Trained facilitators delivered the programme. Preliminary anonymised data were analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. The primary outcome measure was weight loss at 3 and 6 months with comparisons between completers and non-completers performed. The last observation carried forward was used for missing data. Results - Of the 828 enrolled within SLiM, 464 completed the programme (56%). The mean baseline weight was 135 kg (BMI=49.1 kg/m2) with 87.2% of patients having a BMI≥40 kg/m2 and 12.4% with BMI≥60 kg/m2. The mean weight change of all patients enrolled was −4.1 kg (95% CI −3.6 to −4.6 kg, p=0.0001) at the end of SLiM, with completers (n=464) achieving −5.5 kg (95% CI −4.2 to −6.2 kg, p=0.0001) and non-completers achieving −2.3 kg (p=0.0001). The majority (78.6%) who attended the 6-month programme achieved weight loss with 32.3% achieving a ≥5% weight loss. Conclusions - The SLiM programme is an effective group intervention for the management of severe and complex obesity