Effect of wheat production system components on food preference in rats

In the study presented the effects of two major system components - fertility management and crop protection - were tested in a rat preference test for the first time. Wheat samples produced under 4 combinations of these management factors: -a) organic fertility and crop protection management, b) organic fertility management and conventional crop protection c) conventional fertility management and organic crop protection and d) conventional fertility management and crop protection - generated in the Nafferton factorial systems comparison (NFSC) trial at Newcastle University, were used as experimental diets. Results showed that the organically fertilised wheat was preferred by rats (P = 0.001) while the organic crop protection resulted in reduced wheat consumption (not significant). This might indicate that the rats did not sense or did not select against possible traces of plant protection agents but responded more clearly to differences that were caused by the fertility management

Fifteen species in one: deciphering the Brachionus plicatilis species complex (Rotifera, Monogononta) through DNA taxonomy

Understanding patterns and processes in biological diversity is a critical task given current and rapid environmental change. Such knowledge is even more essential when the taxa under consideration are important ecological and evolutionary models. One of these cases is the monogonont rotifer cryptic species complex Brachionus plicatilis, which is by far the most extensively studied group of rotifers, is widely used in aquaculture, and is known to host a large amount of unresolved diversity. Here we collate a dataset of previously available and newly generated sequences of COI and ITS1 for 1273 isolates of the B. plicatilis complex and apply three approaches in DNA taxonomy (i.e. ABGD, PTP, and GMYC) to identify and provide support for the existence of 15 species within the complex. We used these results to explore phylogenetic signal in morphometric and ecological traits, and to understand correlation among the traits using phylogenetic comparative models. Our results support niche conservatism for some traits (e.g. body length) and phylogenetic plasticity for others (e.g. genome size)

Data from: Plant, soil and microbial controls on grassland diversity restoration: a long-term, multi-site mesocosm experiment

The success of grassland biodiversity restoration schemes is determined by many factors; as such their outcomes can be unpredictable. There is a need for improved understanding of the relative importance of belowground factors to restoration success, such as contrasting soil type and management intensities, as well as plant community composition and order of assembly. We carried out an eight-year mesocosm experiment across three locations in the UK to explore the relative and interactive roles of various aboveground and belowground factors in the establishment of target species, to determine general constraints on grassland restoration. Each location had a series of mesocosms with contrasting soil types and management status, which were initially sown with six grasses typical of species-poor grasslands targeted for restoration. Over five years, sets of plant species were added, to test how different vegetation treatments, including early-coloniser species and the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor, and soil type and management, influenced the establishment of target plant species and community diversity. The addition of early-coloniser species to model grasslands suppressed the establishment of target species, indicating a strong priority effect. Soil type was also an important factor, but effects varied considerably across locations. In the absence of early-coloniser species, low soil nutrient availability improved establishment of target species across locations, although R. minor had no beneficial effect. Synthesis and applications. Our long-term, multi-site study indicates that successful restoration of species rich grassland is dependent primarily on priority effects, especially in the form of early-coloniser species that suppress establishment of slow-growing target species. We also show that priority effects vary with soil conditions, being stronger in clay than sandy soils, and on soils of high nutrient availability. As such, our work emphasises the importance of considering priority effects and local soil conditions in developing management strategies for restoring plant species diversity in grassland

2005 all data

This file contains all data used in the 2005 analyses for the paper. It lists pot and treatment details, and biomass, chemistry and microbial data

2011 all data

This file contains all data from the 2011 analyses including pot and treatment ID, biomass, chemistry and microbial data. See Readme file attached to the 2005 data for more details

Use of Plant-derived Products to Control Arthropods of Veterinary Importance: A Review

The use of synthetic products in veterinary pest management is becoming increasingly problematic. Issues, including pest resistance, product withdrawal, undesirable environmental persistence, and high mammalian toxicity associated with synthetic pesticides, are driving research to identify new pest management approaches. One approach employs the repellent/toxic effects of plant-derived products (PDPs). Several pesticides based on PDPs are already available in some areas of pest management. This review highlights instances in which such products have been used with success against pests of domestic animals, livestock, apiculture, and poultry