Synopsis: 9. security & defence:


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Alien species are one of the main threats to biodiversity and native species as well as causing immense economic damage e g. via yield losses in agriculture.


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and an increased risk of disease is a major problem. Unsurprisingly nonhuman primates are quite fond of the food crops we grow!

Farmers changed the crops they were growing to reduce the risk of crop raiding without needing to be prompted by conservation organisations.

and appropriate scientific know-how to solve these human-wildlife conflicts is imperative to implementing lasting and robust conflict mitigation.


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Grape phenolics serve as anti-inflammatory agents can reduce the risk of certain cancers and help prevent high blood pressure


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High risk areas identifieda dangerous strain of avian influenza H7n9 that's causing severe illness and deaths in China may be inhabiting a small fraction of its potential range

and appears at risk of spreading to other suitable areas of India Bangladesh Vietnam Indonesia

Places at risk include urban areas in China where the disease has occurred not yet along with large swaths of the Bengal regions of Bangladesh and India the Mekong and Red river deltas in Vietnam and isolated parts of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Gilbert and his colleges developed a risk map for H7n9 in part to help anticipate where human infections--so far caused mainly by contact with birds

The obvious use for such maps in the immediate future is to help target surveillance to areas most at risk

Isolating H7n9 Risk Factors to Help Control its Spreadthe researchers found that the key factors facilitating the emergence

and rest days that can influence the spread of the disease suggesting potential options for reducing risks of further transmission of H7n9.

Managing Livestock Risks via Better Mapsmany of the insights in the report have been possible because of a new set maps that are allowing researchers to observe down to the square kilometer the global distribution

and things like how many live bird markets are located in a particular area the more successful we can be at reducing risks associated with intensifying livestock production in developing countries Robinson said.


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Effects of extreme and adverse events difficult to assessrã tter and his colleagues have studied the risks to crops caused by climate change in the ongoing Cropm/FACCE MACSUR project.

Based on methodology developed for a detailed climatic risk analysis at national level in Finland the indicator approach of agro-climatic conditions was elaborated now further

The novel method helps to reveal the implications of various climatic and agronomic risks such as frost water logging drought

and their integration for accelerating delivery of new diverse varieties of wheat for the different future environments argues Reimund RÃ tter.

Similar risks apply to other crops as wellthe FACCE MACSUR project runs regional pilot studies throughout Europe on the effects of climate change and adaptation of farming practices on future crop production and food supply.

In addition to wheat the novel indicator method will be applied to the risk assessment of other crops as well.

Although our results highlight the potential of adverse impacts of changing climate on wheat similar risks apply to other crops as well for their growing times


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When Ruby died suddenly in April from apparently ingesting rat poison it was a local tragedy as well as a national warning about the serious dangers these chemicals pose to wildlife.

Sadly wildlife is overlooked often in the age-old battle of human versus rodent. Susan Moses a Cambridge resident who had watched Buzz

Another danger of SGARS is their ability to accumulate in liver tissue over time. While this factor doesn't necessarily make second-generation poisons more lethal for rodents than first generation products it has devastating consequences for wildlife.

For example a red-tailed hawk that repeatedly feeds on prey containing sublethal amounts of the second-generation poison is at risk for accumulating a lethal amount over time.

In light of high numbers of children accidentally exposed to second-generation rat poisons as well as the risk to wildlife the EPA tightened the safety standards for consumer use of household rat

After a prolonged battle with the EPA the last manufacturer to comply with the safety standards agreed in May to stop producing its second-generation poisons for sale to residential consumers by the end of the year.


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They also note the shift in marketing tactics for these products from conventional cigarette substitutes only better to styling themselves as new nicotine delivery systems offering consumer choice in models and flavours.


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Protecting diversity hotspotthe forests are home to 2800 plant species and a diverse range of birds reptiles amphibians and mammals with some only found in this region making it

It will also provide a better understanding of the risks posed to tropical forests worldwide as climatic


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and the results they believe underscore the complexity in regulating the rapidly growing market for the electronic nicotine delivery devices.

and most of these would be owned by tobacco companies. â#oeobviously tobacco companies would be concerned more with protecting cigarette market share than smaller e-cigarette companiesâ#Zhu said.

Too many regulations run the risk of changing only the market share of different e-cigarette brands rather than reducing the prevalence of smoking he said.


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Diets rich in cruciferous vegetables of which broccoli is one have been found to reduce risk of chronic degenerative diseases including cancer.

Secondary analyses by the investigators indicated that the sulforaphane may be exerting its protective actions by activating a signaling molecule NRF2 that elevates the capacity of cells to adapt to

This study points to a frugal simple and safe means that can be taken by individuals to possibly reduce some of the long-term health risks associated with air pollution notes Thomas Kensler Phd professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School


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and systems are rapidly achieving intelligence and autonomy mastering more and more capabilities such as mobility and manipulation sensing and perception reasoning and decision making.

Using teams of small specialised agricultural robots instead of the currently used heavy machinery can result in lower soil compaction leading to energy savings but also in more robust systems in the case of technical failures.


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Dr. David Jenkins head of the hospital's Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre compared people with Type 2 diabetes who ate either a low glycemic index diet that included bread made with canola oil

or a whole wheat diet known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. His study published today (Saturday June 14) in the journal Diabetes Care found that those on the canola bread diet experienced both a reduction in blood glucose levels and a significant reduction in LDL or bad cholesterol.

but this positive result may be an indication of why whole wheat foods have consistently been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

and olive oil reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Jenkins said the combination of a low GI diet supplemented with canola oil had not been tested before on people with Type 2 diabetes.*


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and vegetables and less sweetened beverages and saturated fats for example--reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by about 20 percent compared to those who made no changes to their diets.

or increased physical activity or if it could independently reduce a person's risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

If you improve other lifestyle factors you reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes even more

and reduce their risk for diabetes. The study also showed that it didn't matter how good


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Extinct in the wild a rare scimitar-horned oryx was born May 15. It was the 164th scimitar-horned oryx calf to be born at SCBI.

Scimitar-horned oryx once lived in the arid plains and deserts of northern African countries of Egypt Senegal and Chad.

Reintroduction efforts have begun in Tunisia. A red panda gave birth to two surviving cubs May 27 at SCBI.


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Basic histological examinations by no means can help definitive identification of sarcocystis at spies level and warrants electron microscopy


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These hydrocarbons serve as chemical self-defenses against pests as well as providing the familiar aromatic essential oils used in both medicinal cough drops and for industrial processes.


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For example this method is used to play a trick on grape phylloxera a notorious pest of commercial grapevines that attacks the roots of the plants.


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Previous studies have indicated that early exposure to complex foreign proteins such as cow's milk proteins increases the risk of type 1 diabetes in predisposed individuals.

whether delaying the exposure to complex foreign proteins will decrease the risk of diabetes tells Professor Mikael Knip from the University of Helsinki the leader of the TRIGR Study.


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These areas are suffering from human disturbance such as logging mining and forest fires resulting from climate change--all occurrences predicted to intensify in coming years said Tanentzap.


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Most smokers start in childhood and exposure to tobacco marketing is known to increase this risk.

and particularly the health of children at risk of becoming smokers they say. They point to an independent review that found good evidence to support plain packaging and also rejected misleading tobacco industry opposition.

because key security features on existing packaging will be retained on standardized packs including number codes and covert anti-counterfeit marks.


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#Estimated risk of breast cancer increases as red meat intake increases, study suggestsso far studies have suggested no significant association between red meat intake and breast cancer.

So a team of US researchers investigated the association between dietary protein sources in early adulthood and risk of breast cancer.

Putting these real life data into a statistical model allowed the researchers to estimate breast cancer risks for women with different diets.

They estimated that for each step-by-step increase in the women's consumption of red meat there was a step-by-step increase in the risk of getting breast cancer over the 20 year study period.

This translated to an estimate that higher intake of red meat was associated with a 22%increased risk of breast cancer overall.

Each additional serving per day of red meat was associated with a 13%increase in risk of breast cancer (12%in premenopausal and 8%in postmenopausal women.

In contrast estimates showed a lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with higher consumption of poultry.

Substituting one serving per day of poultry for one serving per day of red meat--in the statistical model--was associated with a 17%lower risk of breast cancer overall and a 24%lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Furthermore substituting one serving per day of combined legumes nuts poultry and fish for one serving per day of red meat was associated with a 14%lower risk of breast cancer overall and premenopausal breast cancer.

The authors conclude that higher red meat intake in early adulthood may be a risk factor for breast cancer

and replacing red meat with a combination of legumes poultry nuts and fish may reduce the risk of breast cancer.

and risk of breast cancer is needed they add. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by BMJ-British Medical Journal.


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#Limiting carbs could reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with positive IGF1 receptordartmouth researchers have found that reducing carbohydrate intake could reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence among women

The study Risk of Breast cancer Recurrence Associated with Carbohydrate Intake and Tissue Expression of IGFI Receptor will appear in the July issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.


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and stroke in patients at high cardiovascular risk or those who have had previously the disease.

One component of the Mediterranean diet thought to play a role in reducing this risk is lycopene a powerful antioxidant

Whilst there is strong epidemiological evidence to support the role of lycopene in reducing cardiovascular risk the mechanism by

and the Cambridge university Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust demonstrate one mechanism by which they believe lycopene reduces the risk.

which is predictive of future cardiovascular risk. Thirty-six cardiovascular disease patients and thirty-six healthy volunteers were given

It reinforces the need for a healthy diet in people at risk from heart disease and stroke.

Professor Jeremy Pearson Associate Medical Director at The british Heart Foundation says Impaired endothelial function is known a predictor of increased risk of future heart disease.

whether the beneficial effects seen in this small study translate into clinical benefit for at-risk patients.


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Giving the mother a single injection of Vitamin b12 during pregnancy was enough to prevent stunted growth and the onset of osteoporosis in the offspring.


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Helping farmers around the globe apply more-precise amounts of nitrogen-based fertilizer can help combat climate change.


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hard clamsfour of the most common mosquito pesticides used along the east and Gulf coasts show little risk to juvenile hard clams and oysters according to a NOAA study.

which live in aquatic habitats that are also home to sensitive estuarine species This may pose a risk to coastal environments.

which compared the toxicity thresholds to concentrations expected in the environment the researchers calculated a low-level of risk to clams and oysters from application of these pesticides for mosquito control.


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Maybe the land that we know isn't well-suited for agriculture anyway should be prioritized for protection from deforestation.


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They aerate the soil cycle nutrients and play a role in plant defense and seed dispersal.


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#Rising tobacco epidemic in Asia linked to elevated risk of deatha new study estimates that tobacco smoking has been linked to approximately 2 million deaths among adult men

and included demographic and risk factor information collected in seven Asian regions from the early 1960s through the late 1990s (although most of the studies enrolled participants after the mid-1980s).

Among men who had smoked ever there was an elevated risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) cancer or respiratory diseases in all of the geographic regions in 2004.

The risk of death due to any disease however varied considerably across populations with the stronger association generally found in Japan South korea Singapore

but there was also an elevated risk of death from cancers of the head and neck esophagus stomach colorectum liver pancreas and bladder--all diseases that have been linked to smoking in previous studies according to the authors.

While women in most Asian regions are far less likely to smoke than men the study also found an increased risk of death from cancer CVD and respiratory diseases among East Asian women.

and the risk of death from all causes said Zheng. Tobacco smoking has reached now epidemic proportions in Asia

and the lack of effective tobacco control efforts smokers will continue to face an increased risk of death from cancer and other diseases.


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and other threats researchers worldwide are mobilizing to apply genomic tools and approaches to understand how citrus varieties arose


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in addition to its role in calcium metabolism this critical nutrient reduces both the risk of current infections and the late-life development of such autoimmune diseases as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.

And those of us who got Vitamin d by neither route were increased at risk of a whole host of Vitamin d-related disorders most obvious and most easily recognized being rickets.

and East asia and were eradicated largely in growing children by use of cod liver oil and in the US by the introduction of Vitamin d fortification of milk in the 1930s.

by the time we recognize the deformities of rickets to ensure maximal protection against the autoimmune diseases (for example) for which susceptibility is determined mainly in the first year of life.


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Writtle College and several conservation organizations (the Society for Conservation Biology Royal Society for Protection of Birds Birdlife Europe Butterfly Conservation Europe and Friends of the Earth--Switzerland.

There is little evidence of safeguards in place to prevent continuing intensification of agricultural practices. The authors conclude that the CAP reforms fail to fulfil Target 3a of the EU Biodiversity Strategy

The EU Biodiversity target implicitly assumes that the biodiversity-related measures under the CAP are effective at protecting wildlife.


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Tropical Nations Where Forest Protection and Reforestation Policies Have worked highlights successes in reducing deforestation and restoring forests while supporting economic development in 17 cases across Africa Latin america and South and Southeast asia.

or livestock--we lose vital resources put animals at risk of extinction and release massive quantities of carbon dioxide stored in the trees

Today 80 percent of original Amazonian forest is still standing due to forest protections moratoriums and the REDD+program Brazil is lauded most notably for their deforestation reductions

because participants invested in protecting forests even when not required to do so. Ninety-four percent of the program participants voluntarily spent significant portions of their allotments on forest management proving that the program was successful overall.


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The Parrot came with a protective polystyrene hull for use indoors and Bowman has demonstrated it during meetings with area farmers.

The drones also may be deployed in the battle against Palmer amaranth an invasive weed that is spreading across the Midwest


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â#¢Consuming fresh fruits vegetables and dairy foods such as milk cheese and yogurt without added sugar helps reduce an individual's risk of cavities. â#¢Consuming fewer foods

and wine--may decrease an individual's risk of dental erosion and cavities. â#¢Consuming fewer sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks sports drinks energy drinks and fruit drinks may also decrease a person's risk of dental erosion

and cavities. â#¢Seeking guidance from registered dietitian nutritionists about healthy food choices and regular oral health care can help improve nutritional and oral health status. The paper is online at:


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#Environmental one-two punch imperils Amazonian forestsone of the world's longest-running ecological studies has revealed that Amazonian forests are being altered by multiple environmental threats--creating even greater perils for the world's largest rainforest.


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This rejection can render experiments useless making research into potentially lifesaving treatments a long and difficult process.

Now researchers at the University of Missouri have shown that a new line of genetically modified pigs will host transplanted cells without the risk of rejection.

and scale of humans than other animals and they respond to health threats similarly. This means that research in pigs is more likely to have results similar to those in humans for many different tests and treatments.


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and pantries across the country are bracing for the seasonal assault from teenagers who are now done with school


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--which are coupled frequently in a single lotion gel or other delivery substance--in combination with oral antibiotics to address multiple causes and effects of acne.


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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend increased vegetable consumption to reduce the risk of heart disease certain cancers obesity type 2 diabetes high blood pressure osteoporosis and kidney stones.


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--and many corn and soybean growers don't yet appreciate the threat University of Illinois researchers report.

Some growers who failed to recognize the threat lost their farms as a result he said.


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Future growth of U s. forests expected to declineas forests age their ability to grow decreases a new study by Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) scientists

The above story is provided based on materials by Marine Biological Laboratory. The original article was written by Diana Kenney.


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Although medicine and vaccines can prevent some diseases they don't prevent them all in those cases stopping the bite in the first place is the best line of defense.

They also conclude that the benefits of avoiding disease-spreading insect bites outweigh any theoretical risks associated with applying DEET to the skin.

and advice about insect bite risks and prevention--whether it is students spending a gap year in Africa

and no vaccine against the disease repellents are the number one protection. It is winter in Brazil at the moment

which means the risk is lower in most areas but football fans travelling to the country are advised still to apply effective repellent frequently.

and other biting insects which can leave people at risk of harm to their health.

when out and about to maintain protection throughout the day and evening. If bites do happen make sure they don't become infected by applying an antiseptic


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Potato late blight continues to be a major threat to global food security and at least $6 billion a year is spent to combat it mostly due to the cost of fungicides and substantial yield losses.


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Natural microbe inhibits rice blast fungusa fungus that kills an estimated 30 percent of the world's rice crop may finally have met its match thanks to a research discovery made by scientists at the University of Delaware

and soil sciences in UD's College of Agriculture and Natural resources has identified a naturally occurring microbe living right in the soil around rice plants--Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105--that inhibits the devastating fungus known as rice blast.

What's more the beneficial soil microbe also induces a system-wide defense response in rice plants to battle the fungus.

In addition to rice a distinct population of the rice blast fungus also now threatens wheat production worldwide.

Rice blast is a relentless killer a force to be reckoned with especially as rice is a staple in the daily diet of more than half the world's population--that's over 3 billion people Bais notes.

According to Bais the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) attacks rice plants through spores resembling pressure plugs that penetrate the plant tissue.

and colleagues Spence Donofrio and Vidhyavathi Raman showed that Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105 strongly inhibited the formation of the appressorium and that priming rice plants with EA105 prior to infection by rice blast decreased lesion

These bacteria were tested then in the laboratory with Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105 demonstrating the strongest impact on rice blast.


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#Reducing emissions will be primary way to fight climate change, study findsforget about positioning giant mirrors in space to reduce the amount of sunlight being trapped in Earth's atmosphere

The first scholarly attempt to rank a wide range of approaches to minimizing climate change in terms of their feasibility cost-effectiveness risk public acceptance governability

At stake the study emphasizes are the futures of food production our climate and water security.

and other animals and the risk--while minimal--may stand in the way of public acceptance.

No one wants to live next to a huge underground pool of carbon dioxide that might suffocate them and their children--no matter how small the risk.


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while still providing forest cover and wildlife habitat worked equally as well as more intensive treatments in allowing for the protection of homes during the 2011 Wallow Fire a study published in the journal Forest Ecology


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Today nearly 800 million people are affected by food insecurity and the number of children affected by stunting due to malnutrition is estimated at 165 million.


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and forces it to release methyl salicylate to mimic an attack by plant lice. Jumping plant lice that fly towards the source of the odor are duped:

This is a trick that forces the lice to quickly seek out another tree again this time with the bacterium hitching a ride on their body.


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and productivity--but it could still pose a significant risk to the nutrition levels of people living in the world's poorest regions Baldos said.


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air nicotinesmoking waterpipes or hookahs creates hazardous concentrations of indoor air pollution and poses increased risk from diminished air quality for both employees and patrons of waterpipe bars according to a new

Our study found that waterpipe smoking creates higher levels of indoor air pollution than cigarette smoking placing patrons and employees at increased health risk from secondhand smoke exposure.


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Although gene flow was recognized by a few scientists as a significant evolutionary force as early as the 1940s its relative role in maintaining a species'genetic integrity

and provides evidence for its importance as an evolutionary force. Selection mutation gene flow and genetic drift are the four mechanisms that lead to biological evolution or a change in allele frequencies in a population over time.

Just how important are each of these forces relative to each other? Interestingly Ellstrand points out that evolutionary biologists'view on the importance of gene flow has waxed

and thus a significant evolutionary force a few decades later when quantitative data on gene flow in plant populations began being collected this view changed as evidence seemed to indicate that gene flow was not all that significant.

but somewhat incongruously interspecific hybridization or the movement of genes among species was seen to be a much larger force in evolution than intraspecific allele movement.

Indeed even just a low level of gene flow between populations can counter opposing forces of mutation genetic drift and selection.

Just like selection gene flow is one of the evolutionary forces--and a potentially important one notes Ellstrand.


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With the joined forces with CAAS IRRI And gates Foundation we have made a step forward in big data-based crop research


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But this directed the attack toward the tips of less-important wings and not the more vulnerable head or body of the insect.


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The new concept is called effector-triggered defense or ETD. Breeding agricultural crops for resistance against disease pathogens is essential in the quest to secure global food production.

By exploiting new molecular and genetic insights the research done in collaboration with Pierre de Wit from Wageningen Agricultural University in The netherlands provides a better understanding of the defense system of crop plants against the damaging pathogens that grow in the spaces between plant cells.

Our research enhances the traditional understanding of the plant defense system and describes a new concept describing how plants protect themselves against the pathogens that grow in the space outside plant cells (the apoplast)--a new concept called effector-triggered defense or ETD.

Plant defense systems consist of interconnected tiers of receptors which are found both outside and inside the plant cells Both sets of receptors sense the invasive pathogen

and respond to its intrusion. The two receptor systems have different classes of plant receptor proteins to detect different types of pathogen molecules.

The current understanding of plant defense is that plants using these receptors have two forms of defense.

Pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) is the first line of defense operating soon after the pathogen has landed on the plant surface.

The second line of defense is referred to as effector-triggered immunity (ETI) this is based on the detection of disease pathogens by the plant's genes--there is a relationship between the gene in the host plant and the gene in the pathogen.

The concept of ETI was developed to describe defense against pathogens that enter into plant cells (e g. wheat rusts

This concept of plant ETI does not really explain the second line of defense in the interaction of plant hosts protecting themselves against extracellular fungal pathogens

The ETI concept does not hold for defense against those pathogens that go into the leaf but not into the cells.

Through our research we discovered that defense against extracellular pathogens (ETD) involves different plant genes from those involved in the defense against intracellular pathogens.

and so we refer to it as'defense'.'Professor Bruce Fitt professor of plant pathology at the University of Hertfordshire added:

This new understanding of plant defense through ETD suggests different operations of specific resistance genes

This is essential in the battle for global food security to protect the world's future food sources.

The paper Effector-triggered defense against apoplastic fungal pathogens is published online at Trends in Plant science.


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