The results were published in the journal Parasite Immunology. Porcine neonatal coccidiosis is a serious parasitic infection of young piglets that severely damages the intestinal mucosa leading to diarrhea and reduced nutritional intake.
Immune cells grow more quickly in the intestines of infected piglets than in healthy onesscientists from the Institute of Parasitology at the Vetmeduni Vienna investigated how the developing immune system of piglets responds to an infection with Cystoisospora suis.
and appear to have an immunologic memory function with regard to porcine neonatal coccidiosis. Both types of T cells were detected significantly earlier in infected piglets than in non-infected animals.
Faced with this problem researchers from the Network of Biodiversity and Systematics at INECOL effectively located
therefore a biological pest control was achieved the use of chemicals ceased and agriculture on the region improved.
after a scan we found some in 2005 that could be potential biological control agents.
which reduced up to 90 percent of the golden nematode population in two years by combining biological control with other methods for an integrated management.
and a 15 liter bioreactor was acquired to reproduce the fungus that was used in the experiments.
The Biodiversity and Systematics Network is currently studying the major pest problems for the bean (Vicia faba) one of the crops used for rotation in the highlands of the state using the same bionematicide and some other biocontrol agents.
and to perform research focused on the generation of biological pesticides which is a very important issue for agriculture due to the increasing restriction on the use of chemical pesticides emphasizes the scientist at INECOL.
In particular the transformation of forests into agricultural lands has reduced dramatically biodiversity around the world. A new study by scientists at Stanford and the University of California Berkeley in this week's issue of Science shows that evolutionarily distinct species suffer most heavily in intensively farmed areas.
Much of the research has focused on how farming practices can impact biodiversity and has gone so far as to establish the economic value of pest-eating birds
If you have an area with lots of closely related species you won't have a lot of phylogenetic diversity said co-lead author Luke Frishkoff a biology doctoral student at Stanford.
The biologists counted almost 120000 birds hailing from nearly 500 species in three different types of habitats in Costa rica:
It shows how important it is for biodiversity conservation to surround protected areas with productive forms of diversified agriculture
Preserving biodiversity and phylogenetic history is critical for both healthy ecosystems and prosperous farms Frishkoff and Karp said.
and biodiversity loss will require evolutionary thinking in order to be effective in the long run. Inattention to this will only lead to greater challenges such as short-lived medicines
and biodiversity loss two challenges ultimately caused by exposure to food and environments to which people and threatened wildlife are adapted poorly.
The study also assessed the potential for less commonly implemented strategies including gene therapies to treat human disease the breeding of climate change proof crop varieties such as flood tolerant rice
Applying evolutionary biology has tremendous potential because it takes into account how unwanted pests or pathogens may adapt rapidly to our interventions
and vulnerable species less able to cope with new conditions says biologist Peter Søgaard Jørgensen one of the lead-authors and Phd from the Center for Macroecology Evolution and Climate at the University
and progress in all fields using evolutionary biology as a tool. Currently there is no such coordination says Scott P. Carroll lead-author and biologist at the University of California Davis and Director of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution.
He continues: A particular worry is unaddressed that the need for management of evolution that spans multiple sectors will lead to the spread of new infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance genes between natural human health and agricultural systems.
It is clear that we need to strengthen evolutionary biology linkages across nature conservation food production
and human health and develop a shared strategy. Many evolutionary solutions are already at handwhereas we might have to wait for new solutions from human gene therapy genetic engineering of crops
and development of new medicines to replace old ones many innovative solutions based on applying evolutionary biology already exist.
For example farmers in the United states and Australia have used planting of pest-friendly refuges to delay evolution of insect resistance to genetically engineered corn and cotton.
These genetically modified crops kill certain pests but without refuges the pests quickly adapt. Providing refuges of conventional plants has been especially effective for suppressing resistance in the pink bollworm an invasive pest of cotton.
By encouraging cost sharing local communities and governments play a crucial role in ensuring that everybody gains from the benefits of using evolutionary biology to realise the long-term goals of sustainable development such as increasing food security protecting biodiversity
#Unusual host preference of a moth species could be useful for biological controla team of Iranian researchers from the Rice Research Institute of Iran have discovered that Gynnodomorpha permixtana a well-known moth species from Europe
The importance of this adaptation for biological control of problematic weeds in rice fields and the biology of the moth on new host plant have been described in the open access journal Nota Lepidopterologica.
and biology in Iran rather mysterious at that point and the recent discovery of arrowheads as its preferred host in the region brings even more peculiarity in the story.'
and quantity climatic conditions synchronization physiological conditions in both insect and food plant genetic modifications etc.
The research team are the first to record the continual movement cycle of Nrf2 which sees the protein oscillate in and out of the cell nucleus once every 129 minutes.
The study by scientists from the LOEWE Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (Bik-F) the Goethe University and the ECT Oekotoxikologie Gmbh was published in the September issue of the journal Applied Soil Ecology.
Both of them--but especially Folsomia candida--might have difficulties to produce enough offspring to keep a population stable in dry soil says Cornelia Bandow an ecologist at ECT Ecotoxicology Gmbh who conducts research for the German Biodiversity
In addition to devastating impacts on forest-dependent people and biodiversity the illegal conversion of tropical forests for commercial agriculture is estimated to produce 1. 47 gigatonnes of carbon each year--equivalent to 25%of the EU's annual fossil fuel
Pitts is a research assistant professor of biological sciences and a key member of a research team at Vanderbilt University that is attempting to combat malaria
and stories about his research subjects nature's ultimate bioterrorists. In the 1990's Dutch biologists put Limburger cheese in a wind tunnel with malaria mosquitoes and were surprised to find that females were drawn to the smell he said.
It turns out that the reason Limburger which was created by Belgian Trappist monks in the 1800's smells like stinky feet is
Preliminary data indicated that this was reduced possibly related to CO2 uptake by Earth's biosphere in addition to the steadily increasing CO2 emissions.
Concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere biosphere and the oceans.
and another quarter by the biosphere reducing in this way the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
and termites) and about 60%comes from human activities like cattle breeding rice agriculture fossil fuel exploitation landfills and biomass burning.
Nitrous oxide (N2o) Nitrous oxide is emitted into the atmosphere from both natural (about 60%)and anthropogenic sources (approximately 40%)including oceans soil biomass burning fertilizer use and various industrial processes.
Other impacts of acidification include reduced survival development and growth rates as well as changes in physiological functions and reduced biodiversity.
and was a key proponent of its usage as an additive for protein crystallization. The research project was continued then as FWF Initiative.
Neutral theory attempts to explain the biodiversity of tropical rainforests with the simplified assumption that all tree species behave in the same way.
They represent unique opportunities for biodiversity researchers to explore the interactions between different plant species. UFZ researchers use rainforest models like FORMIND and FORMIX3 for this purpose.
since advances in this field are important for protecting biodiversity in the context of climate and land use changes and for calculating carbon balances.
and biodiversity from being cleared for agriculture to avoid increasing emissions he said. Boosting yields brings many benefits
In particular the GEDI data will provide us with global-scale insights into how much carbon is being stored in the forest biomass.
biomass in forests. Its immediate predecessors are Goddard's Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESAT) and airborne Land Vegetation and Ice Sensor known as LVIS
From this information scientists will be able to estimate how much biomass the trees contain and in turn how much carbon they are storing.
For example researchers will be able to relate forest architecture with habitat quality and the biodiversity of certain birds.
of which have value as gene donors for crop improvement. However until now the full range of these potentially valuable CWR species had not been identified.
The research carried out by academics from the University of Birmingham represents a significant contribution to global research in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture particularly in the fight against the detrimental impacts of climate change on food security.
and via gene banks to ensure their wealth of resilient characteristics are available to plant breeders.
Shelagh Kell Research Fellow School of Biosciences said China has remarkable wild plant diversity. With more plant species than Europe and CWR of globally important food crops its position as a provider of plant genetic resources for crop improvement is crucial to us all globally.
Now that we have identified China's priority CWR and some of the hotspots in which they occur stakeholders need to implement a strategy to secure their future.
and all are likely to be already suffering a loss of genetic diversity due to habitat loss
while taking samples and placing them in gene banks as a safety back up where the genetic material can be kept for up to 300 years.
Dr Nigel Maxted lead investigator from the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences said:'
'It is very important that we conserve these species in secure gene banks but it is critical to conserve them in their natural habitat as they will continue to adapt to changes in the climate as well as threats from pests and diseases.''
Testing under quarantine is one of the crucial steps involved in biological control a rigorously tested method where an invasive species'natural enemies are used to regulate it.
and there would be said enormous benefits Arne Witt a biologist not associated with the Virginia Tech program who works with UK-based nonprofit CABI After a laborious process involving many agencies
and biological control is the most cost-effective strategy--let's embrace it. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Virginia Tech.
European forests are vital reservoirs for wildlife for biodiversity and for our own enjoyment and well-being says Khabarov We need to find ways to protect them.
because seeds have a lot of genetic variability and you don't know if a seed will produce the same fruit as the tree that produced it.
They have so much biodiversity and importance to the health of the landscape he noted citing wetlands teaming with birds amphibians and beneficial insects.
These reaches retain much of their original biodiversity observed by Lewis and Clark he explained.
#Coffee genome sheds light on the evolution of caffeinethe newly sequenced genome of the coffee plant reveals secrets about the evolution of man's best chemical friend:
and positions of genes in the coffee plant show that they evolved independently from genes with similar functions in tea and chocolate
In other words coffee did not inherit caffeine-linked genes from a common ancestor but instead developed the genes on its own.
The findings will appear on Sept. 5 in the journal Science. Why Coffee? With more than 2. 25 billion cups consumed daily worldwide coffee is the principal agricultural product of many tropical countries.
Accordingly a genome sequence could be a significant step toward improving coffee said Philippe Lashermes a researcher at The french Institute of Research for Development (IRD.
By looking at the coffee genome and genes specific to coffee we were able to draw some conclusions about
Lashermes along with Patrick Wincker and France Denoeud genome scientists at The french National Sequencing Center (CEA-Genoscope)
and Victor Albert professor of biological sciences at the University at Buffalo are the principal authors of the study.
The team created a high-quality draft of the genome of Coffea canephora which accounts for about 30 percent of the world's coffee production according to the Manhattan-based National Coffee Association.
Next the scientists looked at how coffee's genetic make-up is distinct from other species. Compared to several other plant species including the grape
and tomato coffee harbors larger families of genes that relate to the production of alkaloid
Upon taking a closer look the researchers found that coffee's caffeine enzymes are more closely related to other genes within the coffee plant than to caffeine enzymes in tea and chocolate.
If this trait had been inherited from a common ancestor the enzymes would have been more similar between species. The coffee genome helps us understand what's exciting about coffee--other than that it wakes
By looking at which families of genes expanded in the plant and the relationship between the genome structure of coffee and other species we were able to learn about coffee's independent pathway in evolution including--excitingly--the story of caffeine.
Why caffeine is so important in nature is another question. Scientists theorize that the chemical may help plants repel insects or stunt competitors'growth.
It also provides the opportunity to better understand the evolution of coffee's genome structure.
It turns out that over evolutionary time the coffee genome wasn't triplicated as in its relatives:
Instead it maintained a structure similar to the grape's. As such evolutionary diversification of the coffee genome was driven likely more by duplications in particular gene families as opposed to en masse when all genes in the genome duplicate.
This stands in contrast to what's been suggested for several other large plant families where other investigators have noted correlations between high species diversity in a group and the presence of whole genome doublings or triplings.
thus with no genome duplication at its root it appears to break the mold of a genome duplication link to high biodiversity Denoeud said.
Given their infrequent appearances aboveground it has never been clear to biologists why salamanders take time to climb vegetation.
and leaf hoppers that are not available on the ground said Grant Connette a biologist who helped carry out the study while a graduate student in the Division of Biological sciences at MU.
and Research Entomologist Mark Deyrup with the Archbold Biological Station in Florida identified each prey item to the lowest taxonomic level
The organisms were classified as two new species in a new genus Dendrogramma enigmatica and Dendrogramma discoides in the new family Dendrogrammatidae.
#Pesticide risk assessments seen as biased, experts advisein the October issue of Bioscience a group of ecotoxicologists argue that the US Environmental protection agency's (USEPA) current practices for evaluating pesticide safety are inadequate
The above story is provided based on materials by American Institute of Biological sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
#Brown marmorated stink bug biology, management optionsthe brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an invasive herbivorous insect species that was introduced accidentally to the United states from Asia.
and biology its chemical ecology and the types of damage it does to various host plants.
along with a list of natural insect enemies that can potentially be used for biological control programs.
Ultimately classical biological control using parasitoids native to Asia and conservation biological control to enhance the effectiveness of introduced
and indigenous natural enemies may provide the most promising long-term solutions for landscape-level reduction of H. halys populations the authors wrote.
To return to an integrated approach to managing all pests in the crops affected by H. halys growers require a more sustainable strategy for chemical control that combines efficient use of insecticides with a better understanding of its biology and behavior according to the authors.
and Immunology the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) examines the case of a 10 year-old girl who had an anaphylactic (severely allergic reaction after eating blueberry pie.
The above story is provided based on materials by American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.
which is part of Dr. Rob Dunn's Your Wild Life lab. Dunn is an associate professor of biological sciences at NC State
We know remarkably little about these camel crickets such as their biology or how they interact with other species Menninger says.
#Cultivating biodiversity: Sorghum exampleit is difficult to distinguish the human impact on the effects of natural factors on the evolution of crop plants.
The scientists demonstrated how three societies living on the slopes of Mount Kenya have shaped the geographic distribution and structure of the genetic diversity of local varieties.
This study sheds light on the debate on the ownership and redistribution of benefits from genetic resources.
Three societies the same environmentclimate environment and competition between species are well-known factors in the genetic evolution of plants.
These practices limit the genetic and phenotypic standardization of the varieties grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya.
Each ethnic group leaves its genetic signatureat the same time the researchers inventoried and sampled the different varieties of sorghum grown by 130 Chuka Mbeere and Tharaka households.
DNA analysis of the 300 plants gathered has identified four genetic groups of sorghum. Two of them correspond to two introduced varieties.
This suggests that the practices of the three communities leave their signature in the genomes of sorghum populations.
Using this multidisciplinary approach bringing together anthropologists geneticists and agronomists this work shows the role of human societies in the geographic distribution and evolution of the genetic diversity of crop plants.
Identifying the factors that shape biodiversity locally helps to preserve them better in the future. Furthermore this confirms the influence of local practices and knowledge on the diversity of life
which is a central issue in the debate on the ownership and redistribution of benefits from the use of genetic resources.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Institut de Recherche pour le DÃ veloppement (IRD.
Role of agriculture reviewedwhat phenomenon enabled the demographic growth of Bantu farmers in Africa and led to their genetic differentiation from the Pygmy hunter-gatherer communities?
the genetic differentiation between the Pygmies and the ancestors of the Bantus and the demographic growth of the latter occurred long before the advent of agriculture on the continent.
The researchers analysed the genomes of more than 300 people half of them village farmers and the other half Pygmies.
It is apparent that the genetic differentiation of the two populations proves to be ancient
genetic mixing between the two societies did indeed take place at some point in the evolution
the genomes of the Pygmy communities today have up to 50%of the genetic material inherited from their farmer neighbours.
By questioning the impact of the discovery of agriculture on the history of genetics and demographics in Africa this work highlights a major question:
The findings from the seven year follow-up study of nearly 0. 5 million people in the China Kadoorie Biobank found that the more fruit people ate the more their risk of CVD declined.
The current study included 451 681 participants with no history of CVD and not on antihypertensive treatment at baseline from the China Kadoorie Biobank (1) conducted in 10 different areas of China 5
and CV mortality in more than 61000 patients from the China Kadoorie Biobank who had CVD or hypertension at baseline.
%Professor Zhengming Chen the principal investigator of the China Kadoorie Biobank said: Patients with CVD and hypertension should also be encouraged to consume more fresh fruit.
Genetic analysis sheds new light on the survival of whiteflies in Finland and helps to plan efficient pest management.
Irina Ovcarenko research scientist at the MTT Agrifood Research Finland has studied genetic diversity and ecology of greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) in her thesis. Greenhouse whitefly is a widespread invasive pest
Genetic analyses revealed that the same whitefly populations persist in the majority of the sampled greenhouses for two years.
Insecticide-treated populations able to recoverovcarenko's findings show that genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is lower in the Finnish greenhouses compared with Greece where whiteflies are able to persist outdoors all year round.
Furthermore global genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is low. Generally low genetic diversity results in species'decreased ability to adapt.
However whiteflies are able to recover from insecticide treatments and maintain even high levels of genetic diversity in their local populations.
It was surprising to find medium to high levels of local genetic diversity and no signs of harmful genetic bottlenecks in whiteflies from greenhouses where new crops are planted every year
and insecticides cause frequent mortality Ovcarenko says. Moreover low global genetic diversity has reduced not adaptation or invasion potential of the Finnish population.
Whitefly is a generalist herbivore which feeds on many plant species but it may also specialize in feeding on greenhouse crops.
Tomato and cucumber are the most common crops in the Finnish greenhouse cluster and initial signs of evolution of specialized races for these host plants were found in the study.
Biological pest control pays offthe study showed that resistance to common insecticide pymetrozine varies considerably among the Finnish whitefly populations.
If biological pest control was used whitefly populations were more susceptible to insecticides whereas whiteflies from greenhouses treated with insecticides over the years showed initial signs of resistance development.
This will come at a high price warn the authors as the deforestation will increase carbon emissions as well as biodiversity loss
There are basic laws of biophysics that we cannot evade said lead researcher Bojana Bajzelj from the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering who authored the study with colleagues from Cambridge's departments of Geography and Plant sciences as well as the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Biological
Food production is a main driver of biodiversity loss and a large contributor to climate change and pollution so our food choices matter.
and agricultural biomass data to create a robust model that compares different scenarios for 2050 including scenarios based on maintaining current trends.
But even with the yield gaps closed projected food demand will still require additional land--so the impact on GHG emissions and biodiversity remains.
Shanta Dube associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Georgia State's School of Public health is a lead author of the recently released study Intentions to smoke cigarettes among never-smoking U s. middle and high school electronic cigarette
The researchers Dennis Evangelista now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North carolina Chapel hill and Robert Dudley UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology found that even ungainly day-old baby birds successfully use their flapping wings
The researchers'study appeared Aug 27 in the online journal Biology Letters published by the Royal Society.
#New research reveals how wild rabbits were transformed genetically into tame rabbitsthe genetic changes that transformed wild animals into domesticated forms have long been a mystery.
An international team of scientists has made now a breakthrough by showing that many genes controlling the development of the brain
and gives answers to many genetic questions. The domestication of animals and plants a prerequisite for the development of agriculture is one of the most important technological revolutions during human history.
There are several reasons why the rabbit is an outstanding model for genetic studies of domestication:
Wild rabbits also serve as an excellent model for genetic studies of the early stages of species formation as shown in an accompanying study we publish today in PLOS Genetics adds Miguel Carneiro.
The scientists first sequenced the entire genome of one domestic rabbit to develop a reference genome assembly.
Then they resequenced entire genomes of domestic rabbits representing six different breeds and wild rabbits sampled at 14 different places across the Iberian peninsula and southern France.
No previous study on animal domestication has involved such a careful examination of genetic variation in the wild ancestral species. This allowed us to pinpoint the genetic changes that have occurred during rabbit domestication says Leif Andersson Uppsala University Swedish University of Agricultural
The scientists involved in the current study have now been able to reveal the genetic basis for this remarkable change in behaviour
Rabbit domestication has occurred primarily by altering the frequencies of gene variants that were already present in the wild ancestor.
Our data shows that domestication primarily involved small changes in many genes and not drastic changes in a few genes states Kerstin Lindblad-Toh co-senior author Director of Vertebrate Genome
Biology at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard professor at Uppsala University and Co-Director of Science for Life Laboratory.
The team observed very few examples where a gene variant common in domestic rabbits had replaced completely the gene variant present in wild rabbits;
if you release domestic rabbits into the wild there is an opportunity for back selection at those genes that have been altered during domestication
The scientists found no example where a gene has been inactivated during rabbit domestication and there were many more changes in the non-coding part of the genome than in the parts of the genome that codes for protein.
The results we have are very clear; the difference between a wild and a tame rabbit is not
which genes they carry but how their genes are regulated i e. when and how much of each gene is used in different cells explains Miguel Carneiro.
The study also revealed which genes that have been altered during domestication. The researchers were amazed by the strong enrichment of genes involved in the development of the brain
and the nervous system among the genes particularly targeted during domestication. But that of course makes perfect sense in relation to the drastic changes in behaviour between wild and domestic rabbits concludes Kerstin Lindblad-Toh.
The study shows that the wild rabbit is a highly polymorphic species that carries gene variants that were favourable during domestication
and that the accumulation of many small changes led to the inhibition of the strong flight response--one of the most prominent phenotypic changes in the evolution of the domestic rabbitwe predict that a similar process has occurred in other domestic animals
and that we will not find a few specific domestication genes that were critical for domestication. It is very likely that a similar diversity of gene variants affecting the brain
and the nervous system occurs in the human population and that contributes to differences in personality
and behaviour says Leif Andersson. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Uppsala University.
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