The main authors of the article are researchers Eduardo Mateos from the Department of Animal Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB) and Xavier Santos from the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the University
The article is signed also by experts Antoni Serra from the Department of Animal Biology of UB;
Teresa Saura and Ramon Vallejo from the Department of Plant Biology of UB and Santiago Sabatã from the Department of Ecology of UB and the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF.
If the main objective of is to maximize biodiversity habitat management may provide mosaics to preserve heterogeneity;
of the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Directorate General for the Environment and Biodiversity of the Goverment of Catalonia.
Federal biologists wanted to reintroduce the plant to other locations but they weren't sure where it would be likely to thrive.
We had very little information about its biology that would allow us to predict where it might be said successful Parker.
Her team which included undergraduate students and greenhouse staff at UCSC as well as USFWS biologists propagated cuttings from the last remaining wild population studied the plant's tolerance for different soil conditions in greenhouse experiments
and salinity than biologists had expected. This really brought home to me the importance of experiments to help guide conservation Parker said.
Our reintroduction experiments have resulted in much more genetic diversity for this endangered species than there was before Parker said.
When we started only 11 different genetic clones were left in the world. Seeing plants not only surviving
Greenhouses director Jim Velzy will continue to maintain the collection of Arenaria plants to preserve the genetic diversity of the original population
For the field studies Bontrager and coauthor Kelsey Webster another UCSC undergraduate worked closely with coauthor Mark Elvin a U s. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.
and almost as many federal biologists Parker said. Bontrager said the project is a good example of how government agencies
and published a revision of the genus Liturgusa in the open access journal Zookeys. Svenson collected the insects from eight countries in Central and South america as well as gathered hundreds of specimens from 25 international museums in North america South america and Europe.
and Chris Kratt hosts and creators of Kratts'Creatures and Wild Kratts both of which provide children with entertaining and accurate programming on animal biology.
#Study fingers chickens, quail in spread of H7n9 influenza virusamong the copious species of poultry in China quail and chickens are the likely sources of infection of H7n9 influenza virus
to humans according to a paper published ahead of print in the Journal of Virology. Knowing the likely poultry species lets us target our interventions better to prevent human infections says corresponding author David Suarez of the United states Department of agriculture.
The H7n9 avian influenza virus was reported first in humans in March 2013 in China. Since then over 375 human cases have been confirmed
and is presumed to have contracted the virus in China. According to the World health organization most known human infections have resulted from direct or indirect contact with poultry.
We quickly recognized that the virus from this outbreak was represented unusual and a real human and veterinary risk he says.
Most of the genes had come from a poultry virus that had existed in china for many years
and two genes probably came from a wild bird isolate he says. We felt a major knowledge gap in the outbreak was that we didn't know which poultry species was maintaining the virus
and exposing people says Suarez. With this information better decisions can be made to control and hopefully eradicate the virus. In the study Suarez
and his collaborators first infected seven species of poultry with a human isolate of the Chinese H7n9 virus. The virus replicated well in quail
and chickens and the former quickly infected their cage-mates says Suarez. The virus replicated less well in other poultry species
and did not transmit efficiently. Pigeons were notably resistant to becoming infected. In additional experiments quail transmitted virus efficiently
while pekin ducks and pigeons did not. None of the poultry species became sick when infected with H7n9 making detection of the virus that much more difficult in the birds says Suarez.
This work supports the need for better surveillance in animal species for avian influenza says Suarez.
versus the public health goals of eradicating the virus says Suarez. This work supports the field epidemiology studies that had identified live poultry markets as the likely source of the outbreak says Suarez.
However their efforts did not eradicate the virus and it has returned for a second wave.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Society for Microbiology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and traced a unique genetic marker of the original Polynesian chickens that is only present in the Pacific
We have identified genetic signatures of the original Polynesian chickens and used these to track early movements
Domestic animals such as chickens carried on these early voyages have left behind a genetic record that can solve some of these long standing mysteries.
which is concerned about the lack of genetic diversity in commercial stocks. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Adelaide.
Biophysicists at Rice used the miniscule machine--a protease called an Ftsh-AAA hexameric peptidase--as a model to test calculations that combine genetic and structural data.
Their goal is to solve one of the most compelling mysteries in biology: how proteins perform the regulatory mechanisms in cells upon
The Rice team of biological physicist Josã Onuchic and postdoctoral researchers Biman Jana and Faruck Morcos published a new paper on the work this month for a special issue of the Royal Society
The special issue edited by Rice biophysicist Peter Wolynes and Ruth Nussinov a researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick Md. and a professor at the Sackler School of medicine at Tel aviv University pulls together current thinking on how an explosion of data combined with ever more powerful computers is bringing about a second
revolution in molecular biology. The paper describes the Onuchic group's first successful attempt to feed data through their computational technique to describe the complex activity of a large molecular machine formed by proteins.
Ultimately understanding these machines will help researchers design drugs to treat diseases like cancer the focus of Rice's Center for Theoretical Biological Physics.
but to understand the full dynamics of these large proteins where a lot of the interesting biology takes place we have to supplement them with more information he said.
DCA looks at the genetic roots of proteins to see how amino acids--the beads in the unfolded protein strands--co-evolved to influence the way a protein folds.
and the discovery via DCA of likely couplings in the genetic source of the proteins the Rice team found evidence to support the hypothesis of a paddling mechanism in the molecule that Morcos described as a collapse of the two rings once trash found its way inside.
since the ability to scan entire genomes became possible and even commonplace in recent decades.
The research was supported by the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics the Welch Foundation the National Science Foundation
But in a first-of-its-kind study on wild green anole lizards biologists at the University of California Riverside have discovered that the link between muscle function
and Organismal biology who performed the study. We were expecting to find that as the movements were changing the muscles would be generating those changes;
No one has looked ever at this before said Timothy Higham an assistant professor of biology and Foster's graduate adviser.
Foster and Higham's findings were published March 12 in The british biology journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B a journal from the same publisher that featured papers by Isaac newton and Charles darwin.
and electromyography to monitor electrical activity in the muscles. We expected to see a one-to-one correlation between the muscle activity
In its investigations into seven subject areas--from glaciers and water balance to woods biodiversity and agriculture to health and energy--the researchers took the so-called CH2011 Scenarios as their starting point for the future development of temperature and precipitation in Switzerland.
The changing conditions necessitate an adaptation of forest tending and the promotion of biodiversity. Adaptive measures and improved management are not enough however for coping with climate change.
Linden is working closely with project co-investigators Professor R. Scott Summers of environmental engineering and Professor Alan Weimer chemical and biological engineering and a team of postdoctoral fellows professionals
A new study led by University of Pennsylvania researchers--constituting the largest examination ever of lactase persistence in geographically diverse populations of Africans--investigated the genetic origins of this trait
The research was led by Alessia Ranciaro a postdoctoral fellow in Penn's Department of Genetics in the Perelman School of medicine
and Sarah Tishkoff a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in Penn Medicine's Department of Genetics and Penn Arts and Sciences'Department of biology.
The paper will be published March 13 in the American Journal of Human genetics. Previous research had shown that northern Europeans
Some of these earlier studies had traced the genetic origin of this trait in Europeans to a particular mutation that regulates the expression of the gene that codes for lactase.
and found three addition genetic variants associated with lactase persistence that had not been identified previously. But these variants didn't completely account for the reason why some Africans were able to digest milk Ranciaro said.
To try to reconcile these apparent discrepancies between genotype the genetic basis of a characteristic
To look for genetic variations among the populations'abilities to digest milk the team sequenced three genomic regions thought to influence the activity of the lactase-encoding LCT gene in 819 Africans from 63 different populations and 154 non
But they also identified two new SNPS associated with the trait located in regions that are thought to regulate lactase gene expression.
The age of this genetic mutation is estimated to be 5000-12300 years old coinciding with the origins of cattle domestication in North africa and the Middle east.
Even with the new variants the Penn team identified there were still patterns that the genetic data couldn't explain.
Some groups that appeared to be able to digest milk lacked any genetic sign of this ability.
This raises the strong possibility that there are other variants out there perhaps in regions of the genome we haven't yet examined Tishkoff said.
Additional co-authors on the study included Michael C. Campbell Jibril B. Hirbo and Wen-Ya Ko of Penn's Department of Genetics;
Tishkoff will be discussing this work and other studies of African genetic variation at the meeting Evolution of Modern Humans:
From Bones to Genomes March 16-18. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Pennsylvania.
The distinctive evolutionary histories and biodiversity values of these areas needs to be recognised by conservation managers and policy makers.
Ian Tizard Donald Brightsmith) at Texas A&mâ##s College of Veterinary medicine & Biomedical sciences have completed the first-ever draft genome assembly for a wild bobwhite quail named Pattie-Marie
and assembling the bobwhite quail genome the team produced the most comprehensive resource currently available for cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the bobwhiteâ#Seabury says.
because prior to this we had no ability to use whole-genome technologies to monitor levels of genetic diversity over time define the genetic relationships among existing populations
and physiology. â#oenow we can peel back new layers of science to thoroughly look at many different levels of the quail problem including the utilization of whole-genome information for monitoring modern genetic diversity reconstructing historic population trends
and even considering genetic similarity in relation to the translocation of wild bobwhites to suitable habitats. â#Story Source:
and to improve plants'productivity and biofuel potential. Two articles published March 11 in The Plant Cell offer a step-by-step approach for studying plant traits drawing on comprehensive quantitative research on lignin formation in black cottonwood.
However lignin must be removed for biofuel pulp and paper production-a process that involves harsh chemicals and expensive treatments.
The research provides a new approach integrating knowledge of genes proteins plant chemical compounds and engineering modeling to understand how plants make products
This work in the new area of plant systems biology integrating biology chemistry and engineering sets a new standard for understanding any complex biological feature in the future.
I describe these findings as Mapquest for plant scientists says Vincent Chiang co-director of NC State's Forest Biotechnology Group the lead team for the project which involved scientists in the College of Natural resources College of Engineering
For example the systems biology approach could be applied in research to develop sweeter citrus fruit disease-resistant rice or drought-resistant trees.
and composition of lignin as well as why it's often difficult to modify lignin in plants says Ronald Sederoff co-director of Forest Biotechnology Group.
National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Program Grant (DBI-0922391) supported graduate students Jina Song and Punith Naik from the College of Engineering;
They analyzed RNA interference (RNAI) a method that uses genetic material to silence specific genes--in this case genes known to give insect pests an advantage.
The study is reported in the journal Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. Our results indicate that the effectiveness of RNAI treatments could potentially vary among field populations depending on their genetic and physiological backgrounds the researchers wrote.
The western corn rootworm will likely be one of the first crop pests to be targeted with RNAI technology said Manfredo Seufferheld a former University of Illinois crop sciences professor who led the study with crop sciences graduate student Chia
The team targeted two genes that are regulated differently in rotation-resistant and non-resistant rootworms. The first Dvrs5 codes for an enzyme that helps the rootworms digest plant proteins.
These genes have been found to play a role in rootworm resistance to crop rotation. The team looked at how treatment with RNAI
The researchers were surprised to find that the RNAI targeting the gene att1 had no effect
This does not represent an immediate concern for RNAI technology the researchers said as they tested genes that are unlikely to be used in commercial crops.
But the study does offer important insights into the complexity of insect biology Seufferheld said.
The findings suggest that targeting a single gene to control a pest species is not the best strategy Spencer said.
We now know that disrupting a particular target gene may enhance undesirable pest characteristic such as rotation resistance
The findings might be of interest to agricultural biotech firms that are hoping to add RNAI to their pest-killing arsenals he said.
and treating very rare diseases--used three innovative tools to detect a previously unknown gene mutation test potential therapies in the lab
The NIH-UDP is a program of NIH's National Human genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Office of Rare Diseases Research and Clinical Center.
The researchers identified a de novo gene mutation--one that occurs for the first time in a member of a family--in a gene called GRIN2A.
The discovery required an analysis of the patient's genetic makeup in search of the one gene that changed setting this detrimental series of events in motion.
Pierson and his colleagues at the NIH-UDP and Emory University used a recently developed technique called exome sequencing which focuses on this functional part of the genome.
which are fairly common with new-generation technology that rapidly analyzes thousands of genetic sequences.
Genome-scale sequencing is a powerful new tool in medical diagnostics. The data it returns
The rapid bench-to-bedside story of the GRIN2A variation in this family is an example of the coalescence of expertise in medicine medical genomics and basic science around a single child.
This is the type of collaboration that will be needed in an age where we will struggle to connect vast data-collecting capability with the health of individual people said David Adams MD Phd pediatrician and biochemical geneticist at NHGRI.
Pierson added that many other genes have been associated with several forms of epilepsy in infancy but only few other instances of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy involved the GRIN2A gene.
The GRIN2A gene influences electrochemical events that affect the flow and strength of electrical impulses in the brain.
Having identified the de novo gene defect the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to confirm the resulting protein dysfunction and its effects on electrical-regulating mechanisms.
We then performed lab studies with several drugs that were approved already by the Food and Drug Administration and which we thought might block the seizure activity.
Our results suggest that children with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy should undergo evaluation for similar gene variants with the possibility of using memantine
#Light pollution impairs rainforest regeneration: Seed-dispersing bats avoid feeding in light polluted areasincreasing light pollution in tropical habitats could be hampering regeneration of rainforests because of its impact on nocturnal seed-dispersers.
These new findings were reported by scientists from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin (IZW.
This has important implications for forest regeneration in the tropics. Bats play a key role in pollinating plants
The characteristic leaf like structure protruding upwards from their nose is believed to be involved in focusing the bats'ultrasonic biosonar beam more precisely.
and their ideas--an international postal system organized agriculture research and meritocracy-based civil service among other things--shaped national borders languages cultures and human gene pools
In coming months team member Avery Cook Shinneman a biologist at the University of Washington plans to analyze sediments taken from the bottoms of Mongolian lakes.
and are the first to produce pollen creating major problems for people with allergies said David Rosenstreich M d. director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Montefiore Medical center.
Dr. Hartwell Welsh Jr. research wildlife biologist at the U s. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) helped conduct a study in Northwestern Calif. that examined how woodland salamander
The renowned evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson once said it is the little things that run the world Dr. Welsh said.
It was shown also that a higher saturated fat intake was associated with an increased risk of dementia among those carrying a genetic risk factor of Alzheimer's disease the epsilon 4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (Apoe) gene.
#In grasslands remade by humans, animals may protect biodiversity: Grazers let in the light, rescue imperiled plantsa comparative study of grasslands on six continents suggests there may be a way to counteract the human-made overdose of fertilizer that threatens to permanently alter the biodiversity of the world's native prairies.
The solution is one that nature devised: let grazing animals crop the excess growth of fast growing grasses that can out-compete native plants in an over-fertilized world.
The researchers'data analysis concluded that the grazers improved biodiversity by increasing the amount of light reaching ground level.
Light appears to be very important in maintaining or losing biodiversity in grasslands. The effect was greatest where large animals wild and domesticated grazed on the test plots:
and evolutionary biology a co-author on the paper. Deer typically prefer to eat native woody plants
and reduced plant biomass less recruitment of woody species and relatively fewer native species. And the deer's negative impact on seed banks resulted in significantly decreased overall species richness and relatively more short-lived species
Virpi Lummaa Reader of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Sheffield added: We rarely get the opportunity to study how other species with a lifespan similar to humans grow old.
#Biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology licensedvertimass LLC a California-based start-up company has licensed an Oak ridge National Laboratory technology that directly converts ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend-stock for use in transportation fuels.
The ORNL technology offers a new pathway to biomass-derived renewable fuels that can lower greenhouse gas emissions and decrease U s. reliance on foreign sources of oil.
poplar wood and corn stover into biofuels. The technology could also supply a source of renewable jet fuel required by recent European union aviation emission regulations.
Preliminary ORNL analysis in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado shows the catalytic technology could be retrofitted into existing bio-alcohol refineries at various stages of ethanol purification.
Initial funds were from the ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and development and Technology Innovation programs and from the Bioenergy Science Center
Commercialization will lead to the widespread use of proprietary Vertimass technology for low cost production of sustainable transportation fuels for aircraft and heavy and light duty vehicles from multiple sources of biomass on a large scale.
and genetic data providing new insight into the drivers of viral diversity and the emergence of disease that can ultimately impact human health and livelihoods.
This surprised virologists as the strain had caused never before disease in humans. To date there have been more than 300 clinical cases of H7n9 with a 33 percent mortality rate.
(when a virus jumps from one species to another) of avian flu can be traced back to human contact with domestic poultry.
Although avian flu strain diversity often originates in wild birds it is the mixing of viruses among poultry pigs
and monitor the diversity of all avian flu viruses--not just those known to cause disease.
This snapshot of the world of flu virus diversity in birds is the outcome of many years of ecology
Understanding the natural diversity of viruses is critically important to identifying health risks. But authorities face a challenge both in focusing efforts in the right places
which borrows on approaches used by ecologists to estimate the diversity of flu viruses in a particular location.
With this approach health authorities can design surveillance programs to detect a given percentage of flu virus diversity.
Given that flu viruses can jump from domestic poultry to people ongoing efforts at improving biosecurity at poultry farms
He has also shed light on the biochemical pathways that allow plants and bacteria to clean up some of the worst soils on the planet
Wusirika an associate professor of biological sciences first collected stamp sands near the village of Gay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
#Look back at US soybeans shows genetic improvement behind increased yieldssoybean improvement through plant breeding has been critical over the years for the success of the crop.
In a new study that traces the genetic changes in varieties over the last 80 years of soybean breeding researchers concluded that increases in yield gains
In the process of documenting the genetic changes the researchers observed an increase in yields over the past 80 years that is equivalent to one-third of a bushel per acre per year increase.
Diers plans to study ways to increase the rate of genetic gains using more modern breeding techniques.
Most of the yield increases are the result of breeders selecting better combinations of genes that can allow plants to take sunlight and produce more seed from that sunlight.
We don't know what genes breeders are selecting that are resulting in these increases for example where in that pathway from the sunlight hitting the canopy to producing seed where this occurs.
Despite ruminant livestock's poor image as major greenhouse gas emitters sustainably managed grazing can increase biodiversity maintain ecosystem services
but wastewater carries microorganisms such as viruses bacteria and protozoa that can contaminate food and cause disease.
However normal cooking temperatures and food preservation strategies can reduce the risks posed by microorganisms and viruses.
The probability of rotavirus infection is affected by uncertainty in virus concentration and variation in vegetable consumption.
and regulations for the reuse of wastewater they present only threshold concentrations for bacteria such as E coli not viruses.
and the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) is studying the tolerance of trees using molecular and biotechnological tools.
The role of forests is essential for climate change mitigation and biodiversity preservation amongst others.
The genetic and biochemistry complexity of the tolerance mechanisms to high temperatures has hindered positive results so far said Luis GÃ mez.
Bt genes have been engineered into a variety of crops to control insect pests. Since farmers began planting Bt crops in 1996 with 70 million hectares planted in the United states in 2012 there have been only three clear-cut cases in agriculture of resistance in caterpillars
To delay or prevent insect pests from evolving resistance to Bt crops the U s. Environmental protection agency promotes the use of multiple Bt genes in plants
and the practice of growing refuges of non-Bt plants that serve as a reservoir for insects with Bt susceptible genes. â#oeour paper argues there is another factor involved:
The above story is provided based on materials by Biotechnology and Biological sciences Research Council. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
a highly specialized species of tephritid fruit fly whose larvae actually feed on the seeds of the native Barberry was found to have a tenfold higher population density on its new host plant the Oregon grape reports Dr. Harald Auge a biologist at the UFZ.
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