Efficacy of insect-resistance Bt/CpTI transgenes in F 5 –F 7 generations of rice crop–weed hybrid progeny: implications for assessing ecological impact of transgene flow

The American Elm (Ulmus americana L.) has been plagued by Dutch Elm Disease (DED), a lethal disease caused by the fungus Ceratocystis ulmi (Buisman) c. Moreau. Since its initial appearance in North America around 1930, DED has wrought inexorable devastation on the American elm population, triggering both environmental and economic losses. In response to the havoc caused by the disease, many attempts have been made to hybridize U. americana with a few ornamentally less desirable, though highly DED resistant, Asian species (mainly the Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila L., and the Chinese elm Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.). The goal is to develop, through breeding efforts, hybrid progeny that display the ornamentally desirable characteristics of U. americana with the disease resistance of the Asian species. Unfortunately, however, all attempts to hybridize U. americana have been prevented by incompatibility. Only through a firm understanding of both compatibility and incompatibility will it be possible to circumvent the incompatibility and hence achieve hybridization.

Download Full-text

High predatory efficiency and abundance drive expected ecological impacts of a marine invasive fish

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13251 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 637 ◽

pp. 195-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

EM DeRoy ◽

R Scott ◽

NE Hussey ◽

HJ MacIsaac

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Marine Species ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Marine Predator ◽

Eastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Red Grouper ◽

Per Capita

The ecological impacts of invasive species are highly variable and mediated by many factors, including both habitat and population abundance. Lionfish Pterois volitans are an invasive marine species which have high reported detrimental effects on prey populations, but whose effects relative to native predators are currently unknown for the recently colonized eastern Gulf of Mexico. We used functional response (FR) methodology to assess the ecological impact of lionfish relative to 2 functionally similar native species (red grouper Epinephelus morio and graysby grouper Cephalopholis cruentata) foraging in a heterogeneous environment. We then combined the per capita impact of each species with their field abundance to obtain a Relative Impact Potential (RIP). RIP assesses the broader ecological impact of invasive relative to native predators, the magnitude of which predicts community-level negative effects of invasive species. Lionfish FR and overall consumption rate was intermediate to that of red grouper (higher) and graysby grouper (lower). However, lionfish had the highest capture efficiency of all species, which was invariant of habitat. Much higher field abundance of lionfish resulted in high RIPs relative to both grouper species, demonstrating that the ecological impact of lionfish in this region will be driven mainly by high abundance and high predator efficiency rather than per capita effect. Our comparative study is the first empirical assessment of lionfish per capita impact and RIP in this region and is one of few such studies to quantify the FR of a marine predator.

Download Full-text

Siam Suffers from Poor Rice Crop

Far Eastern Survey ◽

10.1525/as.1938.7.1.01p0510w ◽

1938 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 10-11

Author(s):

E. O. H.

Keyword(s):

Rice Crop

Download Full-text

INFLUENCE OF AIR POLLUTION ON FOREST ECOSYSTEMS: ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF HEAVY METALS

Environmental Engineering and Management Journal ◽

10.30638/eemj.2010.185 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1401-1405

Author(s):

Mihaela Budianu ◽

Brindusa Mihaela Robu ◽

Matei Macoveanu

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Ecological Impact

Download Full-text

An Expert Ranked List of Pro-nature Conservation Behaviours for Public Use

10.31234/osf.io/bzmsv ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lea Barbett ◽

Edward Stupple ◽

Michael Sweet ◽

Miles Richardson

Keyword(s):

Nature Conservation ◽

General Population ◽

Mass Extinction ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Human Action ◽

Short Paper ◽

The Public ◽

The Uk ◽

Ranked List

The planet is facing an anthropogenic mass extinction of wildlife, which will have a grave impact on the environment and humans. Widespread human action is needed to minimize the negative impact of humans on biodiversity and support the restoration of wildlife. In order to find effective ways to promote pro-nature conservation behaviours to the general population, there is a need to provide a list of behaviours which will have worthwhile ecological impact and are worth encouraging. In a novel collaboration between psychologists and ecologists, 70 experts from practical and academic conservation backgrounds were asked to review and rate 48 conservation related behaviours. According to their judgement, this short paper presents a ranked list of pro-nature conservation behaviours for the public in the UK and similar landscapes. This includes behaviours people can engage in in their homes, their gardens, on their land, and in their roles as citizens.

Download Full-text