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Ecklonia radiata
Published in S.J. Hawkins, A.L. Allcock, A.E. Bates, L.B. Firth, I.P. Smith, S.E. Swearer, P.A. Todd, Oceanography and Marine Biology, 2019
Thomas Wernberg, Melinda A. Coleman, Russell C. Babcock, Sahira Y. Bell, John J. Bolton, Sean D. Connell, Catriona L. Hurd, Craig R. Johnson, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Nick T. Shears, Peter D. Steinberg, Mads S. Thomsen, Mathew A. Vanderklift, Adriana Vergés, Jeffrey T. Wright
This review synthesises the literature on the phylogeography (see the section entitled ‘Phylogeny and distribution’), ecophysiology (see the section entitled ‘Ecophysiology and environmental drivers’) and population biology (see the section entitled ‘Life history, dispersal and recruitment’) of E. radiata, as well as the community ecology (see the section entitled ‘Community ecology of Ecklonia forests’) and recent changes in and future threats to E. radiata forests (see the section entitled ‘Recent changes and future threats’). The synthesis concludes that although our current scientific understanding of the biology and ecology of E. radiata spans broad scales of space, time and scientific disciplines, common trajectories of ecological change warrant continued inquiry and integrated management interventions to ensure the long-term integrity and persistence of E. radiata kelp forests (see the section entitled ‘Conclusion’).
Wildlife Toxicology
Published in Lorris G. Cockerham, Barbara S. Shane, Basic Environmental Toxicology, 2019
Gregory J. Smith, Russell J. Hall
The field of wildlife toxicology is a subdiscipline of environmental toxicology. It represents a heterogeneous mixture of wildlife ecology, toxicology, population biology, chemistry, botany, biometry, and other biological and biomedical sciences. The principles that guide experimental design and interpretation are likewise derived from these and other fields of study. There are a few fundamental principles that form the basis for wildlife investigations. Moreover, these principles are not unique to wildlife toxicology but are derived from other biological sciences and applied to wildlife problems.
‘Mapping research and governance needs for gene drives’
Published in Journal of Responsible Innovation, 2018
Jason Delborne, Jennifer Kuzma, Fred Gould, Emma Frow, Caroline Leitschuh, Jayce Sudweeks
Scott et al. (2017) continue the focus on gene drives in agriculture by drilling down into the realms of population biology and genetics for key pest targets for population-suppressing gene drives. They draw upon the experience of deploying the ‘sterile insect technique’ (SIT), which eradicated the New World screwworm fly from all of North and Central America through the mass rearing and release of irradiated flies. In particular, reviewing the pest cases of the screwworm fly (an obligate parasite of livestock), spotted wing Drosophila (an invasive pest of soft skinned fruits), the diamondback moth (which feeds on plants in the mustard family, causing $4–5 billion in global damages per year), the red flour beetle (a worldwide pest of stored grain), and Hemiptera (plant sucking insects that vector diseases such as citrus greening disease), the authors describe the particular ecological and molecular challenges of constructing gene drive modified insects and deploying them effectively – often to bias sex ratios of insect offspring or introduce lethal mutations that crash local populations. While not every reader of JRI will follow all of the technical detail, the key insight is that gene drives make possible new strategies that mirror the goals of SIT, offering greater efficiencies than the mass rearing and releases of SIT and alternatives to pesticides that are less damaging to ecosystems. The authors note, however, that gene drives are no panacea; design issues must incorporate safety and efficacy from the earliest stages, and deployments may breed resistance that undermines a particular intervention’s effectiveness.