The role of cost-effectiveness analysis in conservation decision-making

Strategies for biodiversity conservation require society to make choices between competing outcomes. However, these choices are complicated by an incomplete understanding of the ecological significance of different species and the lack of robust measures of conservation outcomes in relation to investments. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) provides an objective assessment process that can help us to evaluate the effectiveness of different conservation programmes and adjust them in an adaptive manner to improve the chances of success. CEA and other objectively-constructed methods should form an important part of the evidence base for conservation decision-making and evaluation.     

Microenzymatic Evaluation of Oat (Avena sativa L.) β‐Glucan for High‐Throughput Phenotyping

Oats (Avena sativa L.) have received significant attention for their positive and consistent health benefits when consumed as a whole grain food, attributed in part to mixed‐linkage (1‐3,1‐4)‐β‐d ‐glucan (referred to as β‐glucan). Unfortunately, the standard enzymatic method of measurement for oat β‐glucan is costly and does not provide the high‐throughput capability needed for plant breeding in which thousands of samples are measured over a short period of time. The objective of this research was to test a microenzymatic approach for high‐throughput phenotyping of oat β‐glucan. Fifty North American elite lines were chosen to span the range of possible values encountered in elite oats. Pearson and Spearman correlations (r) ranged from 0.81 to 0.86 between the two methods. Although the microenzymatic method did contain bias compared with the results for the standard streamlined method, this bias did not substantially decrease its ability to determine β‐glucan content. In addition to a substantial decrease in cost, the microenzymatic approach took as little as 6% of the time compared with the streamlined method. Therefore, the microenzymatic method for β‐glucan evaluation is an alternative method that can enhance high‐throughput phenotyping in oat breeding programs.     

Accumulation and Fate of Contaminants (Zn,Pb, Fe and S) in Substrates of Wetlands Constructed for Treating Mine Wastewater

Substrates of treatment wetlands, which were constructed at an operational lead-zinc mining facility (Tara Mines) in Ireland, were analysed over a 5-year period for metal content. Lead, zinc, iron and sulphate were removed from wastewater passing though the treatment systems and were significantly retained in the substrates. The degree to which these contaminants are bio-available depends on the biogeochemical conditions of the substrates, namely the pH, redox potential, amount of organic carbon present and the contaminant loading. Various sediment fractions (water-soluble, exchangeable, carbonate-bound, organic matter-bound and residual) were also analysed in these treatment wetlands, in order to estimate the fate of metals and sulphur over time. Results showed that the majority of metals and sulphur were retained in immobile residual forms, principally as metal-sulphides. Furthermore, the neutral-alkaline pH and reducing biogeochemistry of the treatment systems suggest that metals are not toxic under these conditions.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of narasin in feed premixes

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method has been developed to determine narasin in feed premixes. Narasin is extracted from the premix with a methanol-water solvent, and the extracted solution is assayed by using LC. Recovery of narasin from a 12.5 g/lb premix is quantitative (100%), with a relative standard deviation of 1.44%. The results correlated well (coefficient 0.92) with a turbimetric bioassay method.     

Irrigation management in Arizona using satellites and airplanes

Agriculture has long been promoted as a prime beneficiary of remotely sensed data and satellite data are now routinely used in crop production forecasts and for resource surveys. However the potential for using satellite data for irrigation management has not been realized. An experiment was conducted at the Maricopa Agricultural Center, Arizona, to test the feasibility of using satellite and aircraft data for crop monitoring and irrigation management. This experiment identified several shortcomings of present satellite systems with respect to providing timely information for irrigation management. On the other hand, a preliminary evaluation of aircraft data showed some potential for application to irrigation scheduling. A simple cost/benefit analysis suggested that profits could be achieved through the communal use of remotely sensed information from both satellites and aircraft in moderate-size irrigation districts.     

Precision Geodesy via Radio Interferometry

Very-long-baseline interferometry experiments, involving observations of extragalactic radio sources, were performed in 1969 to determine the vector separations between antenna sites in Massachusetts and West Virginia. The 845.130-kilometer baseline was estimated from two separate experiments. The results agreed with each other to within 2 meters in all three components and with a special geodetic survey to within 2 meters in length; the differences in baseline direction as determined by the survey and by interferometry corresponded to discrepancies of about 5 meters. The experiments also yielded positions for nine extragalactic radio sources, most to within 1 arc second, and allowed the hydrogen maser clocks at the two sites to be synchronized a posteriori with an uncertainty of only a few nanoseconds.     

Control and monitoring: phytosanitary situation of Plum pox virus in Australia

Sharka disease does not occur in Australia and is recognized as the most serious disease threat to Australia's stone fruit industry. Strategies are in place to minimize the risk that exotic diseases like sharka should establish in Australia. These are achieved by implementing: (1) pre-import measures to reduce the threat of entry; (2) controls at the point of entry and (3) response and contingency planning to contain or eradicate any incursions into Australia. An active and on-going awareness programme within the Australian stone fruit industry is aimed at early detection of sharka disease in the orchard.     

Genome-wide linkage and QTL mapping in porcine F2 families generated from Pietrain, Meishan and Wild Boar crosses

Three informative pig F₂ families based on European Wild Boar (W), Meishan (M) and Pietrain (P) crosses have been used for genome‐wide linkage and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. Altogether 129 microsatellites, 56 type I loci and 46 trait definitions (specific to growth, fattening, fat deposition, muscling, meat quality, stress resistance and body conformation) were included in the study. In the linkage maps of M × P, W × P and W × M families, average spacing of markers were 18.4, 19.7 and 18.8 cM, the numbers of informative meioses were 582, 534 and 625, and the total lengths of autosomes measured were 27.3, 26.0 and 26.2 Morgan units, respectively. Maternal maps were on average 1.3 times longer than paternal maps. QTLs contributing more than 3% of F₂ phenotypic variance could be identified at p < 0.05 chromosome‐wide level. Differences in the numbers and positions of QTLs were observed between families. Genome‐wide significant QTL effects were mapped for growth and fattening traits on eight chromosomes (1, 2, 4, 13, 14, 17, 18 and X), for fat deposition traits on seven chromosomes (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and X), for muscling traits on 11 chromosomes (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15 and X), for meat quality and stress resistance traits on seven chromosomes (2, 3, 6, 13, 16, 18 and X), and QTLs for body‐conformation traits were detected on 14 chromosomes. Closely correlated traits showed similar QTL profiles within families. Major QTL effects for meat quality and stress resistance traits were found on SSC6 in the interval RYR1‐A1BG in the W × P and M × P families, and could be attributed to segregation of the RYR1 allele T derived from Pietrain, whereas no effect in the corresponding SSC6 interval was found in family W × M, where Wild Boar and Meishan both contributed the RYR1 allele C. QTL positions were mostly similar in two of the three families for body conformation traits and for growth, fattening, fat deposition and muscling traits, especially on SSC4 (interval SW1073‐NGFB). QTLs with large effects were also mapped on SSC7 in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (interval CYP21A2‐S0102) and affected body length, weight of head and many other traits. The identification of DNA variants in genes causative for the QTLs requires further fine mapping of QTL intervals and a positional cloning. However, for these subsequent steps, the genome‐wide QTL mapping in F₂ families represents an essential starting point and is therefore significant for animal breeding.