GOES - November 2016

I ssu e 2 N ov em ber 2016

Š

GOES Gl obal Op p or t u n i t i es f or Ecol ogi cal Su st ai n abi l i t y

Bi r d s i n f ocu s: Read abou t con ser vation of gu il l em ots, pu ffin s in th e UK an d eagl es in Al ban ia

Qu est i on s an d an sw er s abou t agr icu l tu r e in Cu ba, bor eal zon es an d th e h istor y of Roth am sted Resear ch

... an d l ot s m or e abou t am ph ibian s, spider s, scu ba divin g an d cl in ical tr ial s!

GOES is edited an d wr itten m ostl y by ARU stu den ts. After r eadin g it, pl ease cir cu l ate it ar ou n d or l eave it in th e Optom etr y bu il din g on Cam br idge Cam pu s.

Tabl e of con t en t s H er e it GOES - For ewor d by th e Ch ief Editor ..................................................2

Photo by Juniper Kiss

Cov er p h ot o

by Tim Bir khead

H ope for Gu il l em ots....................................................................................................3 Jer sey?s Atl an tic pu ffin popu l ation ? a l ast ch an ce to see?......................5 M on itor in g Egyptian Vu l tu r e an d Bir ds of Pr ey in Al ban ia....................6 Am ph ibian Extin ction Cr isis...................................................................................7 H istor y of Roth am sted...............................................................................................9 Agr icu l tu r e in Cu ba: wh er e ar e th e fr u its?....................................................10 Agr icu l tu r al Expan sion in th e Bor eal Zon e....................................................11

A com m on gu il l em ot with its sin gl e ch ick in Sk om er Isl an d W al es.

Gu il l em ot n u m ber s ar e in cr easin g on Sk om er , bu t m an y Eu r opean col on ies ar e in decl in e, an d wor se, gu il l em ot r esear ch is u n der th r eat.

For m or e see pages 3-4

H yper par asites in action .........................................................................................12 Is m an -l ess far m in g th e fu tu r e?..........................................................................13 Fr om M ice to M en ? a Sh or t In tr odu ction to Cl in ical Resear ch ........13 W il dl ife on th e Isl e of Ru m ....................................................................................15 Th e Lam en t of th e Fal se W idow Spider...........................................................16 Fu tu r e: Gr eat Teach er s.............................................................................................17

Pl ease be awar e th at th is is a sel f-fu n ded, in depen den t, open -access m agazin e edited by an u n der gr ad stu den t. No su bscr iption or pu bl ish in g fees appl y. Pictu r es ar e su bject to copyr igh t.

Life of a scu ba diver....................................................................................................18 Book r ecom m en dation s....................................................................Back Cov er

M or e i n f or m at i on abou t GOES: W ebsi t e: h ttps:/ / gl obal oppor tu n itites.co Facebook : Gl obal Oppor tu n ities for Ecol ogical Su stain abil ity Tw i t t er : @ GOESbyJu n iper 1

Em ai l : bor ok a.k iss@ stu den t.an gl ia.ac.u k

Logo designed by Adam Akos Rozsa

H er e i t GOES For ewor d by the Chief Editor , Founder of GOES

Photo by Juniper Kiss

Scien tists sh ar ed th eir m ost h ear t-war m in g stor ies h ow pr ojects wor k ed ou t in th e en d an d wh at gives th em h ope to con tin u e wor k in g h ar d. Th e tip of th e iceber g was th e m ost in spir ation al con ser vation ist's speech , Si r Dav i d At t en bor ou gh h im sel f. After h is 10 m in u te speech peopl e h ad tear s an d cou l d n ot stop cl appin g in th e en d. After th is even t I r an to th e l ibr ar y an d star ted pu ttin g togeth er th e n ext issu e. I al so m et Pr of Ti m Bi r k h ead at Th e secon d issu e is pr oof of you n g peopl e 's th is con fer en ce wh o sh ar ed h is stor y of desir e to m ak e a ch an ge. I h el d a l ittl e wel com e gu il l em ot con ser vation . W ith in a cou pl e of even t at An gl ia Ru sk in Un iver sity (ARU) wh er e days h e sen t m e an ar ticl e wh ich you can r ead I ask ed ever yon e in th e r oom to wr ite down on page 4 an d al so sen t wh at th ey th in k stops m e a copy of h is scien ce an d "Wha t m a t t er s i n lea r ni ng, i s not beau tifu l book "Th e con ser vation fr om t o be t a ught , but t o wa ke up" m ost Per fect Th in g" so I wor k in g efficien tl y. cou l d wr ite a r eview on

by Jean -H en r i Fabr e (Fr en ch en tom ol gist) Ev er y on e st ar t ed it. An oth er day wh en I w r i t i n g r i gh t aw ay. was visitin g Dar win 's Th is r eassu r ed m e th at stu den ts ar e wel l h ou se, I m et Ton y Pat t i son wh ose k in dn ess is awar e of pr obl em s in edu cation , pol icy-m ak in g, tr u l y am azin g an d wr ote abou t h is wor k at fu n din g an d com m u n ication system s. M ost Roth am sted. Peopl e l ik e h im , im por tan tl y, t h ey ar e w i l l i n g t o sp eak u p m y cl assm ates an d l ectu r er s abou t t h ese. ar e th e on es givin g m e th e I wen t to New Natu r e Networ k s: Natu r e m ost h ope an d in spir e m e to M atter s con fer en ce in Cam br idge wh ich was k eep GOES goin g. So pl ease an extr aor din ar y exper ien ce. It was n ot on l y a em ail m e abou t an y feedback con fer en ce abou t con ser vation bu t sh owin g an d pu bl ish ! Scien ce r u n s in h ow m u ch n on -scien tists su ch as ar tists car e m y fam il y, l ook ou t abou t ou r n atu r al wor l d as wel l . W e h ad peopl e for m y fath er 's an d Juni per (Bor oka ) K i ss sin gin g, l isten ed to poets an d on th e l ast day of br oth er 's ar ticl es!

Golden Oppor tunities Scholar th e con fer en ce we h ad a pan el on H OPE. October 20 16, Cam br idge After pu bl ish in g th e ver y fir st issu e of GOES in Septem ber (2016) I did n ot k n ow if th er e is goin g to be a secon d edition or n ot. It is over wh el m in g h ow m an y peopl e got in ter ested. I wan t to m ak e pu bl ish in g a gr eat exper ien ce for ever yon e an d m ak e stu den ts feel pr ou d to see th eir n am es pu bl ish ed. I ed i t , an d d esi gn ar t i cl es i n 24 h ou r s so it is qu ick an d easy.

2

H op e f or Gu i l l em ot s

by Pr of Tim Bir khead, Univer sity of Sheffield Gu i l l em ot s ar e i n t r ou bl e.

Th er e sim pl y ar en ?t en ou gh fish on wh ich gu il l em ots feed.

W h eth er du e to cl im ate ch an ge, over -fish in g or both , we don ?t k n ow. W ith ou t su fficien t food gu il l em ots fail to l ay eggs or fail to fl edge ch ick s. It is an ecol ogical disaster , yet pr eciou s l ittl e is bein g don e.

Th e gu il l em ot (Ur ia aalge) , a m em ber of th e au k fam il y (Al cidae), is on e of ou r m ost ex t r aor d i n ar y bi r d s. It spen ds m u ch of th e year at sea, com in g ash or e on l y to br eed. In often l ar ge col on ies, gu il l em ots possess a r em ar k abl e su it of adaptation s. Th ey br eed at h igh den sities in ph ysical con tact with each oth er ; t h ey bu i l d n o n est an d l ay an d in cu bate th eir sin gl e, r el ativel y en or m ou s pear -sh aped egg on th e bar e r ock . I h ave been stu dyin g gu il l em ots sin ce 1972, m ain l y on Sk om er Isl an d, W al es. Th er e, I h ave m ain tain ed a l on g-ter m stu dy to both u n der stan d th eir popu l ation biol ogy an d al so to m on itor th eir for tu n es an d figh t for th eir pr otection .

In th e 1930s t h er e w er e ar ou n d 100,000 p ai r s of gu il l em ots on Sk om er , bu t oil pol l u tion du r in g th e Secon d W or l d W ar r esu l ted in a m assive 95% decl in e. By th e ear l y 1960s wh en th e fir st ser iou s attem pts to cou n t Sk om er ?s gu il l em ots occu r r ed, th er e wer e ju st 4000 p ai r s l ef t an d th eir n u m ber con tin u ed to decl in e.

M y stu dy star ted with m y Ph D in th e 1970s.

Becau se gu il l em ots h ave an aver age l ifespan of 23 year s, a l on g-ter m stu dy was essen tial if we wer e to u n der stan d exactl y h ow th eir popu l ation s dyn am ics wor k ed. In deed, it wasn ?t u n til abou t 2010 th at we h ad en ou gh data to do so. In th e 1980s gu il l em ot n u m ber s on Sk om er star ted to in cr ease, an d h ave con tin u ed to do so at abou t 5 per cen t each year.

Gr eat n ew s!

3

Photos by Tim Birkhead

Bu t even so, i t w i l l t ak e an ot h er 30 y ear s bef or e t h e p op u l at i on r et u r n s t o 100,000 p ai r s ? assu m in g n oth in g el se in ter ven es.

Bu t Sk om er is u n u su al . M ost oth er popu l ation s, especial l y th ose fu r th er n or th in th e UK ar e in decl in e becau se of in su fficien t food.

M y stu dy com bin es biol ogy with m on itor in g.

W e m easu r e br eedin g su ccess: wh at pr opor tion of pair s pr odu ce a ch ick th at su r vives to fl edgin g? (Th ey l ay on l y a sin gl e egg); wh at tim e of th e year do th ey br eed ? gen er al l y ear l ier as th e cl im ate h as war m ed; wh at pr opor tion of bir ds su r vive fr om on e year to n ext? Becau se gu il l em ots ar e l on g-l ived (ou r ol dest bir ds ar e over 30), a h igh pr opor tion (ar ou n d 95% in m ost year s) su r vive between year s. Th is is th e k ey popu l ation var iabl e. If su r vival fal l s th e popu l ation decl in es.

Th e spr in g of 2014 saw a m assive ?wr eck ? of seabir ds, in cl u din g m an y gu il l em ots an d l ots fr om Sk om er , off th e west coast of Br itain . Th e cau se was a ser ies of per sisten t stor m s, th e r esu l t of cl im ate ch an ge, th at m ade it im possibl e for gu il l em ots to fin d en ou gh food.

Stor m y con dition s pl ace extr a en er gy dem an ds on th e bir ds an d th e fish sh oal s on wh ich th ey feed on pr obabl y disper se or m ove in to deeper water. Al l th e bir ds wash ed u p on ou r sh or es wer e em aciated an d appear to h ave star ved to death .

Sh or tl y befor e th e stor m s th at cau sed th e ?wr eck ?, th e fu n din g body th at h ad su ppor ted m y m on itor in g, th e Cou n tr yside Cou n cil for W al es (CCW ), was absor bed by a n ew qu an go cal l ed Natu r al Resou r ces W al es (NRW ).

On e of th e fir st th in gs th at NRW did was to cu t t h e f u n d i n g ? com pl etel y ? for th e gu il l em ot stu dy. I pr otested, an d pl eaded with th em to r e-in state th e fu n din g, n ot for m e, bu t for th e bir ds. Th ey r efu sed. In fact, th ey n ever on ce an swer ed an y of m y m essages. I l ear n ed of th eir decision s on l y in dir ectl y. Th ey asser ted th at th er e wou l d be n o l oss of in for m ation by cu ttin g m y fu n din g, becau se an oth er body, th e Join t Natu r e Con ser van cy Cou n cil (JNCC) wou l d u n der tak e th e wor k .

Qu ite h ow, I wasn ?t su r e.

W h at w as I t o d o?

I cou l d h av e si m p l y gi v en u p .

After al l , k eepin g a l on g-ter m stu dy goin g is h ar d wor k : m aybe I sh ou l d h ave a br eak . Stu ff th e gu il l em ots. W h o car es? W el l , I did.

M y col l eagu es at th e Un iver sity of Sh effiel d su ggested cr owd-fu n din g, bu t I was sceptical .

H ow wou l d I ever k ick -star t th at? Righ t at th is tim e I was in vol ved in an ou tr each pr oject with a won der fu l ar tist, Ch r is W al l ban k , wh o cam e to Sk om er with m e to dr aw gu il l em ots.

Th is was par t of th e Un iver sity?s ?Festival of th e M in d? ? a sch em e to facil itate col l abor at i on bet w een ar t an d sci en ce.

Th e ?Festival of th e M in d? pu bl icist h ear d of m y fu n din g dil em m a an d wr ote to th e jou r n al N atur e (with ou t tel l in g m e) to see if th ey wou l d l ik e m e to wr ite som eth in g abou t th e fu n din g situ ation . Th ey did, an d with in a ver y sh or t space of tim e, I p r ep ar ed a p i ece on th e val u e of l on g-ter m stu dies in gen er al an d th e difficu l ty of k eepin g su ch stu dies goin g.

Resear ch h as sh own th at l on g-ter m stu dies of in dividu al species ? an d th er e ar en ?t th at m an y ? ar e dispr opor tion atel y su ccessfu l an d dispr opor tion atel y pr odu ctive in ter m s of both th e qu al ity an d qu an tity of th e in for m ation th ey gen er ate. A cr u cial aspect, apar t fr om th e l on g r u n of data, is th e con sisten t m eth odol ogy u sed to obtain th e data.

W h en th e N atur e ar ticl e was in pr ess, I k n ew th at th is was th e im petu s to th e cr owd-fu n din g n eeded. W h en I set u p th e Just Giving site, th er e was an option ask in g m e if I wan ted to be in for m ed (by em ail ) wh en a don ation h ad been m ade. W ith ou t r eal l y th in k in g, I tick ed th e box.

As soon as th e N atur e ar ticl e was pu bl ish ed an d th e Just Giving site l au n ch ed, m y com p u t er st ar t ed bu zzi n g: it con tin u ed for a for tn igh t u n til th e tar get was attain ed. It was pr obabl y th e m ost excitin g two week s of m y en tir e car eer ! It was al so in cr edibl y u pl iftin g.

M an y of th ose wh o don ated wer e appal l ed by NRW ?s cu t to th e fu n din g, an d m an y peopl e sen t me per son al m essages of en cou r agem en t. Th ose m essages fil l ed m e with h ope. Gover n m en t bodies didn ?t car e abou t con ser vation an d m on itor in g bu t p eop l e d o. Som e of th e in dividu al s th at don ated wer e stu den ts I h ad tau gh t in pr eviou s year s, in som e cases decades ear l ier.

It was won der fu l .

Ou r or igin al tar get for on e year ?s fu n din g was ÂŁ14,000 bu t th an k s to som e gen er ou s don ation s, we secu r ed en ou gh fu n din g to k eep th e stu dy goin g for two or th r ee m or e year s.

H owever , in two year s tim e th e m on ey we r aised wil l com e to an en d, an d poten tial l y with it, th e pr oject. I am t h er ef or e st ar t i n g t o f u n d -r ai se on ce agai n , an d if you can h el p, th en we wil l ? with l u ck ? be abl e to con tin u e th e m on itor in g of on e of ou r m ost ch ar ism atic an d im por tan t seabir ds.

For m or e in for m ation visit: w w w .ju st gi v i n g.com / f u n d r ai si n g/ gu i l l em ot ssk om er

Th e ar t i cl e: St or m y ou t l ook f or l on g-t er m ecol ogy st u d i es.

N a t ur e, Vol 514, p p . 405 (23 Oct ober 2014) d oi :10.1038/ 514405a

4

Photos by N icolas Guillod

Jer sey ?s At l an t i c p u f f i n p op u l at i on ? l ast ch an ce t o see?

by Kaja H eising, M Sc Anim al Behaviour : Applications for Conser vation, ARU

Th e At l an t i c p u f f i n (Fr a t er cula a r ct i ca ) i s an i con i c bi r d i n t h e Ch an n el I sl an d s. On e of th e sou th er n m ost popu l ation s, th ose br eedin g on Jer sey an d on th e oth er Ch an n el Isl an ds, bel on g to eith er th e En gl ish -Ch an n el or Fr en ch -Atl an tic su b-popu l ation s (You n g & H ar din g, 2008).

Pu ffin s spen d th e win ter at sea an d com e ash or e to br eed in col on ies. Usu al l y th ey ar r ive in th e Ch an n el Isl an ds ar ou n d Apr il an d l eave again in Ju l y. Th ey h ave a sl ow r epr odu ctive cycl e, n ot br eedin g u n til six year s of age, an d th en on l y l ayin g on e egg per year.

Al th ou gh th er e ar e stil l good n u m ber s of pu ffin s gl obal l y it is l isted as Vu l n er abl e with a decr easin g popu l ation -tr en d in th e IUCN Red List of Th r eaten ed Species. An n u al l y, abou t 580,799 p ai r s br eed i n t h e UK , Isl e of M an an d Ch an n el Isl an ds (RSPB, 2015).

Th e r eason for th e pu ffin ?s decl in e on Jer sey sin ce th e past cen tu r y is n ot fu l l y u n der stood an d m ay var y with l ocation . Sever al cau ses m ay pl ay a r ol e in th e decr ease of th is su b-popu l ation : Pu ffin s u su al l y n est on offsh or e-isl an ds fr ee of m am m al ian pr edator s. M ost of th e in tr odu ced m am m al ian pr edator s, l ik e th e Nor way or br own r at (Rattus nor vegicus) , bl ack or sh ip r at (R. r attus) , dom estic cat (Felis catus) or Am er ican m in k (M ustela vison) , ar e good cl im ber s an d can al so r each th e pu ffin s? n est-h ol es on steep cl iffs. Al so n ative seabir ds l ik e h er r in g gu l l (Lar us ar gentatus) , l esser bl ack -back ed gu l l (L. fuscus) an d gr eat bl ack -back ed gu l l (L. m ar inus) m igh t be a cau se of puffi n d ecl i n es due to com p et i t i on by k l ep t op ar asi t i sm or d i r ect p r ed at i on (Fin n ey et al . 2003; You n g & H ar din g, 2008).

In dir ect im pacts l ik e cl i m at e ch an ge cau se l oss of th e pu ffin ?s food su ppl y in m an y col on ies (Du r an t et al ., 2003; H ar r is et al ., 2005). Al so, in th e En gl ish Ch an n el , r isin g tem per atu r es an d oth er in dir ect factor s l ik e pol l u tion of th e sea m ay pl ay an im por tan t r ol e as wel l . M or eover , on e par ticu l ar fish species, sn ak e pipefish (Entelur us aequor eus) h as in cr eased in n u m ber in th e r egion ar ou n d Jer sey an d m ay h ave been fed to n estl in gs, as h as been r ecor ded in UK, Nor way or Icel an d for in stan ce (H ar r is et al , 2006), al t h ou gh i t i s i n ed i bl e for pu ffin s (You n g & H ar din g, 2008). In stead, h er r in g (Clupea har engus) , capel in (M allotus villosus) , or

5

san deel (Am m odytes spp.) sh ou l d actu al l y for m th eir m ain diet (Bar r ett et al . 1987).

Th er e was a popu l ation of 200-300 pair s on Jer sey du r in g 1911-1914, decr easin g r apidl y fr om 1915 to on l y 22 pair s in 1998.Th e cau ses for th e pu ffin s? decl in e on Jer sey ar e stil l n ot fu l l y iden tified.

M y stu dy focu sed on r ecen t tem por al ch an ges to tr y to iden tify th e cu r r en t statu s of th e Atl an tic pu ffin popu l ation on Jer sey. Assu m in g th at cl im ate ch an ge m ay pl ay an im por tan t r ol e for th e pu ffin ?s decl in e, tem per atu r e was cor r el ated to th e popu l ation size. Al th ou gh th e an al ysis did n ot sh ow an y cor r el ation to it, th e m ost l ik el y factor is assu m ed to be th e d ecl i n e i n f ood su p p l y n ear br eed i n g col on i es d u e t o w ar m i n g of t h e sea, as Du r an t et al . (2003) fou n d in Nor wegian col on ies.

Th e pu ffin is k n own to be h igh l y vu l n er abl e to th e im pacts of cl im ate ch an ge in cl u din g r isin g sea-tem per atu r e an d l in k ed ch an ges in pr ey-distr ibu tion an d abu n dan ce (Bir dLife In ter n ation al , 2015). W h il e th e pu ffin m igh t h ave r esisted an y sin gl e factor cau sin g pr essu r e on its popu l ation , th e com bin ation of al l th ese factor s togeth er m ay be th e cau sation for th e even tu al decl in e. An t h r op ol ogi cal l y d i st u r bed ar eas, i n v asi v e m am m al i an p r ed at or s, r i si n g t em p er at u r es, d ecl i n e i n p r ey av ai l abi l i t y , an d ch an ge i n av ai l abl e f i sh sp eci es? su m m in g u p th ese factor s ? th ey m igh t be tou gh en ou gh to pu t an en d to th e pu ffin ?s popu l ation . Su stain abl e m an aged wil dl ife-tou r ism cou l d be u sed to su ppor t th e fin an cial in com e for pu ffin -con ser vation .

To con ser v e t h e col on y on Jer sey , m or e ef f or t sh ou l d be p u t i n t o t h e p u f f i n s?con ser v at i on t h r ou gh ou t t h e Ch an n el I sl an d s, t o p r ev en t t h e sam e f at e on t h e ot h er i sl an d s as i s h ap p en i n g on Jer sey , w h er e t h e p u f f i n s w i l l be ex t i n ct soon .

Read the full article and r ef er en ces on Bir ds on t h e Edge's website: http://www.birdsontheedge.org/2016/02/20/jerseys-atlantic-puffin-population-a-last-chance-to-see/

M on i t or i n g Egy p t i an Vu l t u r e an d Bi r d s of Pr ey i n Al ban i a

by K evi n H a nd, M Sc, M CI EEM Ecol ogi st an d Cou r se Di r ect or , ACE Fou n d at i on k ev i n h an d @t i scal i .co.u k Al ban i a i s k n ow n as t h e L an d of Eagl es?bu t m or e n eeds to be k n own abou t al l its bir ds of pr ey or th ey m ay disappear for good.

I am an ecol ogist, based in Cam br idge, an d for 25 year s I h ave been l u ck y en ou gh to r u n wil dl ife an d cu l tu r al tou r s with th e Association for Cu l tu r al Exch an ge (ACE, www.acefou n dation .or g.u k ) I h ad al ways wan ted to visit Al ban ia, th at m yster iou s u n spoil t cor n er of Eu r ope. On ce isol ated, n ow it is open to al l th e ch an ges of th e 21st cen tu r y. I am ju st abou t to star t r u n n in g wil dl ife tou r s th er e. W h en settin g th ese u p, I fou n d th at wh il e m an y you n g peopl e fl ed th e cou n tr y after th e fal l of its dictator sh ip, som e stayed an d set u p a n atu r e con ser vation gr ou p cal l ed Pr ot ect i on an d Pr eser v at i on of t h e N at u r al En v i r on m en t i n Al ban i a (PPN EA, w w w .p p n ea.or g). I ask ed h ow I cou l d h el p th em h el p th eir cou n tr y an d its wil dl ife.

PPNEA staff spok e el oqu en tl y of th e n eed for u p to date su r veys of Al ban ia?s wil dl ife, par ticu l ar l y its bir ds of pr ey. Recen t ch an ges in l an d u se an d tr adition al l ivel ih ood activities h ave affected a wide r an ge of wil dl ife an d r em oved food r esou r ces for species l ik e vu l tu r es an d r aptor s. Per secu tion an d poison in g is al so a pr obl em . Th r ee vu l tu r e species h ave n ot r ecen tl y been r ecor ded as br eedin g, with th e fou r th , Egyptian vu l tu r e, r ecor ded on l y in ver y l ow n u m ber s. H owever l ack of m on itor in g m ak es it h ar d to deter m in e th e cu r r en t statu s of th ese an d oth er r ar e species, an d so is im possibl e to tar get wh er e h el p is m ost n eeded.

Th e ai m s ar e t o: -col l ect essen tial data wh ich h el ps to tar get con ser vation effor t wh er e best n eeded, -h i gh l i gh t th e effects of h abitat l oss an d per secu tion , u sin g th ese ch ar ism atic fl agsh ip species, an d pr om ote th e r eten tion an d cr eation of im por tan t h abitats, -r ai se aw ar en ess of th e im por tan ce of vu l tu r es an d r aptor s in Al ban ia, both in th eir own r igh t an d for th eir ecotou r ism poten tial , in th e r em ote ar eas wh er e th ey occu r , an d n ation al l y,in cl u din g at gover n m en t l evel , -i n cr ease t h e i n t er est in visitin g Al ban ia as a destin ation for wil dl ife an d ecotou r ism , an d in su ppor tin g its gr owin g con ser vation m ovem en t.

Toget h er w e h av e n ow set u p an ACE/ PPN EA p r oject , with su ppor t fr om th e H awk Con ser van cy Tr u st, wh ich wil l u n der tak e an d pu bl icise a sim pl e m on itor in g pr ogr am m e focu ssed on visitin g th e k n own , poten tial an d past br eedin g sites of Egyptian vu l tu r es an d oth er r ar e r aptor s. Th is wil l in vol ve visu al m on itor in g of br eedin g displ ays an d n estin g sites fr om M ar ch 2017 an d beyon d.

Th e fir st su ccessfu l tou r was in Septem ber , 2016 an d n ow we wil l l au n ch a cr ow d f u n d i n g i n i t i at i v e to r aise th e r est of th e fu n ds n eeded.

Th e am ou n t n eeded is ju st £6000, of w h i ch £3000 i s gu ar an t eed t o be m at ch f u n d ed by ACE ? IF we can r aise th e r est by cr owd-fu n din g.

An y am ou n t h el ps, an d as th an k s for ever y don ation of £10 a n am e you h ave sel ected (you r s, or th e n am es of fr ien ds or fam il y m em ber s) w i l l be l i st ed as a su p p or t er of t h e p r oject in book s to be k ept in Al ban ia an d in th e ACE office in Stapl efor d, Cam br idge, UK. For m or e detail s con tact m e.

Al ban i a i s on e of t h e f r i en d l i est cou n t r i es i n Eu r op e, w i t h w on d er f u l w et l an d s an d m ou n t ai n s an d a f asci n at i n g h i st or y ? t r y t o v i si t i f y ou can . Cam br i d ge i s a w on d er f u l p l ace t o becom e i n v ol v ed i n i n t er n at i on al con ser v at i on ; I h op e t h i s st or y m ay i n sp i r e som e of y ou t o set u p y ou r ow n i n i t i at i v es!

Egyptian Vu l tu r e, ph oto cou r tesy of P. Jegan ath an

Back gr ou n d: Gr iffon Vu l tu r e, ph oto cou r tesy of M an dy W est

6

Am p h i bi an Ex t i n ct i on Cr i si s

by St even Alla i n, ARU gr ad u at e, BSc Zool ogy

st eveallain @live.co.u k @st evoallain

M an y peopl e k n ow abou t th e th r eats cu r r en tl y facin g wil dl ife; it's r epor ted on th e n ews an d in th e scien tific l iter atu r e r egu l ar l y.

Th ese th r eats in cl u de poach in g, h abitat destr u ction an d cl im ate ch an ge. W h en th in k in g of th e an i m al s u n d er t h r eat , it's easy to focu s on l ar ge ch ar ism atic an im al s su ch as el eph an ts an d tiger s an d over l ook th e sm al l er ,l ess en er getic species. Un for tu n atel y, am p h i bi an s ar e of t en ov er l ook ed du e to th eir n egative por tr ayal in th e m edia, society an d cu l tu r e. Despite bein g pivotal par ts of th e food ch ain , 3,000 (40%) of th e wor l d?s 7,500 am ph ibian species ar e at r isk of extin ction .

Th ey ar e affected by th e th r eats l isted above as wel l as over h ar vestin g, pol l u tion an d m ost im por tan tl y disease.

Befor e we del ve in to h ow am ph ibian s ar e decl in in g an d wh y, l et u s tak e a l ook at am ph ibian s m or e cl osel y. Of th e 7,500 species k n own to scien ce, 200 ar e caecil ian s (a wor m -l ik e am ph ibian ), 600 ar e sal am an der s an d th e r em ain in g 6,700 species ar e al l fr ogs. Yes, f r ogs m ak e u p al m ost 90% of al l k n ow n am p h i bi an sp eci es. W h at is m or e fascin atin g is th at, on aver age a n ew species of am ph ibian is discover ed ever y on e an d a h al f days. Th at tr u l y fascin ates m e, a n ew sp eci es i s d i scov er ed an d d escr i bed ev er y 36 h ou r s.

Th is pr ocess isn 't star t to fin ish bu t is m or e of a con tin u u m . I'm su r e m ost peopl e ar e fam il iar with th e com m on fr og (Rana tem por ar ia), a fam il iar sigh t to m an y gar den s. Th ose th at pon der th e existen ce of 7

Photos by Steve Allain

th is h u m bl e an im al m ay n ot be awar e th at we've discover ed over 1,600 n ew am ph ibian species in th e past 10 year s. Am ph ibian s ar en 't u su al l y pictu r ed as en dan ger ed species; th is is du e to th e per ception of th ese u n l ik el y ecol ogical h er oes. H ow is an an im al th at is so u biqu itou s in fr esh water en vir on m en ts an d on e th at h as so m an y you n g in tr ou bl e?

In 1998, a n ovel am ph ibian path ogen was discover ed th at stil l wr eak s h avoc to th is day.

Th e water bor n e ch y t r i d f u n gu s (Batr achochytr ium dendr obatidis) was fou n d to in fect am ph ibian h osts u sin g m otil e zoospor es, after an in fection l evel r each ed a cer tain l evel (th is var ies on th e l in eage of th e disease an d th e h ost species), th e h ost wou l d star t to sh ow sign s of in fection . Th ese in cl u de r edden in g of th e ven tr al su r faces an d h aem or r h age; th e m ost com m on cl in ical sign is a th ick en in g of th e sk in . Th is th ick en in g of

Com m on fr ogs, l ik e m an y am ph ibian s l ay th ou san ds of eggs bu t l ess th an 1% of th e offspr in g wil l r each sexu al m atu r ity.

th e sk in l eads to am ph ibian s dyin g du e to th e l im itation of n u tr ien t u ptak e an d cu tan eou s gas exch an ge. Sin ce its discover y, th e disease l ed to th e ex t i n ct i on of 200 am p h i bi an sp eci es an d popu l ation decl in es gl obal l y. So wh at does it m atter if a few fr ogs disappear ? As m en tion ed ear l ier fr ogs pl ay a vital r ol e in m an y ecosystem s as th e food for oth er an im al s.

M an y am ph ibian s l ay h u n dr eds or th ou san ds of eggs; th ey ar e r -sel ected species m ean in g th ey pr odu ce far m or e offspr in g th an can possibl y su r vive. On l y a few of th ese you n g wil l m ak e it to adu l th ood, th e r est do n ot su r vive an d ar e a sou r ce of food for pr edator s. Fr ogs al so h el p k eep th e popu l ation s of pest species su ch as m osqu itoes r el ativel y l ow. If we wer e to l ose sign ifican t popu l ation n u m ber s of fr ogs th en m aybe we wou l d see a dr am atic r ise in m osqu ito bor n e diseases su ch as m al ar ia, den gu e fever an d Zik a vir u s. In ter m s of th e ecosystem s, if fr ogs disappear ed th en per h aps th e ecosystem s th ey su ppor t wou l d sim pl y col l apse. Th is is a ter r ifyin g r eal ity th at h as al r eady star ted to u n fol d in som e ar eas of th e wor l d. Cl ear l y th e l oss of fr ogs m ay m ean a r ise in diseases affectin g h u m an h eal th an d th e l oss of ecol ogical system s th at su ppor t u s so com for tabl y.

In 2013 a n ew for m of ch ytr id fu n gu s (Ba t r a chochyt r i um sa la m a ndr i vor a ns: k n own as bsal) was discover ed in th e Neth er l an ds.

It excl u sivel y in fects sal am an der s an d m ay h ave or igin ated fr om Asia an d im por ted to Eu r ope via th e pet tr ade.

Th e d i sease cau ses a 100% m or t al i t y r at e i n

41 ou t of 44 Eu r opean sal am an der species exper im en tal l y tested. Th is doesn 't bode wel l for th e fu tu r e of sal am an der s. Th e disease h as r ecen tl y spr ead to Bel giu m an d Ger m an y; it's fear ed if it r each es th e Am er icas th en we m ay see an apocal yptic decl in e in sal am an der diver sity. Bsal th r eaten s Br itish am ph ibian s su ch as th e gr eat cr ested n ewt (Tr itur us cr istatus), a species I wor k with r egu l ar l y, an d cu r r en tl y th er e is n ot m u ch we can do if an ou tbr eak occu r s. A t r eat m en t by Bl ooi et al . (2015) in vol ves tak in g in fected sal am an der s in to captivity an d tr eatin g th em with a fu n gicide dissol ved in war m water for a per iod of 10 days.

Am p h i bi an s ar e bei n g h i t f r om al l an gl es by a n u m ber of t h r eat s cr eat i n g a sy n er gi st i c ef f ect .

I've focu sed on a cou pl e of diseases pu r el y becau se th is is wh er e m y exper ien ce l ies bu t th e th r eat of disease isn 't th e sam e for al l species. En dem ic species ar e m or e l ik el y to go extin ct if th eir h abitat is m odified or if th eir popu l ation is r edu ced too m u ch by over h ar vestin g. It's cl ear th at th er e isn ?t on e sin gl e sol u tion to th is issu e as each of th e appr oxim ate 3,000 species in decl in e n eeds its own tail or ed r ecover y pr ogr am . Th is is expen sive an d tim e con su m in g; al so th e gen er al pu bl ic m igh t n ot car e abou t a m u l titu de of fr ogs wh ich m igh t m ak e th em obl iviou s to th e cr isis th at faces am ph ibian s today.

BUT YOU CAN SAVE TH EM AL L , BECOM E A H ERPETOL OGI ST!

Th e Eu r opean fir e sal am an der (Salam andr a salam andr a) h as decl in ed by 96% in th e Neth er l an ds du e to an epidem ic of bsal. Cu r r en tl y scien tists ar e wor k in g to safegu ar d th is species an d th eir k in .

Ref er en ce: Bl ooi, M ., M ar tel , A., H aesebr ou ck , F., Ver cam m en , F., Bon te, D., & Pasm an s, F. (2015). Tr eatm en t of u r odel an s based on tem per atu r e depen den t in fection dyn am ics of Batr achochytr ium salam andr ivor ans. Scientific Repor ts, Vol 5

8

H i st or y of Rot h am st ed

by Tony Pattison Roth am sted Resar ch is th e ol dest agr icu l tu r al r esear ch cen tr e in th e wor l d. It is in th e sm al l town of H ar pen den cl ose to St Al ban s, abou t 40k m n or th of Lon don . It was fou n ded by Joh n Juniper Ben n et by Lawes in 1843. Lawes was h el ped by th e ch em ist, H en r y Gil ber t, an d th e par tn er sh ip l asted 57 year s.

Joh n Lawes was bor n in 1814 at Roth am sted M an or , an ol d m an or h ou se with in th e gr ou n ds of Roth am sted Resear ch . H is fam il y h ad l ived in th e M an or sin ce 1613. Joh n Lawes was in ter ested in agr icu l tu r al ch em istr y an d h is fir st m ajor discover y was th e pr epar ation of su per ph osph ate fer til iser , th en m ade fr om bon es an d su l ph u r ic acid. H e open ed a factor y in Lon don to m ak e su per ph osph ate. Th e bu sin ess was su ccessfu l an d by th e 1880s h e was a r ich m an .

H e r ein vested m u ch of th e m on ey back in to r esear ch an d, in 1843, star ted a ser ies of exper im en ts th at wer e to m ak e h im sel f an d Roth am sted fam ou s. Lawes an d Gil ber t ar e wor l d-fam ou s for th eir cl assical exper im en ts on cr op n u tr ition , par ticu l ar l y on wh eat. Th e m ost fam ou s exper im en t, on Br oadbal k fiel d, h as seen wh eat gr own con tin u ou sl y sin ce 1843 on par ts of th e fiel d. No m an u r e or fer til iser h as been added to th e soil on on e pl ot for over 130 year s. On an adjoin in g pl ot a su bstan tial appl ication of far m yar d m an u r e h as been appl ied for th e sam e n u m ber of year s. At th e far en d of th e fiel d Joh n Lawes al l owed th e fiel d to r ever t back to n atu r e fr om 1882 on war ds.

Lawes an d Gil ber t r eal ised th e im por tan ce of good gr ass yiel ds for h ay pr odu ction an d th is

Photo by Tony Pattison

Bowden Bu il dl in g n am ed after Sir Fr ed Bawden wh o was th e Dir ector wh en Ton y ar r ived in 1971

pr om pted th em to l ay ou t an oth er Cl assical exper im en t on Par k Gr ass fiel d. Th ey tested ou t differ en t fer til iser appl ication s on an ol d gr assl an d pastu r e. Th er e h as been n o r e-seedin g or weed k il l er appl ication s. Al l th e species of gr ass ar e in dir ect r espon se to th e fer til iser s appl ied.

On th e far m m an y cu r r en t fiel d exper im en ts ar e car r ied ou t as wel l as th e Cl assical exper im en ts. Lawes an d Gil ber t died at th e tu r n of th e cen tu r y bu t Roth am sted h as gon e fr om str en gth to str en gth an d with a l ar ge staff is stil l at th e for efr on t of agr icu l tu r al r esear ch .

Today Roth am sted Resear ch h as a m ission , wh ich is to del iver k n owl edge an d n ew pr actices to in cr ease cr op pr odu ctivity an d qu al ity, an d to devel op en vir on m en tal l y-su stain abl e sol u tion s for food an d en er gy pr odu ction . Fu r th er detail s can be fou n d on th eir website: www.r oth am sted.ac.u k

Ton y gain ed a degr ee in Applied Biology at Br u n el Un iver sit y an d at Rot h am st ed w or k ed on t h e Rot h am st ed Collect ion of Rh izobiu m f r om 1971-74. In addit ion t o pu blish in g t h e Cat alogu e of St r ain s, h e also w or k ed on t h e ef f ect s of an t i-m icr obial su bst an ces on Rhizobium spp. an d t h eir u se in select ive m edia. He also collabor at ed on r esear ch in t o t h e pr odu ct ion of vesicu lar -ar bu scu lar Mycorrhizal inoculum by f r eeze-dr yin g. Fr om 1974-79 h e t ook r espon sibilit y f or dem on st r at in g t h e w or k of Rot h am st ed t o visit in g scien t ist s an d people in t er est ed in Rot h am st ed. Du r in g t h is per iod h e set u p a sm all-gau ge f ilm -u n it at Rot h am st ed f or t h e pr odu ct ion of t each in g visu al aids f or sch ools an d colleges.

9

Agr i cu l t u r e i n Cu ba: w h er e ar e t h e f r u i t s?

by Lar isse Guislain, BSc An im al Beh aviou r an d W el far e, ARU In r ecen t year s Cu ba h as becom e a gr owin g n ation of sel f-su stain in g agr icu l tu r e. It was th e col l apse of th e Soviet Un ion th at for ced Cu ba to ch an ge its far m in g in fr astr u ctu r e.

Cu r r en tl y Cu ba h as two l aws appl ied to far m in g: UBPC (Basic Un it of Cooper ative Pr odu ction ) an d CPA (Agr icu l tu r al Pr odu ction Cooper ative). Th ese two l aws ar e on l y fou n d in Cu ba. UBPC is a l aw th at con n ects th e wor k er to th e l an d, cr eatin g in cen tives for a h igh er per cen tage yiel d an d th u s con n ectin g th e wor k er s ear n in gs to h ow h igh th e pr odu ction is. CPA is a gr ou p of far m er s pr odu cin g differ en t pr odu ce each year wh ich star ted after th e Cu ban r evol u tion in wh ich th e gover n m en t pr ovided in cen tives to th e far m er s for join in g CPAs. As an exam pl e far m er s sol d th eir l an d to th e gover n m en t th ey wou l d r eceive paym en t for 20 year s fr om bein g in vol ved in th e CPA. Th e cu r r en t Cu ban far m in g system is k n own as ?Au t o Con su m o? wh ich m ean s th e far m er doesn ?t h ave to br in g th e h ar vest to an agen cy bu t can tak e it str aigh t to th e m ar k et. Th ou gh wh at was stated befor e gives a positive view of wh at th e com m u n ist system in Cu ba in ten ds, i n r eal i t y th e cu r r en t situ ation of agr icu l tu r al far m in g in Cu ba is th e opposite.

In Decem ber , 2015 I spen t th r ee week s in Cu ba tr avel l in g ar ou n d th e cou n tr y, gettin g to k n ow th e l ocal s an d exper ien cin g th eir cu l tu r e.

W ith th e advan tage of speak in g Span ish th e Cu ban s wer e m or e th an h appy to expl ain th eir cu r r en t situ ation an d opin ion s. I fou n d it in ter estin g th at wh en I cr aved fr u it or vegetabl es it pr oved ver y difficu l t to acqu ir e th em in both r u r al an d in du str ial cities, su ch as H avan a.

Photos by Larisse Guislain

Th e l ocal s qu ick l y expl ain ed. Ever yon e is given a cer tain am ou n t of l an d for wh ich th ey h ave to car e for. Far m er s get good qu al ity l an d an d th ey can ch oose wh at cr ops to gr ow.

H owever , wh ich ever cr ops ar e gr own , af t er h ar v est t h e gov er n m en t con f i scat es al l of t h e y i el d . After m on th s of in ten sive l abou r , th e far m er s ar e basical l y l eft em pty h an ded.

Th e gover n m en t tak es th ese cr ops to th en be sol d as r ation s an d m igh t sel l a sm al l por tion at a ?special ? pr ice back to th e far m er s. Th is m ean s th at th e far m er sees n o pr ofit or ear n in gs fr om h is cr ops. Each m on th ever y fam il y r eceives a 'r at i on bask et ' wh ich in cl u des th e m in im al am ou n ts of m il k , r ice, bean s, r u m , soap, an d oth er n ecessar y item s.

Apar t fr om th is bask et, wor k in g for th e gover n m en t en tail s th e equ ival en t of $20 p ay a m on t h f or an y job d on e p er p er son .

An oth er con fl ict of in ter est th at is added. I f t h ey gr ow t h ei r ow n f ood i n t h ei r gar d en s on th e l an d th e gover n m en t gave th em - th en t h ey ar e f i n ed by t h e gov er n m en t . Du e to th is, peopl e h ave zer o in cen tive to gr ow cr ops on th eir l an d.

W h y w ou l d t h ey w ast e t h ei r en er gy t o see n ot h i n g com e f r om t h ei r h ar d w or k ? Th i s i s t h e f u l l ex p l an at i on w h y v eget abl e an d f r u i t p r od u ct i on l ack s i n Cu ba an d becom es u n d er st an d abl e.

10

N or t h w ar d Ex p an si on : Agr i cu l t u r al Ex p an si on i n t h e Bor eal Zon e

by Tyler Kulfan BA H istor y,BSc En vir on m en tal Scien ce, M Sc Gl obal Ch an ge Ecol ogy Th e pr obl em s associated with cl im ate an d l an d u se ch an ge con ver ge in bor eal zon es to for m a u n iqu e state of ecol ogical u n cer tain ty in bor eal l an dscapes. W h il e th e tim ber in du str y h as h istor ical l y dom in ated bor eal l an d u se ch an ge an d m or e r ecen t l an d devel opm en t activity in bor eal r egion s h as been pr im ar il y dedicated to fossil fu el devel opm en t an d for estr y, far m in g is an in cr easin gl y im por tan t factor in bor eal l an d u se ch an ge.

Car bon St or age an d Cl i m at e Ch an ge Bor eal defor estation l ik ewise r em ov es an i m p or t an t car bon si n k (Joh n son an d M iyan ish i, 2012). A 1988 an al ysis of Soviet Un ion bor eal l an d u se ch an ge an d defor estation fou n d th at by 1980 th e n et car bon fl u x between th e l an d an d atm osph er e r esu l tin g fr om far m in g an d for estr y activity was appr oxim atel y zer o, con tr astin g with pr eviou s an al yses wh ich dem on str ated th at th e Soviet Un ion was a n et car bon sin k (M el il l o et al . 1988). A stu dy of th e car bon stor age capacity of bor eal Al ask a sim il ar l y fou n d th e car bon stor age capacity of con ver ted agr icu l tu r al soil s 44% l ower th an or igin al for est soil s (Gr u n zweig et al .

2004).

Fr om cer tain per spectives, th is expan sion of bor eal far m in g activity is a n ecessar y ch an ge.

Bor eal zon es ten d to h ave a m u ch l ower degr ee of agr icu l tu r al expl oitation th an oth er eco-r egion s; th e per cen tage of bor eal l an d in th e Eu r opean Un ion dedicated to agr icu l tu r e r egion al l y r an ges fr om 0? 25%, con si d er abl y l ess t h an ot h er bi om es (Pel ton en -Sain io, 2015).

Bor eal zon es th u s possess gr eat u n tapped I r on i cal l y , r edu ction in car bon stor age poten tial as agr icu l tu r al r esou r ces for a r apidl y capacity exacer bates th e cl im atic tr en ds wh ich ar e par tl y m otivatin g th e expan sion of gr owin g gl obal popu l ation . agr icu l tu r e in bor eal zon es - as does th e h igh Bor eal Far m i n g Ex p an si on qu an tities of m eth an e an d car bon dioxide Th e l ast 60 year s h ave seen r apid expan sion of r el eased by l ar ge-scal e agr icu l tu r al activity. agr icu l tu r e with in th e ecor egion s al on g th e Th is h as l ed to a gen er al n or th war d sh ift of sou th er n edge of Can adian bor eal pl ain s (Bayl ey agr icu l tu r e wh ich h as al r eady begu n to et al . 2012); a Lan dsat su r vey of th e bor eal im pacted bor eal zon es, cor r espon din g with a tr an sition zon e in Sask atch ewan , Can ada decr ease in pr odu ctivity on th e sou th er n con cl u ded th at 73% of bor eal tr an sition l an d h ad bor der of agr o-zon es. been con ver ted for agr icu l tu r e sin ce Eu r opean settl em en t, an d an addition al 4,369k m 2 h ad been con ver ted between 1966 an d 1994; th is r epr esen ts an an n u al defor estation r ate of 0.89% (H obson , 20002). Gl obal Lan dsat data h as con ver sel y dem on str ated th at n ot agr icu l tu r e (in cl u din g both far m in g an d for estr y) bu t r ath er , w i l d f i r es wer e th e pr im ar y cu l pr it in gl obal bor eal defor estation fr om 1990 to 2000. W il dfir es an d agr icu l tu r al expan sion ar e l ik el y dir ectl y cor r el ated, th ou gh ; both sl ash -an d-bu r n agr icu l tu r e (stil l com m on in som e n or th er n Asian bor eal r egion s) an d l an d-exh au stive in ten sive far m in g m eth ods in cr ease th e l ik el ih ood of wil dfir es. Fu r th er m or e, bor eal r egion s of h igh n et for est l oss wer e ?associated with l an d-u se ch an ges fr om wil der n ess to agr icu l tu r e [far m in g]?, even in in stan ces wh en far m in g itsel f w as n ot t h e d i r ect cau se of d ef or est at i on (Kim , 2014).

11

Photo by Juniper Kiss

W h at is cer tain is th at cl i m at e ch an ge wil l fu r th er com pl icate th e pr esen t th r eats bor eal ecosystem s ar e facin g. As gl obal war m in g accel er ates th e al r eady exten sive expan sion of agr icu l tu r e in to bor eal r egion s, m an y of th e m ost im por tan t ecosystem ser vices pr ovided by bor eal ecosystem s? wh ich , n otabl y, in cl u de car bon stor age? ar e dir ectl y an d in cr easin gl y th r eaten ed.

Th u s, am on g th e m an y facets of expan ded bor eal agr icu l tu r e th at ar e especial l y in n eed of fu r th er stu dy ar e in ten sive assessm en ts of th e r edu ced car bon stor age poten tial of bor eal for ests an d th e con tr ibu tion s of bor eal agr icu l tu r e to gr een h ou se gas em ission s so th at th ese th r eaten ed assets can be pr oper l y con sider ed. @ DJAn im al Cr ack a As th er e ar e m an y r efer en ces, th ey ar e u pl oaded on GOES's website (h tps:/ / gl obal oppor tu n ities.co)

H y p er p ar asi t es i n act i on : A com m on t r i t r op h i c r el at i on sh i p bet w een p l an t s, f u n gal p l an t p at h ogen s an d t h ei r p ar asi t es

by Levente Kiss, DSc M an y species of m icr oscopic fu n gi in fect pl an ts, cau sin g pl an t diseases, ch ar acter ized by wil tin g, r otted tissu es, m ou l dy coatin gs, scabs, an d oth er sym ptom s. Th e in ter action s between fu n gal pl an t path ogen s an d th eir h ost pl an ts ar e often ar e r egar ded as cl osed, two-species system s; h owever , both fu n gal col on ies an d th eir pl an t h osts ar e, in fact, com pon en ts of com pl ex m u l titr oph ic in ter action s in th e fiel d.

Th er e ar e, for exam pl e, am azin g in ter action s between fu n gal pl an t path ogen s an d th eir special ized fu n gal par asites wh ich ar e cal l ed as m y cop ar asi t es, or h y p er p ar asi t es, becau se th eir h osts ar e al so par asites.

On e of th e m ost com m on , an d special ized, tr itr oph ic r el ation sh ips am on gst pl an ts, fu n gal par asites, an d th eir h yper par asites h as al r eady been discover ed in th e 19th cen tu r y, by H ein r ich An ton De Bar y (1831-1888), k n own as a fou n din g fath er of pl an t path ol ogy. H e obser ved th at powder y m il dew col on ies, in fectin g th e aer ial par ts of m an y pl an ts, often con tain th e m icr oscopic fr u itin g bodies of an oth er fu n gu s, bel on gin g to th e gen u s Am pelom yces, wh ose h yph ae ar e al so fou n d in side th e h yph ae, spor es, an d oth er str u ctu r es of th e powder y m il dew m ycel iu m (Kiss 2008).

Th er efor e, Am pelom yces spp. ar e h yper par asites becau se attack powder y m il dew fu n gi, th em sel ves par asites of th eir h ost pl an ts. Th e sym ptom s of th is tr itr oph ic r el ation sh ip ar e som etim es visibl e to th e n ak ed eye in th e fiel d becau se th e wh ite powder y m il dew col on ies cover in g th e gr een par ts, m ostl y th e l eaves, of th eir h ost pl an ts, becom e br own ish wh er e th e in tr acel l u l ar fr u itin g bodies of th eir h yper par asites ar e pr odu ced in abu n dan ce.

Appr ox. 800 powder y m il dew species ar e k n own wor l dwide wh ich in fect over 10,000 pl an t species, in cl u din g im por tan t cr ops, su ch as cer eal s, gr apevin e, fr u it tr ees, vegetabl es an d or n am en tal s. Al l th ese powder y m il dews can be attack ed by gen etical l y differ en t Am pelom yces str ain s on an y h ost pl an t species (Pin tye et al . 2015). It seem s th at th e differ en t Am pelom yces str ain s ar e n ot str ictl y special ized to cer tain powder y m il dew species, al th ou gh som e k in d of h ost special ization can n ot be excl u ded in th ese h yper par asites (Kiss et al . 2011).

Par asitism , by defin ition , h as a n egative effect on h ost fitn ess, so h yper par asitism m ay be favou r abl e for th e par asitized or gan ism s. It h as

l on g been su ggested th at som e sel ected str ain s of Am pelom yces can be u sed in th e agr icu l tu r al pr actice to con tr ol powder y m il dew in fection s of cer tain cr ops by spr ayin g th e Photo by Levente Kiss in fected pl an ts In tr acel l u l ar h yph ae (ar r ow) of with spor e Am pel om yces gr owin g ou t of a su spen sion s of par asitized air bor n e powder y m il dew th ese h yper par asites.

Actu al l y, th eir com m er cial expl oitation h as al r eady r each ed th e pl an t pr otection m ar k et: a bi op est i ci d e pr odu ct con tain in g th e l ivin g spor es of Am pelom yces h as been r egister ed in th e Eu r opean Un ion , an d el sewh er e, to offer an en vir on m en tal l y fr ien dl y al ter n ative to ch em ical pesticides avail abl e for powder y m il dew con tr ol . Its u se is, h owever , r ath er l im ited, an d fu r th er devel opm en ts ar e n eeded to ach ieve a m or e exten sive appl ication in cr op pr otection .

Dr awin gs fr om De Bar y (1870) sh owin g th e h yph ae an d th e fr u itin g bodies of Am pel om yces in side th e powder y m il dew h yph ae.

Ref er en ces Kiss L, Pin tye A, Kovรกcs GM , Jan k ovics T, Fon tain e M , H ar vey N, Xu X, Nicot PC, Bar din M , Sh yk off JA, Gir au d T (2011) Tem por al isol ation expl ain s h ost-r el ated gen etic differ en tiation in a gr ou p of widespr ead m ycopar asitic fu n gi. M ol ecu l ar Ecol ogy 20: 1492-1507.

Kiss L (2008) In tr acel l u l ar m ycopar asites in action : in ter action s between powder y m il dew fu n gi an d Am pelom yces. In : SV Aver y, M Str atfor d, P van W est (ed.) Str ess in Yeasts an d Fil am en tou s Fu n gi. Lon don : Academ ic Pr ess, pp. 37-52.

Pin tye A, Ropar s J, H ar vey N, Sh in H -D, Leyr on as C, Nicot PC, Gir au d T, Kiss L (2015) H ost ph en ol ogy an d geogr aph y as dr iver s of differ en tiation in gen er al ist fu n gal m ycopar asites.

PLoS ONE 10(3): e0120703.

12

I s m an -l ess f ar m i n g t h e f u t u r e?

by Katie Goldsbr ough, BSc Zool ogy,ARU Tech n ol ogy h as advan ced so far over th e l ast few year s th at far m in g is n ow becom in g l ess h ar d l abou r bu t m or e abou t p r ogr am m i n g an d com p u t i n g. Th e r ecen t advan cem en t of dr iver l ess GPS dr iven tr actor s for pl ou gh in g an d dr on e cr op spr ayer s h as open ed u p a wh ol e n ew er a. You n g far m er s ar e par t of th e tech n ol ogy gen er ation wh ich cou l d l ead to th e r ise of con n ectin g ou r gen er ation to th e tech n ol ogical aspect of agr icu l tu r e. Far m in g is th e m ost gover n m en tal su bsidised ar ea in th e UK an d qu al ity far m in g is essen tial as it feeds ou r n ation .

H ow ev er , i s t h e op p or t u n i t y t o p r eci si on an d m ass f ar m i n g w el com ed by al l ?

In th eor y,n ew tech n ol ogy sh ou l d m ak e bu sin ess m or e cost-effective an d pr ecise bu t does it tak e away th e r eal h ar d gr aft an d th e k n owl edgeabl e cor e of r eal Br itish far m er s?

Decades of k n owl edge an d exper ien ce fr om ol der gen er ation s can be con den sed down in to on e m ach in e. Th is m ay m ak e it an accessibl e ar ea for you n ger far m er s bu t al so cou l d l ead to l ess jobs as wel l as th e ol der gen er ation s feel in g discon n ected.

Fr om M i ce t o M en ? a Sh or t I n t r od u ct i on t o Cl i n i cal Resear ch

by M ar ton Kiss, dr . m ed.

Sin ce tim e im m em or ial h u m an s h ave exper im en ted with a h u ge n u m ber of pl an ts, pr ocedu r es (r itu al istic an d oth er wise) an d l ater , ch em ical agen ts to r el ieve sick n ess, su ffer in g an d to pr om ote h eal th .

Th e u n bel ievabl e r esu l ts we al m ost u n con sci ou sl y en joy today didn ?t com e with ou t a pr ice.

Bein g on l y h u m an , ar r ogan ce, wish fu l th in k in g an d pl ain bad l u ck h ave h au n ted ph ysician s sin ce th e Rod of Ascl epiu s was fir st adopted by th e tr ade. Gu ided by an ecdotal eviden ce, con str ain ed by l ocal cu stom s an d r esou r ces an d h am per ed by ar ch aic an d (m ost im por tan tl y) in cor r ect th eor ies, it was on l y in th e 20th cen tu r y th at tr u l y r em ar k abl e advan ces cou l d be m ade.

Ch an ges in m eth odol ogy h el ped th ese advan ces tr em en dou sl y. Th e com m on t r i al -an d -er r or appr oach es wer e even tu al l y aban don ed in favor of bl i n d t r i al s ai d ed by h y p ot h esi s t est i n g (al th ou gh th is pr ocess wasn ?t especial l y qu ick ? th e fam ou s Fr am in gh am H ear t Stu dy in 1948 was stil l on e of th e fir st coh or t stu dies to in cl u de 13

wom en 1). Eth ical con cer n s wer e al so addr essed r el ativel y l ate. Th e Nu r em ber g Code establ ish ed, am on g oth er th in gs, vol u n tar y par ticipation after an in for m ed con sen t an d th e r igh t to with dr aw with ou t r eper cu ssion s on l y after W or l d W ar II an d it did so with ou t l egal for ce.

Th e con tem por ar y m eth od of dr u g devel opm en t was fir st devel oped an d adopted in th e USA in 1962 by th e Dr u g Am en dm en ts l egisl ation . Nowadays wh en a n ew ch em ical agen t is con cer n ed, an im al testin g (ak a. pr ecl in ical testin g) is r equ ir ed befor e an y cl in ical stu dies tak e pl ace in vol vin g h u m an s. After a su ccessfu l appl ication , th r ee ph ases of cl in ical devel opm en t h ave to be com pl eted dem on str atin g safety an d efficacy befor e th e i n v est i gat i on al m ed i cal p r od u ct (I M P) r eceives m ar k et au th or ization .

Th is m odel is adopted by al m ost al l cou n tr ies in th e wor l d, bu t br in gin g a safe an d effective dr u g to m ar k et is stil l a h u ge ch al l en ge to ph ar m aceu tical com pan ies

ever ywh er e. Each cou n tr y h as its own com peten t au th or ity r egar din g m edical pr odu cts al l with differ en t l egal back gr ou n ds, tim el in es, pr ocedu r es an d r equ ir em en ts for m ar k et au th or ization . An d n ot al l dr u gs ar e cr eated equ al too ? gen er ic dr u gs, wh ich sh ar e th e ch em ical str u ctu r e of th eir active in gr edien t(s) with an or igin al dr u g h ave to be tr eated differ en tl y th an a dr u g con tain in g a n ew ch em i cal en t i t y (N CE) or th an a dr u g pr odu ced via biotech n ol ogical m ean s (m an u factu r ed in bior eactor s u sin g tr an sgen ic bacter ia to pr odu ce h igh com pl exity, pr otein -l ik e dr u gs su ch as m on ocl on al an tibodies or differ en t types of in su l in for exam pl e). An d of cou r se th e devel opm en t an d m ar k etin g of cer tain su r gical tool s, im pl an ts, m on itor in g equ ipm en t an d oth er m edical devices ar e al so h igh l y r egu l ated.

To sim pl ify pr oceedin gs an d to sh ar e best pr actices som e cou n tr ies of th e EU began to h ar m on ize th eir r egu l ator y r equ ir em en ts. Th e USA an d Japan al so join ed th is ven tu r e an d th u s was th e I CH f ou n d ed i n 1990 (as of 2015, th ey ar e a l egal en tity in Switzer l an d u n der th e n am e of In ter n ation al Cou n cil for H ar m on isation ) an d m ost cou n tr ies ack n owl edge th eir (pu bl ic) gu idel in es as a basis for good con du ct (th eir stan dar d, cal l ed th e Good Cl in ical Pr actice ?

GCP is a sin e qu a n on for th e in du str y).

Th e difficu l ties m en tion ed h er e ar e n ot with ou t r eason . M edical dr u gs ar e poten t pr odu cts wh ich h ave to be safe to tak e (even for sick peopl e or peopl e with differ en t com bin ation of con dition s) wh il e at th e sam e tim e th ey h ave to gu ar an tee a positive effect wh ich h as to r em ain con stan t fr om dose to dose. W h il e th er e is m in im al pu bl ic data avail abl e con cer n in g th e costs of br in gin g a n ew dr u g to m ar k et, th e figu r es cou l d be ar ou n d $1 bil l ion an d th e pr ocedu r e tak es abou t 10 year s in th e USA u sin g th e tr adition al aven u e set ou t by th e Am er ican FDA an d with an attr ition r ate of abou t 90% (al l figu r es r epr esen t th e cl in ical ph ase on l y). Th e size of th e m ar k et for ou tsou r ced cl in ical r esear ch was estim ated to be abou t $27 bil l ion wor l dwide in 2014 2 wh ich r epr esen ted 2.55% of al l r even u es gen er ated by th e ph ar m aceu tical m ar k et 3.

Depen din g on th e ph ase an d th e th er apeu tic 1 h ttps:/ / www.n cbi.n l m .n ih .gov/ pm c/ ar ticl es/ PM

St ar t i n g a Cl i n i cal Tr i al Con sider in g th e en or m ou s eth ical r espon sibil ity faced by al l par ties in vol ved, cl in ical tr ial s ar e n ot con du cted by th e ph ar m aceu tical com pan y al on e. Usu al l y, th ese com pan ies assu m e th e r ol e of th e spon sor , wh o is in ter ested in th e safety an d efficacy of th e tr eatm en t pl an in qu estion . Th e sp on sor u su al l y con tacts a con t r act r esear ch or gan i zat i on (CRO) to act as spon sor (m in u s th e fin an cial bu r den of cou r se). Th en th e spon sor con tacts on e or m or e r esear ch si t es (u su al l y a cl in ic or h ospital ) at wh ich th e tr ial is to be con du cted. Th e pr in cipal in vestigator assu m es r espon sibil ity for th e con du ct of th e tr ial at th e r espective site. Th e spon sor al so devel ops th e p r ot ocol u sed in th e tr ial an d con tacts an i n d ep en d en t et h i cs com m i t t ee (IEC or IRB in th e USA) wh ich h as to give a favou r abl e opin ion r egar din g th e pr otocol an d al l its aspects for th e tr ial to m ove for war d. Th en th e tr ial m u st be r egi st er ed at t h e com p et en t au t h or i t y of th e cou n tr y in qu estion . Th e spon sor al so m u st su ppl y th e site with th e IM P in qu estion an d h as to m on i t or act i v i t i es befor e, du r in g an d after th e tr ial .

In depen den tl y, th e IEC an d th e com peten t au th or ities m ay al so m on itor th e pr oceedin gs. ar ea, th e cost of a si n gl e t r i al r an ges f r om $1.4 m i l l i on t o m or e t h an $50 m i l l i on 4 an d th ey m ay in vol ve 15 to m or e th an a th ou san d patien ts. Th ey al so r equ ir e per son n el fr om al l wal k s of l ife m ain l y fr om th e l ife scien ce an d m edical depar tm en ts. Th e diver se an d vol u m in ou s adm in istr ative r equ ir em en ts r equ ir e in -depth k n owl edge an d th at is wh y exper ien ced per son n el ar e in h igh dem an d. An d wh il e it is in an in du str ial settin g, th e r esear ch par t is th er e for a r eason ? cl in ical r esear ch r epr esen ts th e by-th e-book execu tion of l ar ge exper im en ts, so it is n o su r pr ise th at it wou l d appeal to th ose with a m in dset of pr ecision an d cu r iosity.

C4159698/

2 h ttp:/ / www.ou tsou r cin g-ph ar m a.com / Cl in ical -Devel opm en t/ CRO-m ar k et-to-r each -45.2bn -by-2022 3 h ttps:/ / www.statista.com / statistics/ 263102/ ph ar m aceu tical -m ar k et-wor l dwide-r even u e-sin ce-2001/ 4 h ttp:/ / ctj.sagepu b.com / con ten t/ 13/ 2/ 117.l on g

14

W i l d l i f e on t h e I sl e of Ru m

by Sophi e H unt , Elli e Wa lli ker , H a nna h N a pi er a nd Lucy Ca lver ARU, Fi r st Year L i f e Sci en ce st u d en t s Ph oto by El l ie W al l ik er

For m an y of u s, th e ch an ce to go on fiel d tr ips was th e gr eatest attr action for appl yin g to An gl ia Ru sk in Un iver sity. W h en th e offer cam e u p of goin g to I sl e of Ru m i n Scot l an d we ju m ped at it. Dr eam s of r ol l in g h il l s, Red Deer (Cer vus elaphus) an d Scottish accen ts wer e r ife am on g th e appl ican ts.

After 19 h ou r s, bu m py r oads an d a fer r y r ide l ater we wer e on th e Isl e of Ru m . Th e sou n d of n atu r e was u n in ter r u pted, apar t fr om ou r squ eal s of del igh t, as we m ade ou r way al on g th e sh or el in e to th e bu n k h ou se an d cabin s, ar m ed with bin ocu l ar s.

On th e jou r n ey we spotted a fl ock of Eider s (Som ater ia m ollissim a) , over 20 Gan n ets (M or us bassanus) divin g deep in to th e ocean (r each in g speeds of 60m ph ), Gu il l em ots (Ur ia aalge) an d m ost excitin g of al l , a W h ite-tail ed sea eagl e (H aliaeetus albicilla) ! Oth er avian h igh l igh ts in cl u ded Dipper s (Cinclus cinclus) l ivin g u p to th eir n am e by dippin g u n der th e water to catch in sect l ar vae an d Oyster catch er s (H aem atopus ostr alegus) wadin g on th e coastal san ds feastin g on wor m s an d m ol l u scs.

Un for tu n atel y, th e M an x Sh ear water s (Puffinus puffinus) h ad al r eady m igr ated to Sou th Am er ica. Th e M an x Sh ear w at er Pr oject l eader , M ar tin Car ty, gave a fascin atin g tal k abou t h is wor k m on itor in g th e n ests an d r escu in g th e ch ick s th at cr ash l an d in M al l aig h ar bou r after gettin g dazed by th e l igh ts. A th ir d of th e wor l d?s popu l ation n est on Ru m so M ar tin ?s wor k is vital in pr eser vin g th e species. Th is cou l d be a fan tastic oppor tu n ity for an y bir d en th u siasts to vol u n teer for th e pr oject, in fact on e stu den t was ask ed to r etu r n n ext Septem ber !

15

Th e m ai n at t r act i on of Ru m i s t h e Red Deer , wh ich ar e r u ttin g an d m atin g fr om Septem ber to Novem ber. Th ey gath er n ear Kil m or y beach on th e east side of th e isl an d, wh er e th e stags com pete for th e h ar em s of h in ds to h opefu l l y fin d on e in oestr ou s to m ate with . Th eir r oar s cou l d be h ear d fr om acr oss th e val l ey an d seein g th em cl ose en ou gh to watch in detail th r ou gh bin ocu l ar s was fascin atin g an d

al m ost am u sin g to see th e stags gettin g fr u str ated with wan der in g h in ds sn eak in g off to su ck l e th eir year -l in gs. Fiel d r esear ch er s k n ew th em al l by n am e, age an d per son al ity,so th ey gave u s a r u n n in g com m en tar y of th eir h istor y an d beh aviou r s. It was fascin atin g to l ear n th e sim il ar ities in stags? an tl er s can be passed down th r ou gh gen er ation s an d th at th ey can l ose u p to a th ir d of th eir body weigh t du r in g th e r u t.

Scot t i sh N at u r al H er i t age (SN H ) ar e n otified of a sh ootin g, du r in g cer tain tim es of year an d ou tside of th e r esear ch ar ea. If th e an im al h as an iden tification col l ar , th ey tak e DNA an d bon e sam pl es fr om it. Sam pl es ar e al so tak en fr om an y deceased an im al an d sen t to th e Un i v er si t y of Ed i n bu r gh wh er e th ey car r y ou t gen etics an al ysis an d con str u ct a ver y detail ed fam il y tr ee, am on g oth er th in gs.

Th er e wer e dozen s of Gr ey seal s (H alichoer us gr ypus) peer in g above th e sea water in cu r iosity of ou r pr esen ce befor e divin g back down . W h en th ey'r e n ot sear ch in g for food th ey ar e l ayin g on san d an d r ock y ter r ain , ten of wh ich we spotted fr om th e otter h ide on ou r l ast day.

Ph oto by El l ie W al l ik er

W atch in g th e fin al su n r i se over th e m ou n tain s, th e su n l igh t sh im m er in g acr oss th e water , h ear in g th e stags in th e distan ce an d bir d cal l s in th e tr ees ar ou n d u s h ad to be on e of th e m ost sp ect acu l ar m om en t s of t h i s m em or abl e t r i p .

Th e L am en t of t h e Fal se W i d ow Sp i d er

by John ?ZeeOx?Wa lsh, ARU St a ff Of th e 650 or so species of spider to be fou n d in Br itain , ju st a d ozen or so ar e capabl e of pier cin g h u m an sk in with th eir bite. An d of th ose sel ect few, ju st on e species seem s to ?spin ? th e m edia in to a fr en zy, especial l y ar ou n d th e season of au tu m n . W h en th e n igh ts star t to get col d, an d th e spider s seem in gl y desir e to en ter ou r h om es for war m th ? an d oth er th in gs?

Th e N obl e Fal se W i d ow , Steatoda nobilis, h as been in th e UK sin ce at l east 1879, wh en its fir st k n own appear an ce can be tr aced to a sh ipm en t of ban an as ar r ivin g in Devon fr om Th e Can ar y Isl an ds. Bu t it is on l y in th e l ast decade or so, wh er e a r el ativel y speedy spr ead n or th an d eastwar d in r an ge h as sign ifican tl y in cr eased its n u m ber s th at h as th r u st th e species in to th e l im el igh t, h el ped al on g by l azy ?cl ick bait? jou r n al ists, eager to sel l copy.

S. nobilis h as th e m ost ven om ou s bite of an y Br itish spider an d, com bin ed with th e u su al con n otation s of fear th at ar ach n ids in stil l in m an y peopl e gen er al l y an d its com m on n am e r em in din g u s of its far m or e dan ger ou s cou sin , th e Bl ack W i d ow (Latr odectus sp.), its n otor iety is en su r ed.

Bu t w h at of t h i s bi t e? An d ju st h ow d an ger ou s i s t h e N obl e Fal se W i d ow ?

For star ter s, a sign ifican t n u m ber of bite stor ies th at ar e r epor ted over l ook th e fact th at som etim es th e spider isn ?t even r espon sibl e. Al l too often th e spider is n ever witn essed appl yin g th e bite, an d eith er th e per son bitten , or in exper ien ced n u r se or doctor atten din g th e wou n d, com es to th e wr on g con cl u sion abou t th e gu il ty par ty. Spider bites cr eate two sm al l r ed m ar k s, as do n u m er ou s oth er in ver tebr ates!

S. nobilis l ook s l ik e m an y oth er species, in cl u din g oth er n ative Steatodas, l ik e th e Cu p boar d Sp i d er (S. gr ossa). Th eir own abdom in al patter n s can al so var y to a degr ee, an d dar k en with age.

In addition , th e r esu l tin g in fection , u su al l y secon dar y an d u n r el ated to th e spider ?s ven om , can cr eate an u n sigh tl y wou n d th at is wr on gl y attr ibu ted to th e spider itsel f. Bu t again , as a gor y pictu r e can al ways h el p accom pan y a n ews ar ticl e, su ch facts ar e often del iber atel y ign or ed.

S. nobilis is n ot k n own to cau se necr osis with its bites. Th e ven om u n dou btedl y h as differ en t effects on differ en t peopl e, an d after a bite th at is abou t as pain fu l as a bee or wasp stin g, can cau se sh or t ter m sick n ess an d dizzin ess. Bu t it is on l y an in cr edibl y r ar e al l er gic r eaction th at

M al e Steatoda nobilis. Th e ceph al oth or ax is th e diagn ostic featu r e.

cou l d gen u in el y en dan ger l ife, an d th e r esu l tin g wou n d wil l n ot fester or deter ior ate if it is pr otected an d k ept cl ean . To date, n o-on e h as died fr om a Fal se W i d ow bite in th e UK? com par ed to ar ou n d f i v e peopl e th at ar e k il l ed ev er y y ear by bee or wasp stin gs!

Per h aps th e m ost im por tan t factor in th is wh ol e stor y is th e fact th at S. nobilis l ik es to l ive n ear h u m an h abitation . Th e fem al es ar e al so r el ativel y l ar ge an d l on g-l ived so, as n u m ber s in cr ease, en cou n ter s with peopl e wil l in evitabl y,too.

Th is m ean s th at bite ?h or r or ? stor ies wil l con tin u e to occu r , an d it wil l l ik el y r em ain h igh l y fear ed? at l east u n til an oth er in vasive species poten tial l y com es al on g an d tak es its pl ace!

An y good n ew s?

So, to cou n ter al l th is m iser y,we m u stn ?t for get th at, l ik e al l pr edator y in ver tebr ates, S. nobilis wil l pr ovide a gr eat ser vice by in ter ceptin g a l ar ge n u m ber of pests befor e th ey en ter ou r h om es. It is al so an u n aggr essive species an d n ot pr on e to bite u n l ess it gets tr apped in side cl oth in g or sh oes. It doesn ?t tr avel far on ce establ ish ed in a win dow fr am e or door , an d wil l n ever r u n m adl y acr oss car pets l ik e th e far l ar ger , bu t com pl etel y h ar m l ess, Gi an t H ou se Sp i d er (Er atigena atr ica).

Pu t sim pl y (as we sh ou l d al l k n ow al r eady), don ?t bel ieve ever yth in g you r ead in th e paper s! S. nobilis is h er e to stay, an d th at?s ok ay,h on est!

An d r em em ber : if you r eal l y don ?t wan t th at spider , Fal se W i d ow or n ot, in you r h ou se, it is qu ite easy to h u m an el y tr ap it in a cu p with a piece of paper an d th en pl ace ou tside, n ever to be seen again !

Lar ge fem al e Steatoda nobilis, sh owin g th e m or e cl assic widow bodysh ape.

Photos by John Walsh

16

Fu t u r e: Gr eat Teach er s

by Tyna m Colli ns, BSc M ar i n e Bi ol ogy w i t h Bi od i v er si t y an d Con ser v at i on , ARU

H u m an i t y h as to th e deal - h opefu l l y soon er r ath er th an l ater - with th e con ser vation of ou r pl an et. W h en faced with pr obl em s, we u su al l y expect th e in tel l igen t on es am on g u s to com e u p with a sol u tion . Th is ?system ? h as tr eated u s wel l (we?r e stil l h er e). H owever , I fear th at th is ?oth er s wil l sol ve it?attitu de m ay fail u s wh en it com es to th e goal of pl an etar y con ser vation .

W h y am I so w or r i ed ? I see teen age stu den ts bein g pu sh ed away fr om scien tific cou r ses.

Let m e expl ain ; teen age stu den ts ar e tol d absol u te in for m ation , an d n ot to qu estion it.

Th ey sit in cl assr oom s an d ar e tol d to sil en tl y copy fr om textbook s. Th ey ar e tol d to m em or ise textbook s fr om back to cover th en r equ ir ed to r egu r gitate in for m ation on exam day. Th is for m of ?edu cation ? is m ak in g scien ce for teen ager s u n en joyabl e an d in tel l igen t stu den ts m igh t be pu sh ed away fr om th ese su bjects becau se it l ack s en gagem en t, an d it m igh t even seem bor in g.

W h en I was in u pper sch ool an d I ask ed a qu estion abou t r espir ation in tr ees, becau se I fou n d m ysel f in ter ested by th is n ew wor l d of l eafy goodn ess. Th en to m y disappoin tm en t I was tol d by th e teach er th at ?it?s m agic? an d ?You d on ?t n eed t o k n ow abou t t h at , i t w on ?t be on t h e ex am ?. I k n ow I?m n ot th e on l y on e, wh o h ad a gen u in e cu r iosity abou t a su bject, bu t was sh u t down by teach er s wh o didn ?t wan t an y m or e wor k beyon d th eir job descr iption .

Th er e isn ?t a sim pl e sol u tion to th is. It m igh t in vol ve r edoin g th e wh ol e sch ool in g system , bu t th at h asn ?t ch an ged in a qu iet a l on g tim e, an d I h ave a feel in g th at is som eth in g th at can n ot be don e over n igh t. Per son al l y I th in k th e best sol u tion to en cou r age teen ager s to pu r su e a scien tific aven u e, is gr eat t each er s.

Th e way th at I fel l in l ove with scien ce, an d th e r eason for stu dyin g M ar in e Biol ogy an d con ser vation , was becau se of on e teach er.

17

Th e cl ass in wh ich m y in fatu ation with M ar in e Biol ogy began wasn ?t in par t of th e com pu l sor y syl l abu s. Th e teach er ju st pl ayed a 30 secon d cl ip. M y eyes wer e in stan tl y fixed on th ese in ten se, vibr an t, dan cin g col ou r s, th at l ook ed sim il ar to a UFO m ade ou t of jel l y!

I cou l dn ?t l ook away. I was en tr an ced by wh at th e scr een h ad becom e. On ce th e sh or t cl ip h ad fin ish ed; an d m y jaw cl osed. Th e teach er said th at wh at I ju st witn essed was biol u m in escen ce of deep sea m ar in e an im al s.

I w as i n st an t l y f i l l ed w i t h qu est i on s an d I w as l ook i n g f or an sw er s. H e an swer ed ever y qu estion h e cou l d, th en wh en I ask ed som eth in g th at h e didn ?t k n ow, h e ch al l en ged m e to fin d ou t an d gave m e a book an d in ter n et l in k s.

Th r ou gh ou t th e year my cr avin g for in for m ation abou t th e u n k n own an d for th e wor l d of m ar in e biol ogy gr ew. Th is gr eat teach er was th er e to h el p wh en I ask ed, an d I?m eter n al l y gr atefu l to h im . Al l h e did was sh ow m e scien ce, Photo by Juniper Kiss r ath er th an tel l m e abou t it.

W e sh ou l d en cou r age m or e teach er s to be adven tu r ou s with th eir adol escen t cl asses, go ou tside an d sh ow th em wh y scien ce is so in cr edibl e, don ?t ju st tel l th em it is. Descr ibe on e of th e m an y won der fu l , in tr icate, del icate system s th at n atu r e is u sin g. Sh ow th em h ow it is wor k in g. Ask th em h ow th ey wou l d in vestigate it, teach th em th e sk il l s th at th ey wil l n eed to h ave if th ey wan t to test a h ypoth esis.

I u n d er st an d t h at t h er e i s a l ot of p r essu r e on t each er s to get good gr ades fr om al l th eir stu den ts (an d th is ?copy an d pastin g? m eth od h as a h igh su ccess r ate), bu t it tak es th e ?m agic?ou t of scien ce.

If we con tin u e to br in g u p teen ager s wh o h ave n o in ter est in scien ce, th en we wil l com e to a poin t wh er e we n eed in tel l igen t n ew m in ds to l ook at th e pr obl em s facin g ou r pl an et, an d t h ey w on ?t be t h er e.

L i f e of a Scu ba Di v er

by Zi nni a Thor pe, BSc M ar i n e Bi ol ogy w i t h Bi od i v er si t y an d Con ser v at i on , ARU

Bu bbl es. Bu bbl es ev er y w h er e.

I k ick m y fin s, tak e a deep br eath fr om m y r egu l ator an d open m y eyes. I?ve ju st don e a bar r el r ol l off th e side of a sm al l dive boat in to th e In dian Ocean , m y fir st Open W ater dive. I l ook down at th e r eef bel ow m e. It?s beau tifu l !

So m an y col ou r s an d so m u ch l ife. I k n ew in th is m om en t th at th is is th e pl ace was w h er e I w as m ean t t o be: u n d er w at er .

Today, seven year s an d 100 dives l ater , I?m stu dyin g M ar in e Biol ogy an d doin g m y PADI Divem aster cer tification . I've dived in m an y differ en t l ocation s ar ou n d th e wor l d; fr om th e cr ystal cl ear water s of th e Car ibbean to th e pea- sou p-l ik e of a qu ar r y in Peter bor ou gh . I've seen a gr eat var iety of m ar in e species su ch as Ju ven il e Spotted Toby (Canthigaster solandr i) an d Bl ack Tip Reef Sh ar k (Car char hinus m elanopter us).

I visited Sr i Lan k a th is Apr il (2016) for a week of ju st divin g. W e did two or th r ee dives a day in th e 28°C water. Th e visibil ity was am azin g an d th e r eefs wer e beau tifu l . I took m an y ph otos du r in g m y tr ip al on g th e Nil avel i coastl in e. Fin din g dive sites was difficu l t. Th is is becau se y ou can n ot u se bu oy s t o m ar k p op u l ar d i v e si t es i n Sr i L an k a as it wou l d sh ow th e l ocal fish er m en wh er e th e fish ar e!

On on e par ticu l ar dive we wer e attem ptin g to l ocate Ir ar ak an dy wr eck . W e bar r el r ol l ed in to th e sea, descen ded an d star ted th e sear ch .

Bl ack Ti p Reef Sh ar k (Ca r cha r hi nus m ela nopt er us)

Photos by Zinnia Thorpe

Fu n f act : you can th r ow u p th r ou gh you r r egu l ator wh il e u n der water. It's n ot a ver y pl easan t exper ien ce bu t al l th e fish wil l swar m ar ou n d you for th e fr ee food!

Lu ck il y after 10 m in u tes of swim m in g we fou n d th e wr eck !

Rou gh star cor al (I sophyllastr ea r igida) , M aze cor al (M eandr ina m eandr ites) an d Star en cr u stin g spon ge (H alisar ca caer ulea) h ad al l col on ized th e wr eck an d cr eated a vibr an t h om e. After th is tr ip, I am m u ch m or e con fiden t divin g an d n avigatin g in u n k n own water s. I l ook for war d to sh ar in g m or e stor ies abou t m y divin g exper ien ces in n ext issu es of GOES. If you wou l d l ik e to see m or e of m y ph otos, pl ease fol l ow m y divin g on In stagr am ! @cassi op ei azw t _d i v er Ju v en i l e Sp ot t ed Toby (Ca nt hi ga st er sola ndr i )

18

Th e M ost Per f ect Th i n g: I n si d e (an d Ou t si d e) a Bi r d ?s Egg

by Ti m Bi r k h ead Tim h as stu died gu il l em ots for 40 year s on Sk om er Isl an d, W al es. Th ese el egan tl y dr essed bir ds ar e h is passion . M ost of u s th in k of th e ch ick en eggs th at we bu y in th e su per stor es.

After r eadin g th is book , you wil l see eggs in an en tir el y n ew way: th ey ar e am azin g, wel l design ed, ju st per fect th in gs. I h ave al ways been fascin ated by patter n s in th e n atu r al wor l d, r eadin g abou t bir d eggs was absol u tel y fascin atin g. I en ded u p open in g al l th e differ en t egg boxes in th e su per m ak er k et th e oth er day.

W h at h av e eggs ad ap t ed t o?

H ow i s an egg f or m ed ?

Book Recom m en dation s

by Juniper

Dar w i n an d t h e Bar n acl e

by Rebecca Scot t Th er e ar e cou n tl ess book s abou t Dar win bu t I fou n d th is on e special .

Scott's wr itin g tak es you back in tim e an d star ts with a pictu r e of a you n g m an on th e Scottish coast with a n otebook an d a bu ck et.

Th is cu r iou s m an en ds u p on th e coast of Sou th er n Ch il e pick in g u p a bar n acl e. M ost book s abou t Dar win focu s on h is tr avel s on The Beagle bu t th is book con cen tr ates on h is m eticol ou s obser vation s th r ou gh ou t n igh ts an d days, h is qu estion s abou t th ese l ittl e cr eatu r es. I fin ish ed r eadin g th is book at th e best possibl e pl ace im agin abl e: at Dar win 's h ou se in Down e, Ken t. H igh l y r ecom m en ded!

W h y i s t h er e su ch a gr eat v ar i et y of col ou r , sh ap e an d si ze? W h at i s t h e p u r p ose of al l of t h em ?

Th e fir st 3 ch apter s wil l wal k you th r ou gh th e m ak in g of sh el l s an d th eir sh ape. Th e n ext 2 ch apter s is al l abou t th eir col ou r s. Th e "M u ch Ad o Abou t Al bu m en : Th e M i cr obe W ar " ch apter tak es you r igh t in side th e egg. Th en r ead abou t th e bir ds' "stu pen diou s l ove" for th eir eggs, h ow an d wh er e th ey l ay th em , h ow th ey car e of th em .

Th is book wil l al l ow you to h ave a peek in side 'Kin der eggs' th at ar e fil l ed with m yster y an d su r pr ises!

M ak i n g a Di f f er en ce

by L i ber t i n a I . Am at h i l a I bou gh t th is book at ou r u n iver sity's book stor e befor e goin g to Nam ibia.

Dr. Liber tin a In aaviposa Am ath il a was th e fir st wom an doctor in Nam ibia. Sh e l eft Nam ibia in 1962 in or der to stu dy m edicin e.

Sh e tr avel l ed to Botswan a to Tan zan ia, l ear n t Pu bl ic H eal th in Lon don , th en with th e SW APO Nation h ood Pr ogr am m e sh e becam e a doctor in Pol an d. After 27 year s of exil e, l ivin g in Sweden an d wor k in g as pediatr ician in Zam bia sh e r etu r n ed to Nam ibia. Liber tin a was appoin ted to be th e M in ister for Local an d Region al Gover n m en t an d H ou sin g, an d th en sh e becam e th e M in ister for H eal th an d Social Ser vices. In 2005 sh e was appoin ted to be th e Depu ty Pr im e M in ister. H er cou r age, dedication an d discipl in e is tr u l y in spir ation al for ever yon e.

"Fa i lur e i s not i n m y voca bula r y"

Gl obal Oppor tu n ities for Ecol ogical Su stain abil ity h t t p s:/ / gl obal op p or t u n i t i es.co bor ok a.k iss@ stu den t.an gl ia.ac.u k