What works in conservation? Using expert assessment of summarised evidence to identify practices that enhance natural pest control in agriculture

This paper documents an exercise to synthesize and assess the best available scientific knowledge on the effectiveness of different farm practices at enhancing natural pest regulation in agriculture. It demonstrates a novel combination of three approaches to evidence synthesis—systematic literature search, collated synopsis and evidence assessment using an expert panel. These approaches follow a logical sequence moving from a large volume of disparate evidence to a simple, easily understandable answer for use in policy or practice. The example of natural pest regulation in agriculture was selected as a case study within two independent science-policy interface projects, one European and one British. A third funder, a private business, supported the final stage to translate the synthesized findings into a useful, simplified output for agronomists. As a whole, the case study showcases how a network of scientific knowledge holders and knowledge users can work together to improve the use of science in policy and practice. The process identified five practices with good evidence of a benefit to natural pest regulation, with the most beneficial being ‘Combine trap and repellent crops in a push–pull system’. It highlights knowledge gaps, or potential research priorities, by showing practices considered important by stakeholders for which there is not enough evidence to make an assessment of effects on natural pest regulation, including ‘Alter the timing of pesticide application.’ Finally, the process identifies several important practices where the volume of evidence of effects on natural pest regulation was too large (>300 experimental studies) to be summarised with the resources available, and for which focused systematic reviews may be the best approach. These very well studied practices include ‘Reduce tillage’ and ‘Plant more than one crop per field’.     

Toll-like receptor 4 deficiency: Smaller infarcts,but nogain in function

Backgound  

It has been reported that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) deficiency reduces infarct size after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R). However, measurement of MI/R injury was limited and did not include cardiac function. In a chronic closed-chest model we assessed whether cardiac function is preserved in TLR4-deficient mice (C3H/HeJ) following MI/R, and whether myocardial and systemic cytokine expression differed compared to wild type (WT).     

Copulatory Mechanism in Holocnemus pluchei and Pholcus opilionoides,With Notes on Male Cheliceral Apophyses and Stridulatory Organs in Pholcidae (Araneae)

Huber, B. A. 1994. Copulatory mechanism in Holocnemus pluchei and Pholcus opilionoides, with notes on male cheliceral apophyses and stridulatory organs in Pholcidae (Araneae).—Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 76: 291–300. The pholcid spiders Holocnemus pluchei (Scopoli, 1763) and Pholcus opilionoides (Schrank, 1781) are investigated with respect to functional morphology of their genital organs using freeze-fixation of spiders during copula in liquid nitrogen and subsequent preparation of histological serial sections of the copulatory organs in functional contact. Special attention is paid to the mode of male pedipalpal arrestation before copulation, which is achieved in two quite different ways: in Pholcus by contact of the lateral cheliceral apophysis with the pedipalpal trochanter-apophysis, in Holocnemus by locking the pedipalpal trochanter between chelicera and pedipalpal coxa. The condition in Pholcus is considered to be apomorphic and to present a synapomorphy of about a dozen genera for which the name “Pholcus-group” is proposed. The stridulatory apparatus of Holocnemus pluchei is described, its biological significance discussed and an overview of accounts on stridulation in Pholcidae given.     

Serological Characterization of the Three Major Proteins of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

The three major proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus-Indiana, glycoprotein (G), nucleoprotein (N), and membrane protein (M), were isolated and characterized by means of specific monocomponent antisera. G, N, and M proteins are distinct, nonrelated antigens with specific serological properties. The G protein is the only antigen inducing the formation of virus-neutralizing antibodies and was shown to confer immunity to mice. Specific complement-fixing and precipitating activity was demonstrated for each of the three antisera. The future use of isolated rhabdovirus components and of monospecific antisera is considered for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes as well as for virus strain differentiation and classification work.     

Regulation of carnitine status in ruminants and efficacy of carnitine supplementation on performance and health aspects of ruminant livestock: a review

Carnitine has long been known to play a critical role for energy metabolism. Due to this, a large number of studies have been carried out to investigate the potential of supplemental carnitine in improving performance of livestock animals including ruminants, with however largely inconsistent results. An important issue that has to be considered when using carnitine as a feed additive is that the efficacy of supplemental carnitine is probably dependent on the animal’s carnitine status, which is affected by endogenous carnitine synthesis, carnitine uptake from the gastrointestinal tract and carnitine excretion. The present review aims to summarise the current knowledge of the regulation of carnitine status and carnitine homeostasis in ruminants, and comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of carnitine supplementation on performance and/or health in ruminant livestock by comparing the outcomes of studies with carnitine supplementation in dairy cattle, growing and finishing cattle and sheep. While most of the studies show that supplemental carnitine, even in ruminally unprotected form, is bioavailable in ruminants, its effect on either milk or growth performance is largely disappointing. However, supplemental carnitine appears to be a useful strategy to offer protection against ammonia toxicity caused by consumption of high levels of non-protein N or forages with high levels of soluble N both, in cattle and sheep.     

Versuch einer Kausalanalyse der geotropischen Reaktionskette im Chara-Rhizoid

Summary In the initial phase of the geotropical reaction of the Chara rhizoid the growth difference postulated by Sievers (1967c) between the physically upper, slightly subapical flank and the lower one is demonstrated. In horizontal exposure the growth of the extreme cell apex is continued, while the growth of the lower flank is inhibited and that of the upper one is promoted. In the end phase the cell apex shows a damped oscillation until it finally reaches the vertical growth direction. The statoliths follow the oscillating growth of the cell tip from one flank to the opposite one until they are statistically equally redistributed in their normal position.—In vertical exposure under reduced turgor pressure the statoliths fall down into the extreme cell apex, where they inhibit the growth of this part of the cell wall, while the subapical wall grows transversally.—It is concluded that the statoliths inhibit the growth of the cell wall area which they cover.—The physical phase of the reaction chain, the susception, is the gravity-induced downward displacement of the statoliths. The physiological phase starts with the diversion of the acropetal transport of the Golgi vesicles to the upper part of the cell, which is caused by the block of statoliths (perception). The greater rate of vesicle incorporation into the upper flank in comparison to the lower one causes the subapical growth difference which results in the curvature (reaction).—In the case of the Chara rhizoid Golgi- and statolith-apparatus function as a self-regulating cellular system.

---

---

Herrn Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Kurt Mothes zum 70. Geburtstag.