Search results for "nomic"

Low temperature trumps high food availability to determine the distribution of intertidal mussels Perna perna in South Africa

2016

Explanations of species distributions often assume that the absence of a species is due to its inability to tolerate an environmental variable. Recent modelling techniques based on the dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory offer an effective way of identifying how interacting environmental parameters influence distributions through non-lethal effects on growth and development. The mussel Perna perna is an abundant ecosystem engineer around the coasts of Africa, South America and the Arabian peninsula, with an unexplained 1500 km lacuna in its distribution on the west coast of South Africa. We used a DEB approach to explain its distribution in southern Africa and test the hypothesis that this l…

Long-term modelling of weed control strategies: analysis of threshold-based options for weed species with contrasted competitive abilities

2002

A simple life-cycle-based demography model was adapted for two contrasting weed species (Alopecurus myosuroides and Poa annual. This model included a seed production function that accounted for population self-regulation through weed:weed interactions. The A. myosuroides version of the model was tested with field data. Long-term simulations of population demography were then performed to investigate the relationship between weed control strategies based on density thresholds and both the frequency of herbicide use and the long-term economic profitability. This study confirms that threshold-based weed management strategies are more cost-effective than spraying every year and may allow import…

Reducing waste and ecological impacts through a sustainable and efficient management of perishable food based on the Monte Carlo simulation

2019

Abstract In today’s competitive global market it is mandatory to improve warehousing operations integrating economic, environmental and social aspects. The recent advancement in monitoring technologies can greatly improve the performance of the food supply chain reducing product loss. In particular, in the perishable food supply chain, initially inventory operations are critical because they manage the material flows in very variable conditions. The deterioration level of the products as well as the market demand are the main factors that can influence warehouse strategy. This research aims to consider the application of sustainability principles in the context of warehouse storage, evaluat…

Optimal contract length for biodiversity conservation under conservation budget constraint

2014

We examine the optimal length of a contract period in a conservation program with payments for ecosystem services aiming at protecting biodiversity on privately owned forests. The government chooses the number of stands and the length of contracts so as to maximize biodiversity benefits under a binding conservation budget. We examine the implication of two alternative budgets: a separate budget for each period (periodic budget) or one budget that to be used in all periods (intertemporal budget). The impact of the budget type shows up in the fact that with intertemporal budget choice set is larger and more high quality stands are available for contracting. Based on theoretical characterizati…

Genome Sequencing and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal Recent Species-Specific Gene Duplications in the Plastic Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata)

2019

Gilthead sea bream is an economically important fish species that is remarkably well-adapted to farming and changing environments. Understanding the genomic basis of this plasticity will serve to orientate domestication and selective breeding toward more robust and efficient fish. To address this goal, a draft genome assembly was reconstructed combining short- and long-read high-throughput sequencing with genetic linkage maps. The assembled unmasked genome spans 1.24 Gb of an expected 1.59 Gb genome size with 932 scaffolds (~732 Mb) anchored to 24 chromosomes that are available as a karyotype browser at www.nutrigroup-iats.org/seabreamdb. Homology-based functional annotation, supported by R…

2020

Abstract Lichens are valuable models in symbiosis research and promising sources of biosynthetic genes for biotechnological applications. Most lichenized fungi grow slowly, resist aposymbiotic cultivation, and are poor candidates for experimentation. Obtaining contiguous, high-quality genomes for such symbiotic communities is technically challenging. Here, we present the first assembly of a lichen holo-genome from metagenomic whole-genome shotgun data comprising both PacBio long reads and Illumina short reads. The nuclear genomes of the two primary components of the lichen symbiosis—the fungus Umbilicaria pustulata (33 Mb) and the green alga Trebouxia sp. (53 Mb)—were assembled at contiguit…

A Systematic Literature Review of Historic Garden Management and Its Economic Aspects

2020

Historic gardens are important parts of humanity’s built heritage within the designed landscape, providing many environmental, economic and socio-cultural benefits. Management is a key part of their conservation, perhaps the most difficult because it is costly, must be continual, and requires a skilled workforce. This systematic review looks at the literature addressing historic garden management, with special attention regarding the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. Academic studies on this subject come from many different disciplines, making it both stimulating and fragmented. It is now time to consolidate these interdisciplinary efforts into a clear vision, in…

The Ectocarpus Genome and Brown Algal Genomics

2012

Brown algae are important organisms both because of their key ecological roles in coastal ecosystems and because of the remarkable biological features that they have acquired during their unusual evolutionary history. The recent sequencing of the complete genome of the filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus has provided unprecedented access to the molecular processes that underlie brown algal biology. Analysis of the genome sequence, which exhibits several unusual structural features, identified genes that are predicted to play key roles in several aspects of brown algal metabolism, in the construction of the multicellular bodyplan and in resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Information fr…

A new rationale for not picking low hanging fruits: The separation of ownership and control

2019

Recent attempts at explaining the energy-efficiency gap rely on considerations related to organizational and behavioral/cognitive failures. In this paper, we build on the strategic delegation literature to advance a complementary explanation. It is shown that strategic market interaction may encourage business owners to instill a bias against energy efficiency in managerial compensation contracts. Since managers respond to financial incentives, their decisions will reflect this bias, resulting in lack of investment.

A multisite-cooperative research programme on risk assessment of transgenic crops

1999

Genetically modified plants are now being commercialised in several countries as regulatory authorities consider that the balance of risk versus benefit is beneficial. However, numerous questions remain unanswered, especially the impact of these plants when used over large areas and under a range of variable environmental conditions. Some issues need to be re-evaluated [1, 2]. Risk/safety analysis, as well as prospects of transgenic crops depend on the scale which is to be considered. Extrapolation of methods, and laboratory and greenhouse results, to large-scale farmers’ fields, may provide useful preliminary data, but is not a sound approach to the study of the consequences of the commerc…