The Zoological Society of London has recently launched the National Red List website. It is the first central source of national-level biodiversity data, and already holds over 50,000 species accounts from 40 countries.

The website and database seeks to document all existing species assessments and conservation action plans. The new initiative identifies the taxonomic and geographic gaps in biodiversity data, highlighting those regions in need of National Red Lists assessments. It also provides a baseline to monitor national biodiversity trends and assess the effectiveness of current conservation projects.

Conservation efforts are frequently hindered by the limited availability of species information and accurate extinction risk, so the National Red List website should provide a useful focal point for the global conservation community to share crucial species information. It is hoped that conservation planning will improve as a result.

With their large surface-to-volume ratios, shallow lakes are prone to environmental change, and clear, biodiverse waters can become turbid and less biodiverse relatively easily. It has long been known that shallow lakes might therefore be vulnerable to global warming trends, but few studies have been conducted until now.

As part of the EU Euro-limpacs project (Evaluating the Impacts of Global Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems), a team of British researchers used 48 tanks to simulate shallow lake communities. They studied the effects of warming by 4°C (the high emission scenario for the temperature increase during a hundred years period) and the effects of two levels of nutrient loading relevant to current degrees of eutrophication. Levels of nutrients, oxygen and pH, as well as phytoplankton, fish and plants, were also studied. During the experiment the highest temperatures reached 21°C in unheated shallow lakes and 25°C in heated lakes, whilst neither type of lake ever dropped below 3°C.

The study demonstrated that warming increased the concentration of soluble phosphate in the water. It also increased total plant biomass, but surprisingly reduced the amount of phytoplankton. The fall in phytoplankton is thought to be caused by shading from increased floating plants, which may be linked to a warming-induced release of soluble phosphate from the sediment. Warming also reduced fish biomass, which was probably the result of oxygen stress. Perhaps more importantly, high nitrogen loading as well as warming reduced the number of plant species.

Although temperature rises alone are unlikely to cause a switch in water conditions, they could intensify signs of eutrophication in shallow lakes. For example, increased temperature together with increased nutrient loading may cause nuisance growths of floating plants which may affect biodiversity.

The Water Framework Directive suggests that nitrogen concentrations should be considered when assessing the ecological quality of water. The limited evidence of the effects of nitrogen concentrations (compared to the evidence of the effects of phosphorus in fresh-waters) has made many government agencies reluctant to apply standards for nitrogen. This research indicates that nitrogen concentrations should be assessed however and that managing nitrogen loadings is an important part of maintaining good water quality, especially under a changing climate.

For more information, see:
Feuchtmayr, H., Moran, R., Hatton, K. et al. (2009). Global warming and eutrophication: effects on water chemistry and autotrophic communities in experimental hypertrophic shallow lake mesocosms. Journal of Applied Ecology. 46: 713-723.

The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee has this morning published the report of its inquiry into ‘Putting Science at the Heart of Government’. The report concludes that the Government has reduced science to a political bargaining chip, with responsibility for the Government Office for Science shuffled between three Departments in two years, and that a broad vision is mising for science policy.

The Committee directly appeals to the Prime Minister to bring the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) into the Cabinet Office so that science can play a stronger role in informing decision making. The Committee also urge Government to establish a press office in GO-Science, which would also serve all Science Advisory Committee.

The report also says:

• If the Government is to return to ‘picking winners’ it must have clear priorities and come clean about which areas of research will get less money

• The 2009 Budget Research Council savings are in reality an attempt to influence research funding streams and the Government should not label them as something they are not

• The Haldane Principle should be replaced with a principle which accommodates a much wider range of factors, for example regional science policy

• After the general election, a new free-standing Science, Engineering and Technology Committee should be created with a cross-departmental remit

Phil Willis MP, the Chairman of the Committee, said:

“My Committee does not underestimate how important the Government believes the role of science and engineering advice to be. We were impressed by evidence demonstrating that significant progress is being made, such as the increasing use of Chief Scientific Advisers.

“We ask that a tangible and ambitious strategy for UK science and engineering policy is developed. The Government has committed to placing science and engineering advice at the heart of policy formulation and now it is time to do so: scrutiny of policy must be strengthened and a clearer vision for the future must be developed.”

British woodlands are more similar to one another today than 70-years ago, report researchers today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

A team of scientists from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, led by Sally Keith at the University of Bournemouth, surveyed 86 sites in Dorset, comparing the plant species found against records of plant species found in the 1930s. The results show that the woodlands are more homogenous than in the past. The researchers conclude that changes in traditional methods of woodland management, for example a reduction in coppicing, has had an impact; reducing the light to the woodland floor and affecting plant growth.

Commenting on the research, Sally Keith says: “The results show that we must monitor biodiversity at the landscape scale, as well as gain a better understanding of processes affecting our native flora, if we are to conserve and restore the character of the traditional British woodland.”

The BBC today highlights an interesting new theory to explain why trees in Europe tend to produce yellow leaves in autumn, whilst those in America and eastern Asia produce red leaves.

Various theories for why leaves change colour have been proposed over the last decade, although the evidence for many has been inconclusive. One suggestion is that different coloured leaves serve to deter insect predators. Red leaves may signal to potential predators that the leaves contain higher concentrations of toxins, or that they are about to die. Indeed, one review of 262 tree species showed that those with red colours had a long evolutionary history with aphids, which try to lay their eggs on the trees in autumn.

This does not however explain why Europe has more trees with yellow leaves, but a review of leaf colour and its causes by two botanists suggests that the series of ice ages which began in the Tertiary Period may form part of the answer. They suggest that all temperate forests initially had the ability to produce red leaves, having evolved from tropical trees which frequently produce such a colour. However, from about 35 million years ago, the series of ice ages which covered much of Europe and North America meant that plants could often only survive in southern refuges. Whereas North America and East Asia have mountain ridges that run north to south, allowing red-leafed trees to migrate south into refugia where they survived, in Europe, the mountain ranges run east to west. This meant that any red-leafed trees north of the mountains were trapped, and went extinct. Moreover, the selective agents of herbivory that caused red leaves went extinct too, resulting in lower selection for red pigments amongst the trees which recolonised Europe.

Further support for this hypothesis comes from the fact that dwarf shrubs with red leaves, rather than trees, dominate the northern parts of Scandinavia. Such low-lying shrubs may have been able to better survive the cold conditions than the trees above them.

For further information please see:
Lev-Yadun, S., & Holopainen, J.K., ‘Why red-dominated autumn leaves in America and yellow-dominated autumn leaves in Northern Europe?’

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee has today published a report examining the UK contribution to ensuring food security globally to 2050. “Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK” urges Defra to take the lead, building capacity in food and farming industries so that they can respond to market signals in a way that will reduce the risk of food shortages.

The Committee consider that the UK has a moral obligation to contribute to the global challenge of securing food supplies. Commenting on the report, Michael Jack MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “The UK can play a leading role both in Europe and globally in making sure that our farmers and food industry can contribute effectively towards meeting the challenge of a world that will need to double its food output by 2050 whilst coping with the pressures of climate change as well as global plant and animal diseases. Every region of the UK has a contribution to make.”

An increase in food production must take place in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving soil and water and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, recognise the Committee. Consumer engagement is also vital.

The report does not advocate food self-sufficiency for the UK, highlighting instead the importance of strong trading relationships. The report also highlights the dangers posed by ‘land-grabbing’ – rich countries buying up land in poorer regions to grow crops for their own population.

The Committee call for an increase in support for public sector food and farming research, urging Defra to safeguard the UK’s world-class agricultural research base with additional investment of £100 million.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), has prepared a report on the potential impacts of direct human-induced ocean fertilization on marine biodiversity. The report is now available for peer-review, upon the completion of which it will be submitted for consideration at the 14th meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), scheduled for May 2010. Comments should be submitted to the CBD Secretariat by 31 August 2009.

The Observer yesterday reported that the UK Government is set to increase support for the development of GM crops in sub-Sarahan Africa to the tune of £100m. In a new White Paper, the Government proposes to spend £80m on the development of biofortified crops (containing additional vitamins), £60m on researching drought-resistant crops for Africa and £24m on the development of pest-resistance.

A study from France has shown that it is possible for farmers to reduce the amount of herbicide they apply to their fields, and still tackle weeds effectively. Herbicides are commonly applied to crops to manage weeds but can be expensive, get into water courses and have adverse impacts on non-target species.

Over six years, the researchers compared the effectiveness of four different ‘Integrated Weed Management’ (IWM) cropping systems, varying in terms of crop rotations; soil tillage; mechanical and chemical weeding and crop management, with a standard system.

Unsuprisingly the researchers found that the mean annual number of herbicide treatments in the IWM fields was lower. They also found contamination levels in ground and surface water, the air and the effects on non-target organisms were lower in these fields. Significantly, the researchers found that IWM systems are about as effective at weed control as control by herbicides and therefore farmers should be able to successfully reduce reliance on these chemicals.

Although the benefits of using an IWM system, for both the climate – due to reducing the need to make, prepare and apply herbicides, and so associated greenhouse gas emissions – and biodiversity, should be positive, the researchers conclude that the complexity of managing fields using an IWM system may make it difficult for farmers to do so. They also suggest that some of the management techniques may increase soil erosion, although they do suggest a way this could be tackled.

Chikowo, R., Faloya, V., Petit, S. and Munier-Jolain, N.M. (2009). Integrated Weed Management systems allow reduced reliance on herbicides and long-term weed control. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 132:237-242.

A member of the Policy Team yesterday attended a meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee to discuss the vexed question of coal-fired energy generation and ‘Carbon Capture & Storage’ (CCS).

The Conservative Shadow Energy Minister, Charles Hendry, gave a very interesting presentation summarising his views and the priorities of any future Conservative Government. He stated that the market can no longer genuinely deliver a satisfactory energy system by itself, and that the Government needs to get more involved and establish a national energy policy. He then proceeded to argue that diversity of supply was essential to ensure energy security, and that therefore the UK needs to keep burning coal, and thus needs to introduce CCS.

Mr. Hendry recognised that this would require significant Government leadership and funding, for whilst the price of one large coal plant is approximately ₤700 million, including CCS would add a further ₤1 billion to the cost. Clusters of CCS-utilising power plants should therefore be created to attain as many economies of scale as possible, with one prime cluster candidate being in the South-East, on the Thames estuary.

To ensure that carbon reduction did occur, the Shadow Minister stated he was very interested in adopting an emissions performance standard along the lines of California, where any new power plant cannot be built unless its projected carbon emissions are under a certain set level. He also said he was considering the introduction of a minimum carbon price, in the form of a carbon tax, which could remedy the volatility and uncertain outlook of the current EU carbon price.

He was followed by Andy Read, the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project Manager at Kingsnorth coal-fired power station, who argued that CCS would definitely work, and that it is rather a question of economics, regulation and political uncertainty which will dictate how soon and where it is implemented. E.ON UK, the owners of Kingsnorth, are strongly pushing the creation of a CCS cluster in the South-East, with the carbon to be transported via under-sea pipeline to an old oil and gas field in the North Sea. The Q & A session did pick out one interesting point however, in that E.ON are committed to post-combustion removal of carbon technology, whilst many, including numerous chemical engineers in the audience, felt that pre-combustion carbon removal will be the real technology of the future. Charles Hendry stated that he recognised it was still unclear which exact technology will be most effective, but argued that the Government therefore had to support demonstration projects to ascertain which technologies would provide the best answer.