Intertidal molluscan and algal species richness around the UK coast

Geographically referenced databases of species records are becoming increasingly available. Doubts over the heterogeneous quality of the underlying data may restrict analyses of such collated databases. We partitioned the spatial variation in species richness of littoral algae and molluscs from the UK National Biodiversity Network database into a smoothed mesoscale component and a local component. Trend surface analysis (TSA) was used to define the mesoscale patterns of species richness, leaving a local residual component that lacked spatial autocorrelation. The analysis was based on 10 km grid squares with 115035 records of littoral algae (729 species) and 66879 records of littoral molluscs (569 species). The TSA identified variation in algal and molluscan species richness with a characteristic length scale of approximately 120 km. Locations of the most species-rich grid squares were consistent with the southern and western bias of species richness in the UK marine flora and fauna. The TSA also identified areas which showed significant changes in the spatial pattern of species richness: breakpoints, which correspond to major headlands along the south coast of England. Patterns of algal and molluscan species richness were broadly congruent. Residual variability was strongly influenced by proxies of collection effort, but local environmental variables including length of the coastline and variability in wave exposure were also important. Relative to the underlying trend, local species richness hotspots occurred on all coasts. While there is some justification for scepticism in analyses of heterogeneous datasets, our results indicate that the analysis of collated datasets can be informative.

Public Administration, Science and Risk Assessment: A Case Study of the U.K. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Crisis

The bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak in the United Kingdom is regarded as one of the worst public policy crises the British government has experienced during the postwar era. In material terms, it has led to the slaughter of 3.3 million cattle and estimated economic losses of £3.7 billion. In administrative terms, the crisis brought about the dissolution of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This article examines the istitutional context in which decisions about the scientific evidence on BSE were made. The authors argue that a centralized system in which government agencies control science for government is inherently vulnerable to alliances of experts and interest groups that undermine the credible assessment of public health and safety risks. Specific societal conditions may encourage risk-opportunistic behavior among policy makers that is conducive to delays and inaction until such time as the evidence of a health risk becomes overwhelming.

How and why do insects migrate?

Countless numbers of insects migrate within and between continents every year, and yet we know very little about the ultimate reasons and proximate mechanisms that would explain these mass movements. Here we suggest that perhaps the most important reason for insects to migrate is to hedge their reproductive bets. By spreading their breeding efforts in space and time, insects distribute their offspring over a range of environmental conditions. We show how the study of individual long-distance movements of insects may contribute to a better understanding of migration. In the future, advances in tracking methods may enable the global surveillance of large insects such as desert locusts.

A microtitre plate assay for the detection of antibiotics in porcine urine

Techniques for screening porcine samples for antimicrobial residues in the EU usually involve analysis of samples taken post slaughter, and are either time consuming or expensive. Some of the positive test results at this screening stage could be avoided by allowing the animal sufficient withdrawal time following drug treatment. A method is described that can detect the presence of five major antibiotics in porcine urine at concentrations below 1 mu g ml(-1) for each of the compounds. The test uses Bacillus subtilis, which is already widely employed in antimicrobial inhibition assays, and when combined with a colorimetric substrate, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, can detect inhibitory substances within an assay time of four and a half hours. The method, which uses microtitre plate technology, could be developed into a convenient test kit for use at farm level to determine whether animals were still excreting antimicrobials in their urine prior to their submission for slaughter.

A focused ultrasoft X-ray microbeam for targeting cells individually with submicrometer accuracy

The application of microbeams is providing new insights into the actions of radiation at the cell and tissue levels. So far, this has been achieved exclusively through the use of collimated charged particles. One alternative is to use ultrasoft X rays, focused by X-ray diffractive optics. We have developed a unique facility that uses 0.2-0.8-mm-diameter zone plates to focus ultrasoft X rays to a beam of less than 1 mum diameter. The zone plate images characteristic K-shell X rays of carbon or aluminum, generated by focusing a beam of 5-10 keV electrons onto the appropriate target. By reflecting the X rays off a grazing-incidence mirror, the contaminating bremsstrahlung radiation is reduced to 2%. The focused X rays are then aimed at selected subcellular targets using rapid automated cell-finding and alignment procedures; up to 3000 cells per hour can be irradiated individually using this arrangement. (C) 2001 by Radiation Research Society.