Reducing the risk of invasive forest pests and pathogens: Combining legislation,targeted management and public awareness

Intensifying global trade will result in increased numbers of plant pest and pathogen species inadvertently being transported along with cargo. This paper examines current mechanisms for prevention and management of potential introductions of forest insect pests and pathogens in the European Union (EU). Current European legislation has not been found sufficient in preventing invasion, establishment and spread of pest and pathogen species within the EU. Costs associated with future invasions are difficult to estimate but past invasions have led to negative economic impacts in the invaded country. The challenge is combining free trade and free movement of products (within the EU) with protection against invasive pests and pathogens. Public awareness may mobilise the public for prevention and detection of potential invasions and, simultaneously, increase support for eradication and control measures. We recommend focus on commodities in addition to pathways, an approach within the EU using a centralised response unit and, critically, to engage the general public in the battle against establishment and spread of these harmful pests and pathogens.     

Ecological citizenship and democracy: Communitarian versus agonistic perspectives

Grassroots environmental movements have recently started to question the focus on sustainable consumption as a main strategy to tackle climate change. They prefer to address individuals as citizens rather than as consumers, and focus on collective rather than individual change. Two prominent movements in this regard are Transition Towns and Climate Justice Action. While both movements criticise conventional approaches, they put forward entirely different strategies for what has to happen instead. Based on extensive qualitative research, this article analyses how these movements manifest themselves in Flanders (Belgium). The focus is on their different accounts of how and why collective practices have to be built, and the place they attribute to ‘the political’ in this. The analysis reveals the existence of two different forms of ecological citizenship: one communitarian, the other agonistic.     

Daphnia magna and ecotoxicogenomics: gene expression profiles of the anti-ecdysteroidal fungicide fenarimol using energy-, molting- and life stage-related cDNA libraries

In the present study, the existing life stage-specific cDNA library was extended with energy- and molting-related genes using Suppression Subtractive Hybridization PCR and a microarray for the aquatic test organism Daphnia magna was created. A gene set of 2455 fragments was produced belonging to different pathways such as carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, O2 transport and heme metabolism, immune response, embryo development, cuticula metabolism and visual perception pathways. Using this custom microarray, gene expression profiles were generated from neonates exposed to three concentrations of the anti-ecdysteroidal fungicide fenarimol (0.5, 0.75, 1 microg/ml) during 48 h and 96 h. In total, 59 non-redundant genes were differentially expressed, of which more genes were down- than up-regulated. The gene expression data indicated a main effect on molting specific pathways. At the highest concentration, a set of proteolytic enzymes - including different serine proteases and carboxypeptidases - were induced whereas different cuticula proteins were down-regulated (48 h). Moreover, effects on embryo development were demonstrated at the gene expression as well as at the organismal level. The embryo development related gene vitellogenin was differentially expressed after 96 h of exposure together with a significant increase in embryo abnormalities in the offspring. This study suggests that this Daphnia magna microarray is of great further value for the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of toxicity and for the future development of specific biomarkers for hazard characterization.