BioScience tip sheet, January 2009( The January 2009 issue of BioScienc...)

The January 2009 issue of BioScience includes the following research articles:

Leaf Evolution and Development: Advancing Technologies, Advancing Understanding. Heather L. Sanders and Sarah E. Wyatt. Advancing techniques are revealing networks of genes and epigenetic phenomena that regulate the development of leaves. The article discusses new research methods that are becoming available for the study of leaf development, including genomics and visualization techniques that show where the products of genes are active.

Aquaculture Production and Biodiversity Conservation. James S. Diana. An assessment by James S. Diana, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, concludes that despite well-publicized concerns about some harmful effects of aquaculture, the technique may, when practiced well, be no more harmful to biodiversity than other food production systems. Aquaculture production of aquatic animals now accounts for about a third of the total supply and will probably remain the most rapidly increasing food production system worldwide through 2025, according to Diana.

Wet and Wonderful: The World's Largest Wetlands Are Conservation Priorities. Paul A. Keddy, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Ayzik I. Solomeshch, Wolfgang J. Junk, Daniel R. Campbell, Mary T. K. Arroyo, and Cleber J. R. Alho. The authors explore the ecosystem services provided by four diverse examples of the world's largest wetlands: the West Siberian Lowland, the Amazon River Basin, the Congo River Basin, and the Mississippi River Basin. Among the most important services are carbon cycling and climate regulation, freshwater supply, and biodiversity maintenance. The authors argue that large wetlands "constitute their own vital class for conservation planning."

Fish, Floods, and Ecosystem Engineers: Aquatic Conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, Peter B. Moyle, Glenn S. Merron, David R. Purkey, and Belda Mose
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