cornwall – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Love or kill thy neighbour? New study into animal social behaviour

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2014Naturealtruism, animal social behavior, bacteria in biofilms, cornwall, evolution, evolution of spite, florence debarre, kill thy neighbor, love, mathematical framework, penryn campus, social behavior, university of exeter

A theoretical study led by the University of Exeter has shed new light on the conditions that lead to the evolution of spite or altruism in structured populations.

Understanding the way in which social behaviours such as altruism – when animals benefit others at their own expense – develop is a long-standing problem that has generated thousands of articles and heated debates.

Dr Florence Débarre of Biosciences at the University of Exeter led a study, published in Nature Communications, which presents a comprehensive framework that applies to a large class of population structures and identifies the crucial elements which support the evolution of social behaviour. (more…)

Study investigates extraordinary trout with tolerance to heavily polluted water

By Guest PostAugust 1, 2013Environmentaccumulation of metals, aquatic ecosystems, brown trout, concentrations of metals, cornwall, eduarda santos, Environment, extraordinary trout, gene encoding, genetic diversity, heavily polluted water, history, human activities, kidney, liver, metal content, metallothionein, mining activity, n bury, nerc, protein, river hayle, signs of toxicity, university of exeter, unpolluted sites, uren webster

New research from the University of Exeter and King’s College London has shown how a population of brown trout can survive in the contaminated waters of the River Hayle in Cornwall where metal concentrations are so high they would be lethal to fish from unpolluted sites.

The team believe this is due to changes in the expression of their genes. The research was funded by NERC and the Salmon and Trout Association.

The researchers compared the trout living in the River Hayle with a population living in a relatively clean site in the River Teign. The results showed that the accumulation of metals in the kidney and liver – where metals are stored and detoxified – were 19 and 34 times higher in the Hayle trout, respectively. In the gill, concentrations averaging 63 times higher were present in the Hayle fish, but there were no differences in metal content in the gut. This accumulation of metals in the Hayle fish highlights their extraordinary tolerance of the extreme metal concentrations in their environment. (more…)

Shaping The Future of Global Energy Policy

By Guest PostJune 7, 2011Environmentar5, bioenergy, catherine mitchell, climate, climate change, climate change and sustainable futures, cornwall, energy policy group, fifth assessment report, geothermal, global efforts, greener energy, greenhouse gas emissions, hydro, intergovernmental panel on climate change, ipcc, ocean, rajendra pachauri, renewable energy, scientific evidence on climate change, solar, special report on renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation, srren, university of east anglia, university of exeter, wind energy

A leading academic at the University of Exeter has played a central role in compiling a report which could be vital for global efforts to tackle climate change.

Professor Catherine Mitchell, part of the University’s Energy Policy Group based in Cornwall, was one of only two experts from the UK to contribute to the ‘Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation’ (SRREN). (more…)

Tag Archives: cornwall

Love or kill thy neighbour? New study into animal social behaviour

Study investigates extraordinary trout with tolerance to heavily polluted water

Shaping The Future of Global Energy Policy