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AI technologies can pose a major national security concern. AI programs could be used to develop chemical and biological agents which circumvent existing protective measures or medical treatments, or to design pathogens with capabilities they do not naturally possess (gain-of-function research). Although Australia has a strong legislative framework relating to research into genetically modified organisms, the framework requires the interaction of more than 10 different government departments, universities and funding agencies. Further, there are few guidelines about the responsible use of AI in biological research where existing laws and policies do not apply to research that is conducted "virtually", even where that research may have national security implications. This article explores these under-scrutinised concepts in Australia's biological security frameworks., Competing Interests: None.

In 2001, the red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta Buren) was identified in Brisbane, Australia. An eradication program involving broadcast bait treatment with two insect growth regulators and a metabolic inhibitor began in September of that year and is currently ongoing. To gauge the impacts of these treatments on local ant populations, we examined long-term monitoring data and quantified abundance patterns of S. invicta and common local ant genera using a linear mixed-effects model. For S. invicta, presence in pitfalls reduced over time to zero on every site. Significantly higher numbers of S. invicta workers were collected on high-density polygyne sites, which took longer to disinfest compared with monogyne and lowdensity polygyne sites. For local ants, nine genus groups of the 10 most common genera analyzed either increased in abundance or showed no significant trend. Five of these genus groups were significantly less abundant at the start of monitoring on high-density polygyne sites compared with monogyne and low-density polygyne sites. The genus Pheidole significantly reduced in abundance over time, suggesting that it was affected by treatment efforts. These results demonstrate that the treatment regime used at the time successfully removed S. invicta from these sites in Brisbane, and that most local ant genera were not seriously impacted by the treatment. These results have important implications for current and future prophylactic treatment efforts, and suggest that native ants remain in treated areas to provide some biological resistance to S. invicta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of a biological invasion can depend upon other invasions; and in some cases, an earlier invader may fail to spread until facilitated by a second invader. Our study documents a case whereby an invasive parasite has remained patchily distributed for decades due to the fragmented nature of available hosts; but the recent arrival of a broadly distributed alternative invasive host species provides an opportunity for the parasite to expand its range considerably. At least 20 years ago, endoparasitic pentastomids ( Raillietiella frenata) were brought with their native host, the invasive Asian house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus, to the port city of Darwin in tropical Australia. These geckos rarely disperse away from human habitation, restricting the transmission of their parasites to urban environments - and thus, their pentastomids have remained patchily distributed and have only been recorded in scant localities, primarily surrounding Darwin. The recent range expansion of the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina into the Darwin area has provided an alternative host for this pentastomid. Our results show that the cane toad is a competent host for Ra. frenata- toads shed fully embryonated pentastomid eggs in their faeces - and that pentastomids are now common in cane toads near Darwin. Likely reflecting the tendency for the parasite's traditional definitive host (the Asian house gecko) and only known intermediate host (the cockroach) to reside around buildings, we found the prevalence of this parasite follows an urban distribution. Because cane toads are widely distributed through urban and rural habitat and can shed viable pentastomid eggs, the toad invasion is likely to facilitate the parasite's spread across the tropics, into areas (and additional susceptible hosts) that were previously inaccessible to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on long-haul research, the long-term biological sampling and experimental work that takes place in distant study sites. It assesses the benefits of long-haul research for conserving and managing biodiversity. Details of research conducted in Australia's arid and semi-arid regions are presented.

Abstract: Partial pressure of CO2 in equilibrium with sample water (pCO2) for the coastal water in the Chukchi Sea was continuously observed in summer, 2008. Average daily CO2 flux calculated from the pCO2 and gas transfer coefficients ranged from −0.144 to −0.0701gCm−2 day−1 depending on which gas transfer coefficient was used. The pCO2 before the landfast ice sheets melted appeared to be highly biologically controlled based on the following information: (1) the diurnal pattern of pCO2 was strongly correlated with Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD); (2) high chlorophyll density was observed during periods of peak uptake; and (3) the day-to-day variation in the pCO2 strongly correlated with the presence or absence of near-shore ice sheets. The lowest pCO2 of 35ppm together with the highest PPFD of 1362μmolEm−2 s−1 were observed in the afternoon on June 28 in the presence of sea ice. The very low pCO2 observed in late June was likely caused by high photosynthetic rates related to high phytoplankton densities typically observed from spring to early summer near the ice edge, and by water low in salinity and CO2 released by melting sea ice early in the season. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. Urbanisation severely affects stream hydrology, biotic integrity and water quality, but relatively little is known about effects on organic matter dynamics. Coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) is a source of energy and nutrients in aquatic systems, and its availability has implications for ecosystem productivity and aquatic communities. In undisturbed environments, allochthonous inputs from riparian zones provide critical energy subsidies, but the extent to which this occurs in urbanised streams is poorly understood. 2. We investigated CPOM inputs, standing stocks, retention rates and retention mechanisms in urban and peri-urban streams in Melbourne, Australia. Six streams were chosen along a gradient of catchment urbanisation, with the presence of reach scale riparian canopy cover as a second factor. CPOM retention was assessed at baseflow via replicate releases of marked Eucalyptus leaves where the retention distance and mechanism were recorded. CPOM and small wood (>1 cm diameter) storage were measured via cores and direct counts, respectively, while lateral and horizontal CPOM inputs were assessed using riparian litter traps. Stream discharge, velocity, depth and width were also measured. 3. CPOM inputs were not correlated with urbanisation, but were significantly higher in 'closed' canopy reaches. Urbanisation and riparian cover altered CPOM retention mechanisms, but not retention distances. Urban streams showed greater retention by rocks; while in less urban streams, retention by small wood was considerably higher. CPOM and small wood storage were significantly lower in more urban streams, but we found only a weak effect of riparian cover. 4. These findings suggest that while riparian vegetation increases CPOM inputs and has modest/weak effects on storage, catchment scale urbanisation decreases organic matter availability. Using an organic matter budget approach, it appears likely that the increased frequency and magnitude of high flows associated with catchment urbanisation exerts an overriding influence on organic matter availability. 5. We conclude that to maintain both organic matter inputs and storage, the restoration and protection of streams in urban or rapidly urbanising environments relies on the management of both riparian vegetation and catchment hydrology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Whilst it is widely recognised that a natural flow regime is important for sustaining riverine ecosystems, the relative importance of the various components of flow regime for riparian vegetation dynamics is poorly understood. We sought to determine the current extent of knowledge on the importance of seasonal flow timing for riparian plants by conducting a systematic review of the literature using causal criteria analysis. 2. Using a definition of 'riparian' that included riverine, wetland and floodplain systems, we found sufficient evidence to provide strong support for the existence of causal relations between seasonal flow timing and a number of riparian plant processes, namely rates of waterborne dispersal (hydrochory), germination and growth, as well as riparian community composition. There was insufficient evidence to infer a causal relationship between flow timing and the reproduction or survival of riparian plants. 3. Thus, we argue that seasonal flow timing is important for many of the processes that generate and sustain riparian vegetation communities. River regulation, and/or flow management aimed at restoring ecological values, should consider flow timing and its implication for riparian flora. Because of regulation, many of the rivers of south-eastern Australia have inverted seasonal flow patterns. Whilst direct evidence of the effects of this inversion on the flora of these rivers is lacking, the results of our causal analysis allow us to predict how these plant communities may have been affected. 4. However, these predictions must be treated with caution because of the reliance of some of the causal analyses on wetland studies. For riverine flora, further research is particularly needed on the effects of seasonal flow timing on hydrochory, survival and reproduction. 5. Causal criteria analysis provides a defensible and efficient means for assessing the extent of evidence for or against ecological hypotheses of this kind. In this case, systematic review of the literature provided strong evidence to support a number of causal links between seasonal flow timing and riparian vegetation dynamics, whilst also efficiently identifying knowledge gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. A diverse array of patterns has been reported regarding the spatial extent of population genetic structure and effective dispersal in freshwater macroinvertebrates. In river systems, the movements of many taxa can be restricted to varying degrees by the natural stream channel hierarchy. 2. In this study, we sampled populations of the non-biting freshwater midge Echinocladius martini in the Paluma bioregion of tropical northeast Queensland to investigate fine scale patterns of within- and among-stream dispersal and gene flow within a purported historical refuge. We amplified a 639-bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and analysed genetic structure using pairwise Φ, hierarchical , Mantel tests and a parsimony network. Genetic variation was partitioned among stream sections, using S, to investigate the effect of potential instream dispersal barriers. 3. The data revealed strong natal site fidelity and significant differentiation among neighbouring, geographically proximate streams. We found evidence for only episodic adult flight among sites on separate stream reaches. Overall, however, our data suggested that both larval and adult dispersal was largely limited to within a stream channel. 4. This may arise from a combination of the high density of riparian vegetation physically restricting dispersal and from the joint effects of habitat stability and large population sizes. Together these latter may make it more likely that upstream populations will persist, even in the absence of regular compensatory upstream flight, and will thus reduce the adaptive value of dispersal among streams. Taken together, these data suggest that dispersal of E. martini is highly restricted, to the scale of only a few kilometres, and hence occurs predominantly within the natal stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores Eleanor Dark's biocultural fiction "Prelude to Christopher" and the literary snapshot it provides about the opposing political and cultural assumptions generated by the interplay of culture and biological research in inter-war Australia. It describes the racialized environment under which Dark started writing the fiction in 1930. Women's critical role in the practices of eugenics and the response of Australian women writers to the eugenics controversies are also discussed.

Abstract  Reproductive ecology of the black reef leatherjacket, Eubalichthys bucephalus (Monacanthidae), was studied in temperate Australia. The fish lived in the same heterosexual pairs, and each pair shared a home range composed of rocky reefs and boulders where they reproduced and fed on sponges. Spawnings were conducted in pairs, and fertilized eggs were attached to the algae-like Bryozoa species. Reproductive ecology of E. bucephalus was compared to other pair swimming fishes and confamilial species, and ecological features were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined the preferences of six pairs of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) from the colony at the University of New England, Australia, between their home cage and either a large, enriched, indoor room or a smaller outdoor cage. When given free access to move between their home cage and outdoors, the marmosets spent 70% of their day in the outdoor cage from the third day of testing until the end of the first 9 days of the first trial and also at 6 and 13 weeks later. Hence they showed a clear preference for the outdoor cage over the home cage. By contrast, when provided with a choice between the home cage and the indoor room, time spent in the indoor room decreased from 56% to 38% during the first 3 days of the trial and continued to decrease to less than 25% over the next week. The indoor room was visited more often than the outdoor cage (P =0.001), but the visits were of shorter duration (P =0.005), and were more often made by just one of the pair (P =0.001). The results demonstrate that the marmosets had a strong preference to go outdoors during the day and did so without habituation, whereas a larger enriched indoor room apparently decreased in attractiveness to them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Australian hyptiogastrine wasp genus Hyptiogaster Kieffer is revised. Among other characters, species of Hyptiogaster can be readily distinguished from other Hyptiogastrinae by having an exserted ovipositor and the anterior face of the mesothorax truncate in lateral view. Ten species are recognised including seven which are newly described: H. arenicola Turner, H. humeralis (Schietterer), H. rufus (Westwood), H. cobarensis sp. nov., H. hulli sp. nov., H. kalbarrii sp. nov., H. kiefferi sp. nov., H. naumanni sp. nov., H. pinjarregaensis sp. nov., H. weowaniensis sp. nov. Two synonymies are proposed; H. flavosignata (Kieffer) with H. humeralis and H. crassiceps (Schietterer) with H. rufus. An illustrated key to species is presented and relationships among genera of Hyptiogastrinae and species of Hyptiogaster are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas vary enormously in their contribution to conserving biodiversity, and the inefficiency of protected area systems is widely acknowledged. However, conservation plans focus overwhelmingly on adding new sites to current protected area estates. Here we show that the conservation performance of a protected area system can be radically improved, without extra expenditure, by replacing a small number of protected areas with new ones that achieve more for conservation. Replacing the least cost-effective 1% of Australia’s 6,990 strictly protected areas could increase the number of vegetation types that have 15% or more of their original extent protected from 18 to 54, of a maximum possible of 58. Moreover, it increases markedly the area that can be protected, with no increase in overall spending. This new paradigm for protected area system expansion could yield huge improvements to global conservation at a time when competition for land is increasingly intense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study regarding lectotypification of Scinaia moniliformis by J. Agardh, a famous biologist. In 1885 Agardh described Scinaia moniliformis from the two specimens which were collected from Port Phillip Heads, Victoria, Australia. No holotype specimen, however, was indicated by Agardh for Scinaia moniliformis. These two original material specimens were each mounted on a small herbarium sheet and these two small sheets were mounted on a herbarium sheet. After careful examination of these two specimens the present writer has found that the one specimen is a mature male plant with spermatangial sori which are distinguishably yellow.

The article discusses the authors view on how developed nations like the U.S. and Australia should do more at combating the Ebola virus outbreak. Topics include how rational science has been pitted against fear and superstition by the Ebola outbreak, Australia's preparedness to counter any secondary transmission threat and the image set by several biomedical research centres in Australia regarding the disease.