Spatial Characterization of Microbial Communities on Multi-Species Leafy Greens Grown Simultaneously in the Vegetable Production Systems on the International Space Station.

The establishment of steady-state continuous crop production during long-term deep space missions is critical for providing consistent nutritional and psychological benefits for the crew, potentially improving their health and performance. Three technology demonstrations were completed achieving simultaneous multi-species plant growth and the concurrent use of two Veggie units on the International Space Station (ISS). Microbiological characterization using molecular and culture-based methods was performed on leaves and roots from two harvests of three leafy greens, red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. 'Outredgeous'); mizuna mustard, (Brassica rapa var japonica); and green leaf lettuce, (Lactuca sativa cv. Waldmann's) and associated rooting pillow components and Veggie chamber surfaces. Culture based enumeration and pathogen screening indicated the leafy greens were safe for consumption. Surface samples of the Veggie facility and plant pillows revealed low counts of bacteria and fungi and are commonly isolated on ISS. Community analysis was completed with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Comparisons between pillow components, and plant tissue types from VEG-03D, E, and F revealed higher diversity in roots and rooting substrate than the leaves and wick. This work provides valuable information for food production-related research on the ISS and the impact of the plant microbiome on this unique closed environment.

Persistence of Escherichia coli in the microbiomes of red Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. 'Outredgeous') and mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var. japonica) - does seed sanitization matter?

BACKGROUND: Seed sanitization via chemical processes removes/reduces microbes from the external surfaces of the seed and thereby could have an impact on the plants' health or productivity. To determine the impact of seed sanitization on the plants' microbiome and pathogen persistence, sanitized and unsanitized seeds from two leafy green crops, red Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. 'Outredgeous') and mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var. japonica) were exposed to Escherichia coli and grown in controlled environment growth chambers simulating environmental conditions aboard the International Space Station. Plants were harvested at four intervals from 7 days post-germination to maturity. The bacterial communities of leaf and root were investigated using the 16S rRNA sequencing while quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and heterotrophic plate counts were used to reveal the persistence of E. coli. RESULT: E. coli was detectable for longer periods of time in plants from sanitized versus unsanitized seeds and was identified in root tissue more frequently than in leaf tissue. 16S rRNA sequencing showed dynamic changes in the abundance of members of the phylum Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes in leaf and root samples of both leafy crops. We observed minimal changes in the microbial diversity of lettuce or mizuna leaf tissue with time or between sanitized and unsanitized seeds. Beta-diversity showed that time had more of an influence on all samples versus the E. coli treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the seed surface sanitization, a current requirement for sending seeds to space, could influence the microbiome. Insight into the changes in the crop microbiomes could lead to healthier plants and safer food supplementation.

A review of critical perspectives on private land conservation in academic literature.

In recent years, private land conservation has increased in profile among policymakers and academics. Conservation initiatives on privately owned land help to mitigate global biodiversity loss and introduce new actors to conservation. However, they have also been the subject of numerous critical accounts. This review catalogs issues that emerge in critical literature, identifying 25 themes, classified into three groups: Implementation Effectiveness, Value Conflict, and Economic Inefficiency. Gaps in the literature include the need for broader geographic coverage; assessment of the issues' specificity to private land conservation; and evaluation of the extent to which issues in the literature reflect broader societal values. The literature's strong emphasis on value conflict suggests that greater attention to governance effectiveness may steer private land conservation toward practices that are more just, equitable, and representative and lead to increased societal support. We recommend further research to address identified gaps, with a greater orientation toward inclusive governance.

The psychological appeal of owning private land for conservation.

Continued threats to global biodiversity have stimulated interest in the private purchase of land for conservation. Though not a new phenomenon, private land conservation appears to be on the rise, and its ambiguous position between philanthropy and financial investment leads to questions about the nature of landowner motives. To examine these motives, we used grounded theory techniques to analyze transcripts of narrative interviews with the owners of privately conserved areas (PCAs) and assessed what landowners had in common across a variety of cultural and policy contexts. The result was a model of PCA engagement in which landowners became personally invested in the management of PCAs and in the nature they protected. We found that PCAs can be conceptualized not merely as philanthropic endeavors or investments, but also as meaningful projects in which their owners engage. We integrated our findings with literature indicating that fundamental psychological drives for autonomy, efficacy, and social connection facilitate the engagement process, regardless of whether conservation motivation is intrinsic or extrinsic. Our findings suggest that land conservation programs might benefit from allowing landowner autonomy to the maximum extent possible, developing best practice standards against which landowners can assess their efficacy, and facilitating the development of landowner networks.

Atractivo Psicológico de la Posesión de Tierras Privadas para la Conservación Resumen Las continuas amenazas para la biodiversidad mundial han estimulado el interés por la compra privada de suelo para su conservación. Aunque no es un fenómeno novedoso, la conservación en suelo privado parece estar en aumento, y su posición ambigua entre la filantropía y la inversión financiera nos lleva a cuestionar la naturaleza tras los motivos de los terratenientes. Para examinar estos motivos usamos técnicas de teoría fundamentada para analizar las transcripciones de las entrevistas narrativas realizadas a los dueños de áreas de conservación privadas (ACP) y evaluamos lo que los terratenientes tuvieron en común a lo largo de una variedad de contextos culturales y políticos. El resultado fue un modelo de participación de ACP en el cual los terratenientes se interesaron personalmente por el manejo de las ACP y por la naturaleza a la cual protegen. Descubrimos que las ACP pueden conceptualizarse no sólo como esfuerzos filantrópicos o inversiones, sino también como proyectos significativos en los que participan sus dueños. Integramos nuestros hallazgos con la literatura que indica que los conductores psicológicos fundamentales de la autonomía, la eficiencia, y la conexión social facilitan el proceso de participación, sin importar si la motivación para la conservación es intrínseca o extrínseca. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que los programas de conservación de suelo pueden considerar permitirles a los terratenientes tener autonomía a la máxima extensión, desarrollar los mejores estándares de práctica con los cuales los terratenientes pueden evaluar su eficiencia, y facilitar el desarrollo de redes de terratenientes.