Research

There remain large gaps in understanding how changes in management and the environment alter community composition and, hence, ecosystem functions. This Research Deliverable (RD) addresses how ecosystem functions are regulated by the traits of species present, and how potential limits for the maintenance of ecosystem function can be captured in ecosystem health metrics.

The main activities will focus on barley, wheat, potato and soft fruit, the crops of major importance to the Scottish economy. For each crop, the spectrum of capabilities is linked into translational crop genomics pipelines that ultimately deliver improved cultivars. Underpinning research in all projects will be the continued development of novel technologies and approaches including custom platforms for genomic and functional characterisation of important traits.

The current crisis in public health (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and some cancers) is strongly rooted in an imbalance in dietary components. A healthy balanced diet not only requires reductions in fat, salt, sugar, and in overall calorie intake, but also an increase in fibre and an appropriate level of protein intake. The aim of this RD is to strengthen our understanding of the role of dietary components (in particular fibre and protein) in a healthy diet.

Disease Threats in the Environment: Investigate the importance of the environment in disease transmission and host susceptibility to improve risk prediction and ultimately disease control. This aligns with the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) strategy and will contribute towards the vison for capacity building and further integration.  The work is split into four main objectives: (1) wildlife ecology; (2) the impact of farm management practices on disease risk; (3) a role for the environment on disease transmission; and (4) systems approaches for disease control.