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The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is a large-bodied, generalist herbivore that eats both browse and grass. The proportions of browse and grass consumed are largely expected to reflect the relative availability of these resources. We investigated variations in browse (C3 biomass) and grass (C4) intake of the African elephant across seasons and habitats by stable carbon isotope analysis of elephant...
The presence of small-scale patches of soil resources has been predicted to increase competition, because multiple species will proliferate roots in the same small area, and therefore decrease plant diversity. I tested whether such patches reduced species evenness in a community of four old-field species, both with and without interspecific interactions. In species mixtures, patches reduced evenness,...
It is not clear if tree canopies in savanna ecosystems exert positive or negative effects on soil moisture, and how these might affect understory plant carbon balance. To address this, we quantified rooting-zone volumetric soil moisture (θ25 cm), plant size, leaf-level and whole-plant gas exchange of the bunchgrass, bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri), growing under and between mesquite (Prosopis velutina...
Polyphenism is the expression of multiple, discrete phenotypes from one genotype, and understanding the environmental factors that trigger development of alternative phenotypes is a critical step toward understanding the evolution of polyphenism and its developmental control. While much is known about the ecology of the well-known carnivore/omnivore polyphenism in spadefoot toad tadpoles, the environmental...
Increased nitrogen (N) deposition, resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels, production of synthetic fertilizers, growth of N2-fixing crops and high-intensity agriculture, is one of the anthropogenic factors most likely to cause global biodiversity changes over the next century. This influence may be especially large in temperate zone forests, which are highly N limited and occur in regions with...
Study of long-distance dispersal (LDD) theory requires a method for marking live LDD pollen. Such a method must complement the more intensive sampling methods involving molecular cytogenetics, proteomics, and genomics. We have developed a new method for marking live Pinus taeda pollen using two dyes, rhodamine 123 and aniline blue, dissolved in a sucrose solution. Marked and unmarked pollen were compared...
Ecological systems have naturally high interannual variance in phenology. Component species have presumably evolved to maintain appropriate phenologies under historical climates, but cases of inappropriate phenology can be expected with climate change. Understanding controls on phenology permits predictions of ecological responses to climate change. We studied phenological control systems in Lepidoptera...
Understanding processes underlying spatial distribution of tree species is fundamental to studying species coexistence and diversity. This study modeled point patterns of tree distribution, expressed by Cartesian coordinates of individual trees within a mapped forest stand, for the purpose of identifying processes that may generate spatial patterns of tree communities. We used four primary point pattern...
Phenotypic plasticity may be critical for nutrient-limited organisms that allocate ingested nutrients to the competing demands of reproduction and survivorship. Leafhoppers that feed on xylem fluid allow assessment of plasticity in response to the constant selective pressure of nutritional inadequacy. We examined feeding behavior (host selection and consumption rates) and nutrient allocation (fecundity,...
Sexual dimorphisms of dioecious plants are important in controlling and maintaining sex ratios under changing climate environments. Yet, little is known about sex-specific responses to elevated CO2 with soil nitrogen (N) deposition. To investigate sex-related physiological and biochemical responses to elevated CO2 with N deposition, Populus cathayana Rehd. was employed as a model species. The cuttings...
Personality means an individual’s unique way of behaving and reacting to the environment. It is a stable and heritable trait, which is expressed consistently in different situations. The aim of our study was to develop novel tests to depict the personality structure of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, and to determine if the phase of the population cycle, i.e. population density, affects personality...
An understanding of atmospheric water vapor content and its isotopic composition is important if we are to be able to model future water vapor dynamics and their potential feedback on future climate change. Here we present diurnal and vertical patterns of water isotope ratios in forest air (δ2Hv and δ18Ov) not observed previously. Water vapor observed at three heights over 3 consecutive days in a...
Invertebrate herbivores frequently face growth rate constraints due to their high demands for phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Temperature is a key modulator of growth rate, yet the interaction between temperature and P limitation on somatic growth rate is scarcely known. To investigate this interaction, we conducted a study on the somatic growth rate (SGR) of the cladoceran Daphnia magna, known to...
Hemiparasites are known to influence community structure and ecosystem functioning, but the underlying mechanisms are not well studied. Variation in the impacts of hemiparasites on diversity and production could be due to the difference in the relative strength of two interacting pathways: direct negative effects of parasitism and positive effects on N availability via litter. Strong effects of parasitism...
Little is known about the effects of waves on predator–prey interactions in the littoral zones of freshwaters. We conducted a set of mesocosm experiments to study the differential effects of ship- and wind-induced waves on the foraging success of littoral fish on benthic invertebrates. Experiments were conducted in a wave tank with amphipods (Gammarus roeseli) as prey, and age-0 bream (Abramis brama...
Human disturbance may change dominance hierarchies of plant communities, and may cause substantial changes in biotic environmental conditions if the new dominant species have properties that differ from the previous dominant species. We examined the effects of bamboos (Bambusa tulda and Cephalostachyum pergracile) and their litter on the overall woody seedling abundance, species richness and diversity...
Non-direct effects of predation can be an important component of the total effect of predation, modulating animal population and community dynamics. The isolated effects of predation risk on the spatial organisation of the breeding bird community, however, remains poorly studied. We investigated whether an experimentally increased predation risk prior to reproduction affected breeding territory selection...
Riparian or streamside zones support dynamic ecosystems with three interacting components: flowing water, alluvia (river-transported sediments), and vegetation. River damming influences all three, and subsequent responses can provide insight into underlying processes. We investigated these components along the 315-km Hells Canyon corridor of the Snake River that included reaches upstream, along, and...
Western chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa, Rosaceae) is dispersed by frugivorous birds and carnivores, but it has large seeds that are potentially attractive to rodents that could act as seed predators and dispersers. Here, we quantify the benefits of primary dispersal by birds and secondary dispersal by scatter-hoarding rodents. In the fall, avian frugivores (mostly American robins, Turdus migratorius...
Species richness of parasite assemblages varies among host species. Earlier studies that searched for host-related determinants of parasite diversity mainly considered host traits that affect the probability of host encounter with parasites, whereas host traits related to defensibility against parasites have rarely been investigated. From the latter perspective, evolutionary investment in “expensive”...
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