Selectivity of Range Grass Seeds by Local Birds

Drying and storage primed grass seeds

Cbeatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) has become the dominant species over large areas of rangeland in the Great Basin region of the western United States. Rapid germination at low temperature may contribute to the competitive success of cheatgrass in areas formerly dominated by native sagebrush and bunchgrass species. The objectives of this study were to determine whether seed priming could be used ...

Understanding the wide geographic range of a clonal perennial grass: plasticity versus local adaptation

Both phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation may allow widely distributed plant species to either acclimate or adapt to environmental heterogeneity. Given the typically low genetic variation of clonal plants across their habitats, phenotypic plasticity may be the primary adaptive strategy allowing them to thrive across a wide range of habitats. In this study, the mechanism supporting the wid...

Enhancement of CO2/CH4 Adsorptive Selectivity by Functionalized Nano Zeolite

In this work, we have modified a synthesized Y-type zeolite (Si/Al = 2.5), with three different amines to investigate of the influence of adsorbent’s surface modification on CO2 selectivity over CH4. The pristine and amine-functionalized NaY zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and N2 adsorption. The resu...

Color mimicry of empty seeds influences the probability of predation by birds

Seeds are under strong pressure from seed predators. Therefore any physical seed trait increasing the chances of the seed’s survival should undergo positive selection. Seed color polymorphism, varying from pale to dark seeds, occurs in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), a keystone species of coniferous forests in Eurasia. This phenomenon can be explained by the production of large quantities of emp...

The Species Richness of Birds Visiting a Yard Is Influenced by the Feeders/Seeds Present