Musk ambrette, musk ketone and musk xylene have a long history of use as fragrance ingredients, although musk ambrette is no longer used in fragrances. As part of the review of the safety of these uses, it is important to consider the systemic exposure that results from these uses. Since the primary route of exposure to fragrances is on the skin, dermal doses of carbon-14 labelled musk ambrette...

Insect-mediated indirect interactions between native plant species recently have been shown to be important determinants of plant performance in a number of ecological communities. However, the potential indirect effects of exotic plant invasion on native plant species are not well understood. We examined whether the presence or proximity of the targeted exotic weed, musk thistle, influences th...

Controversy exists over estimation of ecological risk in biological control. At present, the risk to the rare, federally listed Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in North America from Rhinocyllus conicus, a biological control weevil now feeding on many native thistles, is unknown. We hypothesized that quantification of host specificity and potential phenological overlap between insect and pl...

Wastewater treatment facilities use secondary treatment to stabilize the effect of discharged effluent on receiving waters by oxidizing biodegradable organic matter and reducing suspended solids and nutrients. The process was never specifically intended to remove trace quantities of xenobiotics, such as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)...

The spatial arrangement of plants in a landscape influences wind flow, but the extent that differences in the density of conspecifics and the height of surrounding vegetation influence population spread rates of wind dispersed plants is unknown. Wind speeds were measured at the capitulum level in conspecific arrays of different sizes and densities in high and low surrounding vegetation to deter...

BACKGROUND Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in South-Eastern Europe for fostering local development and also for investigating the dynamics of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to plants in one of the most crucial European hotspots for biocultural diversity. The current medico-ethnobotanical survey was conducted in rural alpine communities in Kosovo. The aims of the study were...