The specificity of the interactions between plants and their consumers varies considerably. The evolutionary and ecological factors underlying this variation are unclear. Several potential explanatory factors vary with latitude, for example plant species richness and the intensity of herbivory. Here, we use comparative phylogenetic methods to test the effect of latitude on host range in scale i...

Abstract Aim Rarity and geographic aspects of species distributions mediate their vulnerability to global change. We explore the relationships between rarity geography exposure climate land use change in a biodiversity hotspot. Location California, USA. Taxa One hundred six terrestrial plants. Methods estimated four traits: range size, niche breadth, number habitat patches, patch isolation; thr...

We present a pilot study on the implementation of a software, based on declarative knowledge representation and logic-based automated planning, which assists the management of severe Chemical hazard events, e.g. fire or emissions that may require the evacuation of the area surrounding the affected Chemical plant. We model the geography, the road network and the population of the chemical plant ...

Wild plant raw material is in great demand around the world for use by pharmaceutical companies, ethnomedicinal practitioners, and a variety of traditional medicines. India is one of the world’s major exporters of raw herbal drugs and the Himalayas are renowned for their vast storehouse of medicinal plants. The domestic and international demand is met mainly through unsustainable in-situ harves...

Bolivia is one of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet. Between the Andes and the Amazon drainage basin spans the Yungas, a vast forested region shown to be extremely species rich in macro-organisms. However, it remains unclear whether this high diversity is also reflected in microbial diversity. Here we assess the genetic, taxonomic and functional diversity of root-associated ...

Modern transportation networks have facilitated the migration and mingling of previously isolated populations of plants, animals, and insects. Human activities can also influence the global distribution of microorganisms. The best-understood example is yeasts associated with winemaking. Humans began making wine in the Middle East over 9,000 years ago [1, 2]. Selecting favorable fermentation pro...

The interaction of crop pests with their natural enemies is a fundament to their control. Natural enemies of fungal pathogens of crops are poorly known relative to those of insect pests, despite the diversity of fungal pathogens and their economic importance. Currently, many regions across Latin America are experiencing unprecedented epidemics of coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Identification...

Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2, 14469 Potsdam, Germany, Biodiversity, Macroecology and Conservation Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany, Laboratoire D’Ecologie Alpine, UMR-CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP53, 38041, Grenoble cedex 9, France, Functional Plant Biog...

Yang, X. ([email protected]), Huang, Z. (corresponding author, [email protected] ), Venable, D.L. (corresponding author, [email protected]), Wang, L. ([email protected]), Zhang, K. ([email protected]), Baskin, J.M. ([email protected]), Baskin, C.C. ([email protected]), Cornelissen, J.H.C ([email protected]) State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environment...