1. Grassland restorations often lack rare forb and grass species that are found in intact grasslands. The possible reasons for low diversity include seed limitation, microsite limitation and a combination of both. Native ungulates may create microsites for seedling establishment in tallgrass prairie restorations by grazing dominant species or through trampling activities, but this has never bee...

We used 14C tracers to determine photosynthate distribution in cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedling sprouts following release from competing mid-story vegetation. Fall acquisition of labeled photosynthates by seedlings followed expected source-sink patterns, with root and basal stem tissues serving as the primary sinks. Four months after the seedlings had been labeled with 14C, they we...

In the present study, 150 accessions of worldwide originated durum wheat germplasm (Triticum turgidum spp. durum) were observed for major seedling traits and their growth. The accessions were evaluated for major seedling traits under controlled conditions of hydroponics at the 13th, 20th, 27th and 34th day-after germination. Biomass traits were measured at the 34th day-after germination. Correl...

BACKGROUND Herbivores have the power to shape plant evolutionary trajectories, influence the structure and function of vegetation, devastate entire crops, or halt the spread of invasive weeds, and as a consequence, research into plant-herbivore interactions is pivotal to our understanding of plant ecology and evolution. However, the causes and consequences of seedling herbivory have received re...

Encroachment of woody vegetation into grasslands is a widespread phenomenon that alters plant community composition and ecosystem function. Woody encroachment is often the result of fire suppression, but may also be related to changes in resource availability associated with global environmental change. We tested the relative strength of three important global change factors (CO2 enrichment, ni...

Climate change is expected to force many species in arctic regions to migrate and track their climatic niche. This requires recruitment from seed, which currently shows very low rates in arctic regions, where long-lived and vegetatively reproducing plants dominate. Therefore, we pose the question whether recruitment (germination and seedling establishment) in arctic regions will significantly i...

We measured net photosynthesis, leaf conductance, xylem water potential, and growth of Pinus strobus L. seedlings two years after planting on two clear-cut and burned sites in the southern Appalachians. Multiple regression analysis was used to relate seedling net photosynthesis to vapor pressure deficit, seedling crown temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), needle N, xylem wate...

The study and evaluation of hardwood seedling quality has been attracting more attention in recent years. This is in contrast to the many decades of extensive research on conifer seedling quality. As demand and production of hardwood seedlings increase, a need arises for efficient, replicable, and practical approaches to quality assessment. Many methods of determining conifer seedling quality m...

In this report, we present a 3D simulator for the numerical validation of segmentation algorithms for seedling in soil from X-ray or MRI. A 3D simulator of root in elongation is coupled to a simulator of the image acquisition to generate images of simulated seedling associated with a known synthetic ground truth. We detail how acquisition parameters of the seedling and parameters of the imaging...

In order to investigate the change rules and response characteristics of growth status on each component of poplar seedling followed by continuous cropping generations and growth period, we clear the biomass distribution pattern of poplar seedling, adapt continuous cropping, and provide theoretical foundation and technical reference on cultivation management of poplar seedling, the first genera...