We compared the assemblages of phyllostomid bats in three Neotropical rainforests with respect to species richness and assemblage structure and suggested a method to validate estimates of species richness for Neotropical bat assemblages based on mist-netting data. The fully inventoried bat assemblage at La Selva Biological Station (LS, 100 m elevation) in Costa Rica was used as a reference site...

The ability of some ectomycorrhizal fungi to access organic sources nitrogen is known influence decomposition, mineralisation and soil carbon storage. consequences for aboveground ecosystem structure processes are less well-documented. We used the LAI-2200C Plant Canopy Analyzer compare leaf area index understorey light availability Nothofagus stands arbuscular mycorrhizal podocarp-broadleaf gr...

In low-input land-use systems combining timber trees with shade-tolerant understorey crops, it is essential to establish the effects of tree density upon weeds and the contribution of weeds to competition and nutrient cycling. Adjusting tree density may alter weed competition for light, water and nutrients, the storage of nutrients by weeds through growth and the release of nutrients via decomp...

1. Physical defence traits of stems and leaves should enhance biomechanical strength and survival of seedlings. For eight neotropical tree species that differ widely in lifehistory strategies, we compared stem and leaf biomechanical traits of 1 and 7-monthold seedlings grown in the shaded forest understorey and in the laboratory. 2. Material traits (biomechanical traits per unit volume, mass or...

9 10 Received: 5 October 2006 / Accepted: 11 January 2007 11 ! The Ecological Society of Japan 2007 2345678 19 20 Abstract Spatial heterogeneity of abiotic factors influ21 ences the structure and function of forests and must be 22 taken into account for their conservation and sustain23 able management. In this study, we evaluate the heter24 ogeneity of abiotic environmental variables in managed...

This study investigated the effects of microhabitat characteristics on soil seed bank structure, regeneration strategies, and plant composition in a Mediterranean coastal sand dune in Israel. Three different microhabitats were selected: (a) open patches between shrubs, (b) shrub understorey, and (c) open, disturbed patches in pedestrian trails. In each microhabitat two types of sampling plots w...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Farfugium (Asteraceae) is a small genus that contains the two species F. japonicum and F. hiberniflorum and is distributed along a long archipelago in east Asia. The common taxon, F. japonicum, includes three varieties associated with a wide range of habitats, including forest understorey (sciophytes), coastal crag (heliophytes) and riverbed (rheophytes). Leaf shape is an im...

The Cultivated Area in Kamojang Crater, Ibun District, Bandung Regency is part of a single landscape mountain, adjacent to conservated and protected areas which has high biodiversity. This study aims identify invasive alien plants species cultivated areas, conservation areas. method used descriptive qualitative with the sampling line transect 500 meter radius four location, namely near Nature R...

Population growth and improving living standards are leading to a growing demand for beef. The understorey in the 19 million hectares of oil palm plantation worldwide represent source cattle feed, while also sparing additional land conversion grazing. Research on grazing under is novel knowledge lacking long-term profitability sustainability system, major deterrent cattle–oil farming system ado...