BACKGROUND Obesity and Type 2 diabetes have reached epidemic status worldwide. Wild lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) is a plant of the North American Aboriginal traditional pharmacopeia with antidiabetic potential, especially when it is fermented with Serratia vaccinii. METHODS A phytochemical fractionation scheme was used to identify potential bioactive compounds as confirme...

Whole genome duplications have occurred recurrently throughout the evolutionary history of eukaryotes. The resulting genetic and phenotypic changes can influence physiological and ecological responses to the environment; however, the impact of genome copy number on evolvability has rarely been examined experimentally. Here, we evaluate the effect of genome duplication on the ability to respond ...

On two occasions, with a 10or 11-year interval, species occurring in 650 plots (100 m) in boreal production forests in Sweden were recorded within a monitoring program. During this interval, many of the plots had been subjected to varying degrees of timber extraction. The presence of 49 vascular plant species or species groups was recorded and we evaluated how species number varied over time. T...

The Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), a species of conservation concern, winters primarily in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest ecosystems in the southeastern U.S. These pine savannas have been reduced to 5% of their former range, with remaining patches requiring active management with fire to maintain characteristic structure and plant diversity. Wintering Henslow’s Sparrow abunda...