Every year, hundreds of millions migratory birds cross the Sahara to spend northern winter in Sahel. After their arrival September region does not receive any rainfall until June while temperatures increase. Birds inhabiting Sahel have several strategies cope with this seasonal advent drought. Most ground-foraging and arboreal migrants actually remain desiccating Sahel, although Northern Wheate...

Faba bean (Vicia faba) production in Mediterranean and Near East agriculture is severely constrained by broomrape infection. The most widely distributed broomrape species affecting faba bean is Orobanche crenata, although O. foetida and Phelipanche aegyptiaca are of local importance. Only moderately resistant cultivars are available to farmers. Rizotrons studies allowed the dissection of resist...

Phelipanche aegyptiaca parasitizes a wide range of plants, including important crops, and causes serious damage to their production. P. aegyptiaca develops a specialized intrusive organ called a haustorium that establishes connections to the host's xylem and phloem. In parallel with the development of xylem vessels, the differentiation of phloem-conducting cells has been demonstrated by the tra...