Rattans (subfamily Calamoideae) are an important component of the forests of the Old World. However, few studies have been conducted on the distribution of these abundant palms within different habitats, specifically in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was aimed at assessing rattan diversity, abundance and biomass change across two different habitat types, namely, dipterocarp forests and fresh-w...

Comparative study has been done to examine the biodiversity and ecological status of the intertidal region of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bandstand and National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) rocky beaches in Mumbai, West coast of India. A total of 50 species of intertidal organisms were recorded from these shores. Shannon and Simpson's diversity index, Margalefs richness ...

A central goal of ecology is to understand the mechanisms behind variation in the abundance of species. Food web theory predicts higher biomass for animals at lower trophic levels. However, some high trophic level species may reach great abundance via highly efficient foraging behaviors. We evaluated ecological and behavioral traits of the giant tropical ant Dinoponera australis related to thes...

The relationship between a suite of physical and biological factors and drift macroalgal abundance was examined in 12 seagrass sites spanning a distance of over 50 km within Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Field sampling was conducted in December 1991, and drift algal abundance was determined by recording algal percent cover from 25 quadrants at each site. Additionally, drift rnacroalgae were collecte...

Vaya (Ramsar site, protected area and Natura 2000 site) is the biggest natural lake in Bulgaria and the shallowest Black Sea coastal lake, which during the last decades has undergone significant changes and was included as critically endangered in the Red List of Bulgarian Wetlands. Our studies were conducted during the summer and autumn months of three years - 2004-2006. The paper presents res...

We investigated how establishment of invasive dreissenid mussels impacted the structure and energy sources of the littoral benthic food web of a large temperate lake. We combined information about pre- and postdreissenid abundance, biomass, and secondary production of the littoral benthos with results of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of archival (predreissenid) and recent (postdre...

Many abundant plants, invertebrates, and seaweed are clonal, and this allows the formation of high-density aggregations, foraging, and the placement of modules into new space, and rapid rates of expansion. For these species, population density and rates of expansion are functions of recruitment of asexual modules and post-recruitment vegetative growth and survivorship. In this study, we provide...

This study reports the response of snapper Pagrus auratus to the establishment of notake status in a marine reserve around the Poor Knights Islands in northeastern New Zealand. The Poor Knights and 2 reference locations, Cape Brett and the Mokohinau Islands, were sampled biannually for 4 yr using baited underwater video (BUV). Following the implementation of full marine reserve status at the Po...

Migratory bird populations are often limited by food during the non-breeding season. Correlative evidence suggests that food abundance on territories varies among years in relation to rainfall, which affects plant productivity and arthropod biomass. At the Font Hill Nature Preserve in Jamaica, we used an irrigation experiment to test the hypothesis that rainfall affects the condition of winteri...

The response of montane and subalpine hay meadow plant and arthropod communities to the application of liquid manure and aerial irrigation - two novel, rapidly spreading management practices - remains poorly understood, which hampers the formulation of best practice management recommendations for both hay production and biodiversity preservation. In these nutrient-poor mountain grasslands, a mo...