In semi-arid ecosystems, vegetation is heterogeneously distributed, with plant species often associating in patches. These associations between species are not constant, but depend on the particular response of each species to environmental factors. Here, we investigated how plant species associations change in response to livestock grazing in a semi-arid ecosystem, Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural P...

forest fragmentation results in a loss of forest interior and an increase in edge habitat. we studied how understorey bird community composition and habitat variables changed along an edge-to-interior gradient in a 1248-ha lowland rainforest patch in peninsular malaysia. birds and environmental variables such as vegetation structure and litter depth were detected within a 25-m radius of each of...

The impact of an exotic species in natural systems may be dependent not only on invader attributes but also on characteristics of the invaded community. We examined impacts of the invader bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata , in fore and hind dune communities of coastal New South Wales, Australia. We compared invader impacts on vegetation structure, richness of both native an...

Pinus halepensis Mill. covers most lowland forests on limestone soils and semiarid to sub-humid climates in the Mediterranean basin. It is considered a key species climate change due its pioneer nature, versatility, flexibility. Moreover, industrial potential an additional incentive promote forest management increase quality productivity while contributing other environmental social objectives....

Whether there is a general allometry law across plant species with different sizes and under different environment has long been controversial and shrubs are particularly useful to examine these questions. Here we sampled 939 individuals from 50 forest shrub species along a large altitudinal gradient. We tested several allometry models with four relationships simultaneously (between stem diamet...

Nest-site selection may vary adaptively among co-existing species as a result of competitive interactions among the species or in response to density-dependent nest predation. We examined nest-site characteristics and degree of partitioning among 14 co-existing bird species breeding in dwarf strandveld shrubland at Koeberg Nature Reserve, South Africa. Habitat characteristics of nest sites diff...