Background: Plastic and polymeric materials remain in the soil given the fact that they are derived from petroleum resources. However, such pollution has created a special challenge for human societies. The use of biodegradable packaging has received more attention. The general purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a mixture film of whey protein concentrate and reinforced hydroxy...

Introduced and invasive species have been recognized as potential threats to natural plant communities. Many such plant species are introduced along roadways, which then can spread to adjacent fields and forests. The West Virginia Division of Highways is required to develop seeding mixtures comprised of native plants for revegetating highway corridors and thereby to reduce the potential for int...

The vertical distribution of (137)Cs activity in peat soil profiles and (137)Cs activity concentration in plants of various species was studied in samples collected at two sites on a raised bog in central Sweden. One site (open bog) was in an area with no trees and only a few sparsely growing plant species, while the other (low pine) was less than 100 m from the open bog site and had slowly gro...

After first being ground-nesters and predators or scavengers, ants became arboreal with the rise of angiosperms and provided plants a biotic defense by foraging for prey on their foliage. Plants induce ants to patrol on their leaves through food rewards (e.g., extra-floral nectar and food bodies), while ants attend hemipterans for their honeydew. Most arboreal-nesting ants build their own nests...

Precision phenotyping, especially the use of image analysis, allows researchers to gain information on plant properties and plant health. Aerial image detection with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provides new opportunities in precision farming and precision phenotyping. Precision farming has created a critical need for spatial data on plant density. The plant number reflects not only the fina...

Plant competition may mediate the impacts of herbivory on invasive plant species through effects on plant growth and defense. This may predictably depend on whether herbivory occurs above or below ground and on relative plant competitive ability. We simulated the potential impact of above- or belowground damage by biocontrol agents on the growth of a woody invader (Chinese tallow tree, Triadica...

Resource allocation, including biomass allocation and nutrient between different organs in a plant, reflects the trade-off partitioning above-ground below-ground growth adaptation strategies of plants changing environment. Although varied resource patterns among functional groups terrestrial have been found, few studies focused on freshwater ecosystems. In this study, to clarify their responses...

When succulent plants growing under favorable conditions of light, temperature, and moisture, are deprived of nitrogenous fertilizer their chemical composition and growth habits generally change. These responses usually include an increase in the carbohydrate content, particularly in the case of the polysaccharides, followed by a decrease in moisture content and percentage of total nitrogen, wh...

Pyrogenic plants dominate many fire-prone ecosystems. Their prevalence suggests some advantage to their enhanced flammability, but researchers have had difficulty tying pyrogenicity to individual-level advantages. Based on our review, we propose that enhanced flammability in fire-prone ecosystems should protect the belowground organs and nearby propagules of certain individual plants during fir...