We study chemical aging in "Cooee bitumen" using molecular dynamic simulations. This model bitumen is composed of four realistic molecule types: saturated hydrocarbon, resinous oil, resin, and asphaltene. The aging reaction is modelled by the chemical reaction: "2 resins → 1 asphaltene." Molecular dynamic simulations of four bitumen compositions, obtained by a repeated application of the aging ...

In plant-pollinator communities many pollinators are potential generalists and their preferences for certain plants can change quickly in response to changes in plant and pollinator densities. These changes in preferences affect coexistence within pollinator guilds as well as within plant guilds. Using a mathematical model, we study how adaptations of pollinator preferences influence population...

Within dynamic alluvial riverine corridors, abandoned channels form and experience hydrogeomorphic processes that are distinct from similar elevation surfaces along active channels. Compared with the relatively well-studied role of fluvial disturbance on floodplain plant communities along active channels, the drivers of plant diversity and community dynamics along terrestrializing abandoned cha...

Knowledge on the factors that determine the composition of bacterial communities in the vicinity of roots (rhizosphere) is essential to understand plant-soil interactions. Plant species identity, plant growth stage and soil properties have been indicated as major determinants of rhizosphere bacterial community composition. Here we show that the presence of saprotrophic fungi can be an additiona...

Differences in species' abilities to capture resources can drive competitive hierarchies, successional dynamics, community diversity, and invasions. To investigate mechanisms of resource competition within a nitrogen (N) limited California grassland community, we established a manipulative experiment using an R* framework. R* theory holds that better competitors within a N limited community sho...

Plants are colonized by various microorganisms in natural environments. While many studies have demonstrated key roles of the rhizosphere microbiota regulating biological processes such as nutrient acquisition and resistance against abiotic biotic challenges, less is known about role phyllosphere how it established maintained. This review provides an update on current understanding community as...