Autumnal tints are one of the most manifest and fascinating natural phenomena, but the mechanism of chlorophyll (Chl)-breakdown in deciduous trees has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the composition of Chl-related compounds and determined the activities of initial Chl-degrading enzymes in Ginkgo leaves at various stages in the process of autumnal coloring. Only pheophytin ...

Information on responses of higher organisms to climate change is dominated by events in spring. Far less is known about autumnal events and virtually nothing about communities of microorganisms. We analyzed autumnal fruiting patterns of macrofungi over the past 56 years and found that average first fruiting date of 315 species is earlier, while last fruiting date is later. Fruiting of mycorrhi...

We examined the effect of natural host-plant quality on immune resistance in the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata (Borkhausen) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). The division of mountain birches [Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii (Orlova) Hämet-ahti (Betulaceae)] into two categories, highand low-quality food for larvae, was based on previous years’ results on the relative growth rate of the autumnal...

Carotenoids are synthesized by plants, therefore insects and birds must obtain them from their diet. They function in pigmentation and as antioxidants. We studied the carotenoid profiles in a model food chain (plant-insect-bird) in an air pollution gradient to find out whether heavy metal pollution affects the transfer of carotenoids across the trophic levels. Birch leaves showed higher beta-ca...