Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa is a grass that grows on coastal cliffs along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Asymptomatic plants of this species are systemically infected by the fungal endophyte Epichloë festucae. It is not known whether the alkaloids ergovaline and peramine are produced by the endophyte in Festuca rubra subsp. pruinosa. Plants from four populations were collected from the norther...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY A microcosm unit with tidal simulation was developed to address the challenge of maintaining ecologically relevant tidal regimes while performing controlled greenhouse experiments on smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora. • METHODS AND RESULTS We designed a simple, inexpensive, easily replicated microcosm unit with tidal simulation and tested whether S. al...

Studies on pollination networks have provided valuable information on the number, frequency, distribution and identity of interactions between plants and pollinators. However, little is still known on the functional effect of these interactions on plant reproductive success. Information on the extent to which plants depend on such interactions will help to make more realistic predictions of the...

Ecosystem is a unit of ecological community, comprised of biological, physical, and chemical components. The coastal ecosystem is the region of highly dynamic, diverse and productive region on the earth due to the combined action of physical features and bio-chemical processes from land and ocean. Coastal habitats perform a variety of important functions within the ecosystem and support the lif...

The intersection of human health and the ocean occurs overwhelmingly in the coastal zone. The coastal zone extends from the upland penetration of tidal rivers to the edge of the continental shelf, which can extend 100 miles or more beyond the coast itself. The world's coastlines, including temperate, tropical, and polar coasts, have been estimated to total about 372,000 miles (Smithsonian Insti...

A primary focus of coastal science during the past 3 decades has been the question: How does anthropogenic nutrient enrichment cause change in the structure or function of nearshore coastal ecosystems? This theme of environmental science is recent, so our conceptual model of the coastal eutrophication problem continues to change rapidly. In this review, I suggest that the early (Phase I) concep...

The seas provided a suitable site for the early evolution of all life. Ever since plants and animals developed structures and mechanisms that enabled them to survive on land, terrestrial and aquatic plants have been exposed to different abiotic and biotic selective pressures. Marine plants, which, unlike terrestrial plants, have evolved and adapted to life in a largely stable but saline environ...