Water is the principal limiting resource for Californian Mediterranean-climate plants. The relationship between rainfall variation and the abundance and distribution of plant species was investigated at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve near Stanford University. Five years of rainfall data (1986-1990) were combined with a yearly census of plant species on a 100m transect to relate inter-annu...

We tested the hypothesis that ant species, which occupy the same nest for a decade or longer, would modify nest soils by increasing soil nutrients and microorganisms resulting in increased biomass, density, cover and species richness of annual plants. We measured soil properties and annual plants on nest soils of three species of Chihuahuan Desert ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus—seed harvester, Apha...

A clear rise in seasonal and annual temperatures, a gradual increase of total radiation, and a relative trend of change in seasonal precipitation have been observed for the last four decades in Brussels (Belgium). These local modifications may have a direct and indirect public health impact by altering the timing and intensity of allergenic pollen seasons. In this study, we assessed the statist...

Kin recognition is important in animal social systems. However, though plants often compete with kin, there has been as yet no direct evidence that plants recognize kin in competitive interactions. Here we show in the annual plant Cakile edentula, allocation to roots increased when groups of strangers shared a common pot, but not when groups of siblings shared a pot. Our results demonstrate tha...

White-tailed deer are emblematic ungulates that, due to anthropogenic modification of landscapes, currently occur at elevated densities. Elevated deer densities often co-occur with non-native plants, but it is not known if plant invasions are a consequence of deer impacts or occur independent of deer impacts on ecosystems, or whether these two stressors are synergistic. A colloquium on 'Interac...

Photoperiod or daylength affects a diverse set of traits in plants, including flowering and tuberization in annuals, as well as growth cessation and bud set in perennials. During the last 10-15 years, great progress has been made in the understanding of molecular mechanisms controlling photoperiodic induction of flowering, in particular in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. An obvious ques...

le tI. Annual sweetcJover (Melilotus segetalis (Brot.) Ser. plants from the Guadalquivir salt marsh (S.W. of Spain) were grown in a glasshouse, on sandy soil with nutrient solution and four salt treatments (O, 10, ot 50 and 100 mM NaC!). Plants (five replicates per treatment and age) were harvested at 50, 90 and 120 ,1. days after germinatíon. Sodium, chloride and potassium were determined for ...

Plants exhibit adaptive responses to light, but it is not known whether parental plants transmit environmental cues that elicit adaptive responses in offspring. We show that offspring life history (annual versus biennial) is influenced by the maternal light environment (understory versus light gap). This transgenerational plasticity is adaptive when offspring are grown in their maternal light e...

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual herb, used as a spice and traditionally as medicine. Fenugreek finds its uses in treating hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and disorders of gastro-intestinal and cardiovascular systems. Fenugreek cultivation in India is affected by fungal diseases like root-rot and damping-off and fungicides like carbendazim are used to overcome these infections. ...

The role of plants in the treatment of effluents by constructed wetland (CW) systems is under debate. Here, we review ways in which plants can affect CW processes and suggest two novel functions for plants in CWs. The first is salt phytoremediation by halophytes. We have strong evidence that halophytic plants can reduce wastewater salinity by accumulating salts in their tissues. Our studies hav...