The timing of periodic life cycle events in plants (phenology) is an important factor determining how species and populations will react to climate change. We evaluated annual patterns of basal-area and height growth of coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotusga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings from four seed sources that were planted in four diverse environments as part of the Douglas-fi...

Seed dispersal constitutes a pivotal process in an increasingly fragmented world, promoting population connectivity, colonization and range shifts in plants. Unveiling how multiple frugivore species disperse seeds through fragmented landscapes, operating as mobile links, has remained elusive owing to methodological constraints for monitoring seed dispersal events. We combine for the first time ...

The effects of seed source and seed size on germination and field performance were studied in five grasses. Greater seed weights were associated with better germination in Yorkshire fog, cocksfoot and timothy but not significantly so for Chewings fescue and browntop. In cocksfoot, Chewings fescue and timothy, higher seed weights were found in samples collected at altitudes above those generally...

The plant seed is a major nutritional source for humans as well as an essential embryo development and dispersal unit. To ensure proper seed formation, fine spatial and temporal coordination between the embryo, endosperm, and maternal seed components must be achieved. However, the intercellular signaling pathways that direct the synchronous development of these tissues are poorly understood. He...

Dollar spot is the most economically important disease of amenity turfgrasses in the United States, yet little is known about the source of primary inoculum for this disease. With the exception of a few isolates from the United Kingdom, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, the causal agent of dollar spot, does not produce spores. Consequently, it was assumed that overwintering of this organism in soil, tha...

Soybean breeding programs have developed genetic lines with relatively low seed protein, which could negatively impact early seedling growth in low fertility conditions commonly encountered in the field. In these experiments, seed protein mobilization and its regulation in situ in soybean lines with different seed protein levels was investigated. The results showed that rates of nitrogen (N) re...

1. The functional response of post-dispersal seed predators (house mouse, Mus musculus ) to absolute densities of southern beech seed ( Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides ) was studied in laboratory and field trials. House mice showed a Type II (hyperbolic) functional response to seed availability and this was not modified by the presence of an alternative food source. 2. Maximum daily int...

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the oldest edible fruits widely spread in Mediterranean countries, Iran, India and to some extent in the U.S. (California), China, Japan and Russia (Fadavi et al., 2006). In Tunisia, the cultivation of pomegranate has taken a great development in recent years. The pomegranate is cultivated in all regions with a concentration in the southern oases (Gabe...