in many studies, topographic factors have been considered as an important factor in establishing the vegetation in different ecosystems. so, it affects vegetation composition and diversity by influencing soil moisture, fertility and soil depth. the aim of this research was to investigate the effects of slope, elevation and geographical aspects on species growth, forage production and vegetation...

With the emerging field of community genetics, it is important to quantify the key mechanisms that link genetics and community structure. We studied cottonwoods in common gardens and in natural stands and examined the potential for plant chemistry to be a primary mechanism linking plant genetics and arthropod communities. If plant chemistry drives the relationship between plant genetics and art...

Abiotic soil properties, plant community composition, and herbivory all have been reported as important factors influencing the composition of soil communities. However, most studies thus far have considered these factors in isolation, whereas they strongly interact in the field. Here, we study how grazing by vertebrate herbivores influences the soil nematode community composition of a floodpla...

Whole-plant and leaf nitrogen isotope composition are determined by the isotope ratio of the external nitrogen source and physiological mechanisms within the plant. Whole-plant isotope composition can reflect that of the nitrogen source when plant demand exceeds nitrogen supply. Uptake by mycorrhizae can cause the isotope ratio of the plant to deviate from the source. Intra-plant variation in i...

The prediction of pest-control functioning by multi-predator communities is hindered by the non-additive nature of species functioning. Such non-additivity, commonly termed an emergent multi-predator effect, is known to be affected by elements of the ecological context, such as the structure and composition of vegetation, in addition to the traits of the predators themselves. Here we report mes...

The widespread replacement of wild ungulate herbivores by domestic livestock in African savannas is composed of two interrelated phenomena: (1) loss or reduction in numbers of individual wildlife species or guilds and (2) addition of livestock to the system. Each can have important implications for plant community dynamics. Yet very few studies have experimentally addressed the individual, comb...

Movement and exchange of individuals among habitats is critical for the dynamics and success of reef fish populations. Size segregation among habitats could be taken as evidence for habitat connectivity, and this would be a first step to formulate hypotheses about ontogenetic inter-habitat migrations. The primary goal of our research was to find evidence of inter-habitat differences in size dis...

The thermal expansion properties of the ceramic compositions Ba(1-y)La(y)Ti(1-y/4)O(3) (y = 0.0, 0.026, 0.036, 0.054) and Ba(1-y)Bi(2y/3)Ti(1-x)Zr(x)O(3) (y = 0.10; x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) were determined in the temperature range 120-700 K. We report the temperature-dependent measurements of the strain, thermal expansion coefficient and the magnitude of root mean square polarization. T...