Search results for "Rest"

2019

A central prediction of niche theory is that biotic communities are structured by niche differentiation arising from competition. To date, there have been numerous studies of niche differentiation in local ant communities, but little attention has been given to the macroecology of niche differentiation, including the extent to which particular biomes show distinctive patterns of niche structure across their global ranges. We investigated patterns of niche differentiation and competition in ant communities in tropical rainforests, using different baits reflecting the natural food spectrum. We examined the extent of temporal and dietary niche differentiation and spatial segregation of ant com…

A phytosociological analysis of the Olea europaea L. var. sylvestris (Mill.) Lehr. forests in Sicily

2019

This paper presents a phytosociological study on the forest vegetation of Olea europaea var. sylvestris of Sicily and of the smaller minor islands. In Sicily, Oleaster formations show considerable climacic potentiality in the bioclimactic belts between the infra- and the thermomediterranean with single edapho-climacic penetrations that are also in the mesomediterranean; however, these were largely destroyed by man in order to make room for crops. Furthermore, the residual expressions of the Oleaster forests are limited, and often exist as regenerated woodland made possible by the abandonment of agricultural land; they are often small forest nuclei–high maquis, woods and micro-woods–with a m…

First report of the rare tooth fungus Hericium erinaceus in North African temperate forests

2018

The rare fungus Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. was collected from temperate forests in northwestern Tunisia and described for the first time in Africa. In this paper, we report data about the distribution, ecology, morphology and molecular identification of H. erinaceus. Collected data may help expand our knowledge on this critically endangered rare species worldwide.

Estimation of water vole abundance by using surface indices

1995

A method to estimate the abundance of the fossorial form of the water vole Arvicola terrestris scherman (Shaw, 1801) has been developed, by using surface indicies. Results are compared to the standard method of estimation using trap lines.

Morphological and molecular variability within the fig cultivar 'Dottato' in the Italian protected designation origin area "fichi di Cosenza"

2017

The morphological and molecular diversity among fig accessions of 'Dottato', found in the PDO "Fichi di Cosenza" area was studied by evaluating 24 morphological traits and by genotyping with 18 microsatellite markers. The microsatellite allelic profiles among the putative clones of 'Dottato' indicated a moderate genetic variability, discriminating unambiguously most of the accessions. Only two groups of identity were found. The average expected and observed heterozygosity were 0.43 and 0.62, respectively. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.4, varying from 0.08 (LMFC26) to 0.067 (FCUP 38-6). The morphological clustering allowed the distinction of all genotypes. Some genotyp…

Long-term effects of no tillage treatment on soil N availability, N uptake, and 15N-fertilizer recovery of durum wheat differ in relation to crop seq…

2016

Abstract No tillage (NT) soil management has largely been promoted because of its potential to generate both economic and environmental benefits. However, it often leads to reductions in crop yield and quality, which in many cases have been attributed to the effects this technique has on the nitrogen (N) dynamics in the soil–plant system. This 2-year study, performed within a long-term experiment in which NT was continuously applied for over 15 years, aimed to verify whether and to what extent the use of NT affects soil N availability, recovery of 15 N-labeled fertilizer, and N use efficiency (NUE) and its components (N uptake efficiency, NUpE; N utilization efficiency, NUtE). Durum wheat w…

Effects of species and soil-nitrogen availability on root system architecture traits - study on a set of weed and crop species

2017

Better managing crop : weed competition in cropping systems while reducing both nitrogen and herbicide inputs is a real challenge that requires a better understanding of crop and weed root architecture in relation to soil-nitrogen availability. An original approach was used which considered the parameters of a simulation model of root architecture as traits to analyse (a) the interspecific diversity of root system architecture, and (b) its response to soil-nitrogen availability. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted using three crop and nine weed species grown at two contrasted concentrations of soil-nitrogen availability. Plant traits were measured to characterise both overall plant gr…

Blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) seed dispersal from a single plant and its consequences on weed infestation

2001

Blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) seed dispersal from single mother-plants was studied in two experiments. For the first experiment, eight blackgrass plants of different heights and number of ears were produced in a greenhouse with the help of different in sowing densities and nitrogen nutrition levels. At the beginning of seed shedding, the plants were placed outside, and seeds were gathered daily. Daily seed dispersal was analysed by fitting a Weibull equation to the number of seeds as a function of distance to the mother-plant. The second experiment was carried out in a field comprising winter barley and spring barley plots as well as bare soil. In each of these three parts, two …

History of land-use intensity can modify the relationship between functional complexity of the soil fauna and soil ecosystem services - A microcosm s…

2012

Abstract Agricultural intensification generally results in the loss of soil organic matter, a decline in soil biodiversity, and the reduced ability of soils to retain nutrients. Intensified land-use can bring about legacy effects in soil ecosystem services that may last for hundreds of years after the cessation of agricultural practises. We studied, in a laboratory pot experiment, whether legacy effects due to intensive land/soil management (intensively managed wheat field) can be alleviated by restoring the disturbed soil with soil fauna typical of less managed soils (grassland soil). We also compared the effects of functional complexity of the soil fauna (microfauna, microfauna + mesofaun…

Variable impacts of enchytraeid worms and ectomycorrhizal fungi on plant growth in raw humus soil treated with wood ash

2007

Abstract An increasing amount of evidence shows the context dependent nature of various biotic interactions across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We established a laboratory experiment to study whether the effects of Cognettia sphagnetorum (Enchytraeidae) and ectomycorrhizal fungi on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedling growth are influenced by wood ash application. Acidic coniferous forest soil was treated with wood ash at 5000 kg ha−1 or left as ash-free control and inoculated with soil saprotrophic microbes and nematodes. The microcosms were destructively sampled 26 and 51 weeks after initiation of the experiment. We measured enchytraeid and pine seedling biomass, abundance of nem…