Search results for "season"
showing 10 items of 1002 documents
Interannual memory effects for spring NDVI in semi-arid South Africa
2008
[1] Almost 20 years of Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) and precipitation (PPT) data are analysed to better understand the interannual memory effects on vegetation dynamics observed at regional scales in Southern Africa (SA). The study focuses on a semi-arid region (25°S–31°S; 21°E–26°E) during the austral early summer (September–December). The memory effects are examined using simple statistical approaches (linear correlations and regressions) which require the definition of an early summer vegetation predictand (December NDVI minus September NDVI) and a consistent set of potential predictors (rainfall amount, number of rainy days, rainfall intensity, NDVI and Rain-Use-Efficie…
Unravelling the determinants of freezing tolerance in Medicago truncatula: a first step towards improving the response of crop legumes to freezing st…
2020
International audience; Freezing is a major environmental limitation that affects biomass and seed productivity in a large number of crop species including legumes. Medicago truncatula is a model molecular‐genetic system for legume biology. A strategy to decipher freezing tolerance after a cold acclimation period in M. truncatula was developed using a quantitative genetic approach. Three main quantitative trait loci (QTL) with additive effects for freezing damage were detected on chromosomes 1, 4, and 6 using a recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between the freezing‐tolerant accession F83005‐5 and the freezing‐sensitive accession DZA045‐5. The QTL on chromosome 6, named…
Defoliation-induced changes in carbon allocation and root soluble carbon concentration in field-grown Lolium perenne plants: do they affect carbon av…
2005
Summary 1It is hypothesized that defoliation-induced changes in plant carbon allocation and root soluble C concentration modify rhizosphere C availability and, further, the abundance and activity of soil microbes and their grazers. To test this hypothesis, field-grown Lolium perenne swards were defoliated twice during their second growing season at two nitrogen availabilities (added N or no added N). Plant, soil and microbial attributes were measured 2 and 4 days after the last defoliation, and nematode abundance was measured 6 days after the last defoliation. 2Defoliation decreased shoot production in plots where N was added, but had no significant effect in plots where N was not added. Ro…
Comparative host–parasite population structures: disentangling prospecting and dispersal in the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
2005
Although much insight is to be gained through the comparison of the population genetic structures of parasites and hosts, there are, at present, few studies that take advantage of the information on vertebrate life histories available through the consideration of their parasites. Here, we examined the genetic structure of a colonial seabird, the black-legged kittiwake ( Rissa tridactyla ) using seven polymorphic microsatellite markers to make inferences about population functioning and intercolony dispersal. We sampled kittiwakes from 22 colonies across the species’ range and, at the same time, collected individuals of one of its common ectoparasites, the tick Ixodes uriae . Parasites were …
Climate vs grapevine pests and diseases worldwide: The first results of a global survey
2016
<p class="Abstract"><strong>Aim:</strong> This paper aimed to address the relationship between grapevine disease, pest occurrences and climate. The extremely large extension of viticulture worldwide offers the possibility to evaluate the impacts of climate variability on many aspects of the grape growing system. For this, we initiated a global survey to retrieve the most important diseases and pests in many grape growing regions worldwide and to identify the risk of exposure to pests and diseases of viticulture as a function of climate.</p><p class="Abstract"><strong>Methods and results:</strong> Based on the answer of respondent about the main repo…
Soil and fertilizer phosphorus : effects on plant P supply and mycorrhizal development
2005
Plants require adequate P from the very early stages of growth for optimum crop production. Phosphorus supply to the crop is affected by soil P, P fertilizer management and by soil and environmental conditions influencing P phytoavailability and root growth. Phosphorus uptake in many crops is improved by associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Cropping system and long-term input of P through fertilizers and manures can influence the amount and phytoavailability of P in the system and the development of mycorrhizal associations. Optimum yield potential requires an adequate P supply to the crop from the soil or from P additions. Where early-season P supply is low, P fertilization may…
Hybrids and allied species as potential rootstocks for eggplant: Effect of grafting on vigour, yield and overall fruit quality traits
2018
Abstract Grafting of fruiting vegetables is an effective technique to overcome pests and diseases in modern cropping systems and it is often used to improve yield and fruit quality. Eggplant is an important vegetable crop that benefits significantly from grafting. In this regards, the exploitation, valorization and breeding of new rootstock genotypes as possible substitute to those commonly used (Solanum torvum and tomato hybrids) would permit an intensive eggplant crop system in those situations where a rootstock rotation is required. In the present article, we study the effects of several potential rootstocks including both wild/allied species of eggplant [S. torvum (STO), S. macrocarpon …
Predation risk and reproduction in the bank vole
2012
Context Life-history strategies are the means that organisms use to achieve successful reproduction in environments that vary in time and space. Individual animals maximise life-time reproductive success (LRS) through optimal timing of reproduction and investment in offspring. A crucial factor affecting LRS is predation risk in a highly seasonal environment. According to the breeding-suppression hypothesis (BSH), females should delay breeding under short periods of high predation risk. Delayed breeding under risk is suggested to have substantial consequences for females’ fitness. Aims We tested the BSH in an iteroparous boreal small rodent, the bank vole, Myodes glareolus. Methods We used …
Age, condition and dominance-related sexual ornament size before and during the breeding season in the black grouse Lyrurus tetrix
2018
Male ornaments function as honest cues of male quality in many species and are subject to intra- and intersexual selection. These ornaments are generally studied during peak expression, however their size outside the breeding season may determine ultimate ornament size and costliness, and as such reproductive success. We investigated whether male black grouse Lyrurus tetrix eye comb size was related to age, condition and measures of male dominance before and during the breeding season. Total combined eye comb size began to increase ~70 d before the start of the breeding season. Adult males (aged ≥ 2 yr old) had consistently larger eye combs than younger males (1 yr old) both before and duri…
Partitioning net carbon dioxide fluxes into photosynthesis and respiration using neural networks
2020
Abstract The eddy covariance (EC) technique is used to measure the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 between ecosystems and the atmosphere, offering a unique opportunity to study ecosystem responses to climate change. NEE is the difference between the total CO2 release due to all respiration processes (RECO), and the gross carbon uptake by photosynthesis (GPP). These two gross CO2 fluxes are derived from EC measurements by applying partitioning methods that rely on physiologically based functional relationships with a limited number of environmental drivers. However, the partitioning methods applied in the global FLUXNET network of EC observations do not account for the multiple co‐acting…