Aristotle and Theophrastus on plant-animal interactions

1994 ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costas A. Thanos
Keyword(s):  
Plant Animal Interactions

scholarly journals Using next generation sequencing of alpine plants to improve fecal metabarcoding diet analysis for Dall’s sheep

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly E. Williams ◽  
Damian M. Menning ◽  
Eric J. Wald ◽  
Sandra L. Talbot ◽  
Kumi L. Rattenbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Alpine Plants ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Reference Sequence ◽  
Reference Library ◽  
Ovis Dalli ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Dall’S Sheep ◽  
Northwestern North America

Abstract Objectives Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are important herbivores in the mountainous ecosystems of northwestern North America, and recent declines in some populations have sparked concern. Our aim was to improve capabilities for fecal metabarcoding diet analysis of Dall’s sheep and other herbivores by contributing new sequence data for arctic and alpine plants. This expanded reference library will provide critical reference sequence data that will facilitate metabarcoding diet analysis of Dall’s sheep and thus improve understanding of plant-animal interactions in a region undergoing rapid climate change. Data description We provide sequences for the chloroplast rbcL gene of 16 arctic-alpine vascular plant species that are known to comprise the diet of Dall’s sheep. These sequences contribute to a growing reference library that can be used in diet studies of arctic herbivores.

Mistletoes in a changing world: a premonition of a non-analog future?

Botany ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (9) ◽  
pp. 479-488
Author(s):  
Francisco E. Fontúrbel
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Changing World

Mistletoes are a group of flowering plants that have developed a parasitic lifeform through complex eco-evolutionary processes. Despite being considered a pest, mistletoes represent a keystone forest resource and are involved in complex plant–plant and plant–animal interactions. Their parasitic lifeform and specialized ecological interactions make mistletoes an ideal model with which to understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbances in a changing world. The accelerated growth of the human population has altered all ecosystems on Earth, leading to biodiversity loss. Land-use changes (involving habitat loss, fragmentation, degradation, and transformation processes) can alter the ecological scenario for mistletoe by altering hosts, mutualists, and nutrient cycling. Those changes may have large consequences at the community level, changing the spatial structure of mistletoes, as well as interaction effectiveness, facilitation process, interaction disruption, and novel interactions with invasive species, leading to non-analog communities in the long run. Furthermore, climate change effects operate on a global scale, enhancing the effects of land-use changes. As temperatures increase, many species would alter their distribution and phenology, potentially causing spatial and temporal mismatches. But more critical is the fact that water stress is likely to disrupt key ecological interactions. Thus, mistletoes can provide valuable insights for what we can expect in the future, as a result of human disturbances.

Winter browsing of moose on two different willow species: food selection in relation to plant chemistry and plant response

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 807-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Stolter ◽  
John P Ball ◽  
Riitta Julkunen-Tiitto ◽  
Reinhard Lieberei ◽  
Jörg U Ganzhorn
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Willow Species ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Salix Myrsinifolia ◽  
Moose Browsing

We investigated the selection criteria of moose, Alces alces (L., 1758), feeding on two willow species, Salix phylicifolia L. and Salix myrsinifolia Salisb., and whether these willows respond chemically. We correlated winter twig browsing with the concentrations of primary and secondary plant compounds in twigs and new leaves. Furthermore, we investigated 12 specific phenolics in twigs of S. phylicifolia. During winter, moose browsed twigs with low concentrations of phenolic compounds. Additionally, we found significant negative correlations between browsing and the concentration of 7 of the 12 specific phenolic compounds in S. phylicifolia. Most importantly, even though ours was a field study and had many potential sources of variation, a multivariate analysis revealed that these specific phenolics predicted 47% of the variation in moose browsing. The two willows reacted in different chemical ways to moose browsing, but both showed signs of defensive response in early spring and compensation growth in summer. Our data demonstrate the importance of plant secondary chemicals for feeding behaviour of moose and underline the importance of working at a species level in studies of plant–animal interactions, especially with the chemically heterogeneous willows.

scholarly journals Restoration of plant-animal interactions in terrestrial ecosystems

2022 ◽  
Vol 265 ◽  
pp. 109393
Author(s):  
Luísa Genes ◽  
Rodolfo Dirzo
Keyword(s):  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions

Plant-Animal Interactions and Fruit Production in a Neotropical Herb: A Path Analysis

Ecology ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1128-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas W. Schemske ◽  
Carol C. Horvitz
Keyword(s):  
Path Analysis ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions

scholarly journals Global warming leads to more uniform spring phenology across elevations

2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (5) ◽  
pp. 1004-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Vitasse ◽  
Constant Signarbieux ◽  
Yongshuo H. Fu
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Mountain Forest ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Spring Temperatures ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Tree Leaf ◽  
And Function ◽  
Phenological Shift

One hundred years ago, Andrew D. Hopkins estimated the progressive delay in tree leaf-out with increasing latitude, longitude, and elevation, referred to as “Hopkins’ bioclimatic law.” What if global warming is altering this well-known law? Here, based on ∼20,000 observations of the leaf-out date of four common temperate tree species located in 128 sites at various elevations in the European Alps, we found that the elevation-induced phenological shift (EPS) has significantly declined from 34 d⋅1,000 m−1 conforming to Hopkins’ bioclimatic law in 1960, to 22 d⋅1,000 m−1 in 2016, i.e., −35%. The stronger phenological advance at higher elevations, responsible for the reduction in EPS, is most likely to be connected to stronger warming during late spring as well as to warmer winter temperatures. Indeed, under similar spring temperatures, we found that the EPS was substantially reduced in years when the previous winter was warmer. Our results provide empirical evidence for a declining EPS over the last six decades. Future climate warming may further reduce the EPS with consequences for the structure and function of mountain forest ecosystems, in particular through changes in plant–animal interactions, but the actual impact of such ongoing change is today largely unknown.

An Introduction to Complex Networks

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Bascompte ◽  
Pedro Jordano
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Complex Networks ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Broad Context ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Mutualistic Networks ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions

Mutualisms can involve dozens, even hundreds, of species and this complexity has precluded a serious community-wide approach to plant–animal interactions. The most straightforward way to describe such an interacting community is with a network of interactions. In this approach, species are represented as nodes of two types: plants and animals. This chapter provides the tools and concepts for characterizing mutualistic networks and placing them into a broad context. This serves as a background with which to understand the structure of mutualistic networks. The discussions cover a network approach to complex systems, measures of network structure, models of network buildup, and ecological networks.

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