Seed traits and rodent community interact to determine seed fate: evidence from both enclosure and field experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang HOU ◽  
Bo ZHANG ◽  
Michael A. STEELE ◽  
Ning HAN ◽  
Tuo FENG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Seed Traits ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Rodent Community

Seed fate and seedling recruitment in monkey latrines in rustic cocoa plantations and rain forest in southern Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego A. Zárate ◽  
Ellen Andresen ◽  
Carolina Santos-Heredia
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Anthropogenic Landscapes ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Seed Deposition

AbstractPrimates are important seed dispersers in natural ecosystems and agro-ecosystems, but the latter scenario remains under-studied. The degree to which primates favour plant regeneration greatly depends on post-dispersal processes. The main objective of this study was to compare patterns of seed/seedling fate and seedling recruitment in two habitats of the black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra Lawrence 1933), rustic cocoa and rain forest, and two types of seed-deposition locations, monkey latrines and control locations. Field experiments were carried out within the non-overlapping home ranges of six monkey groups, three in cocoa and three in forest. Seed and seedling fates were assessed for one focal tree species, Brosimum lactescens. The probabilities of seed survival (0.52), germination (0.72), seedling establishment (0.73) and early seedling survival (0.38) were not affected by habitat or seed-deposition location. Late seedling survival was similar in the two habitats but was higher in control locations (0.22) than in latrines (0.09). In cocoa, 4641 seedlings of 59 species were recorded, in forest 3280 seedlings of 68 species. Seedling recruitment was similar in both habitats, but latrines had higher densities than control locations. The importance of agro-ecosystems with low management intensity for the maintenance of ecological processes in anthropogenic landscapes is discussed.

scholarly journals The ecology and quantitative genetics of seed and seedling traits in upland and lowland ecotypes of a perennial grass

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samsad Razzaque ◽  
Tom Juenger
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Directional Selection ◽  
Seedling Vigor ◽  
Seed Traits ◽  
Ecotypic Differentiation ◽  
Seed Trait

Plants have evolved diverse reproductive allocation strategies and seed traits to aid in dispersal, persistence in the seed bank, and establishment. In particular, seed size, dormancy, and early seedling vigor are thought to be key functional traits with important recruitment and fitness consequences across abiotic stress gradients. Selection for favored seed-trait combinations, or against maladaptive combinations, is likely an important driver shaping recruitment strategies. Here, we test for seed-trait plasticity and local adaptation in contrasting upland and lowland ecotypes of Panicum hallii with field experiments in native versus foreign habitats. Furthermore, we test whether seed traits have been under directional selection in P. hallii using the v-test (Fraser 2020) based on trait variance in a genetic cross. Finally, we evaluate the genetic architecture of ecotypic divergence for these traits with Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) mapping. Field experiments reveal little plasticity but support a hypothesis of local adaptation among ecotypes based on recruitment. Patterns of segregation within recombinant hybrids provides strong support for directional selection driving ecotypic divergence in seeds traits. Genetic mapping revealed a polygenic architecture with evidence of genetic correlation between seed mass, dormancy, and seedling vigor. Our results suggest that the evolution of these traits may involve constraints that affect the direction of adaptive divergence. For example, seed size and germination percentage shared two colocalized QTL with antagonistic additive effects. This supports the hypothesis of a functional genetic relationship between these traits, resulting in either large seed/strong dormancy or small seed/weak dormancy trait combinations. Overall, our study provides insights into the factors facilitating and potentially constraining ecotypic differentiation in seed traits.

Electron Microscopy of the Shape of Small Metal Particles

1977 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 300-301
Author(s):  
M. Jose Yacaman
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Metal Particle ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Size Range ◽  
Dark Field ◽  
Metal Particles ◽  
Bragg Condition ◽  
Crystal Particle ◽  
Small Metal Particle ◽  
Small Metal Particles

In the Study of small metal particles the shape is a very Important parameter. Using electron microscopy Ino and Owaga(l) have studied the shape of twinned particles of gold. In that work electron diffraction and contrast (dark field) experiments were used to produce models of a crystal particle. In this work we report a method which can give direct information about the shape of an small metal particle in the amstrong- size range with high resolution. The diffraction pattern of a sample containing small metal particles contains in general several systematic and non- systematic reflections and a two-beam condition can not be used in practice. However a N-beam condition produces a reduced extinction distance. On the other hand if a beam is out of the bragg condition the effective extinction distance is even more reduced.

Successful field experiments: Getting in, getting the data, getting published

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Kochanowski ◽  
Charles F. Seifert ◽  
Gary A. Yukl ◽  
Dov Eden ◽  
Gary P. Latham
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments

Optimizing genotype-environment-management interactions to ensure silage maize production in the Chinese Maize Belt

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-146
Author(s):  
L Zhang ◽  
Z Zhang ◽  
J Cao ◽  
Y Luo ◽  
Z Li
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Growth Cycle ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Energy Yield ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Early Date ◽  
Environment Management ◽  
Silage Maize

Grain maize production exceeds the demand for grain maize in China. Methods for harvesting good-quality silage maize urgently need a theoretical basis and reference data in order to ensure its benefits to farmers. However, research on silage maize is limited, and very few studies have focused on its energetic value and quality. Here, we calibrated the CERES-Maize model for 24 cultivars with 93 field experiments and then performed a long-term (1980-2017) simulation to optimize genotype-environment-management (G-E-M) interactions in the 4 main agroecological zones across China. We found that CERES-Maize could reproduce the growth and development of maize well under various management and weather conditions with a phenology bias of <5 d and biomass relative root mean square error values of <5%. The simulated results showed that sowing long-growth-cycle cultivars approximately 10 d in advance could yield good-quality silage. The optimal sowing dates (from late May to July) and harvest dates (from early October to mid-November) gradually became later from north to south. A high-energy yield was expected when sowing at an early date and/or with late-maturing cultivars. We found that Northeast China and the North China Plain were potential silage maize growing areas, although these areas experienced a medium or even high frost risk. Southwestern maize experienced a low risk level, but the low soil fertility limited the attainable yield. The results of this paper provide information for designing an optimal G×E×M strategy to ensure silage maize production in the Chinese Maize Belt.

Mechanisms leading to recruitment inhibition of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera by an understory alga

2021 ◽  
Vol 657 ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
BA Beckley ◽  
MS Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Macrocystis Pyrifera ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Giant Kelp ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Survival And Growth

The forest-forming giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera and the communities it supports have been decreasing across their native ranges in many parts of the world. The sudden removal of giant kelp canopies by storms increases space and light for the colonization by understory macroalgae, such as Desmarestia herbacea, which can inhibit M. pyrifera recovery and alter local community composition. Understanding the mechanisms by which algae such as D. herbacea interact with M. pyrifera can provide insight into patterns of kelp forest recovery following these disturbances and can aid in predicting future community structure. This study experimentally tested the independent and combined effects of two likely competitive mechanisms by which D. herbacea might inhibit recovery of M. pyrifera in the Point Loma kelp forest in San Diego, California (USA). Specifically, we conducted field experiments to study the individual and combined effects of shade and scour by D. herbacea on the survival of M. pyrifera microscopic life stages, and the recruitment, survival, and growth of its young sporophytes. Our results show that scour had the strongest negative effect on the survival of M. pyrifera microscopic life stages and recruitment, but shade and scour both adversely affected survival and growth of these sporophytes as they grew larger. Canopy-removing storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, and this change could facilitate the rise of understory species, like D. herbacea, which might alter community succession and recovery of kelp forests.

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