Download or read book Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem written by Elena Gorb and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countless ants transport and deposit seeds and thereby influence the survival, death, and evolution of many plant species. In higher plants, seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) has appeared many times independently in different lineages. More than 3000 plant species are known to utilize ant assistance to be planted. Myrmecochory is a very interesting and rather enigmatic form of mutualistic ant-plant associations. This phenomenon is extremely complex, because there are hundreds of ant species connected with hundreds of plant species. This book effectively combines a thorough approach to investigating morphological and physiological adaptations of plants with elegant field experiments on the behaviour of ants. This monograph is a first attempt at collecting information about morphology, ecology and phenology of ants and plants from one ecosystem. The book gives readers a panoramic view of the hidden, poorly-known interrelations not only between pairs of ants and plant species, but also between species communities in the ecosystem. The authors have considered not just one aspect of animal-plant relationships, but have tried to show them in all their complexity. Some aspects of the ant-plant interactions described in the book may be of interest to botanists, others to zoologists or ecologists, but the entire work is an excellent example of the marriage of these biological disciplines.
Download or read book Bibliography of Agriculture written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Evolutionary Ecology of Ant Plant Mutualisms written by Andrew James Beattie and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1985-11-29 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration of evolutionary and ecological literature of ant-plant mutualisms.
Download or read book Seeds written by Michael Fenner and published by CABI. This book was released on 2000 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the second edition of a multi-author book first published in 1992. It deals with all aspects of plant regeneration by seeds, including reproductive allocation, seed dispersal and predation, longevity, dormancy and germination. All chapters have been updated, and four new chapters added on seed size, seedling establishment, the role of gaps, and regeneration from seed after fire.
Download or read book Flora of the British Isles written by A. R. Clapham and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1990-02-08 with total page 724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in paperback in 1990, this book's purpose was the accurate identification of all British plants.
Download or read book The pollination services of forests written by Krishnan, S., Wiederkehr Guerra, G., Bertrand, D., Wertz-Kanounnikoff, S. and Kettle, C.J. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most flowering plants, including wild species and many food crops, are pollinated by animals and are vital, therefore, for biological production and the maintenance of biodiversity. Pollinators benefit from diverse natural habitats for forage and nesting, especially when these are limited in plant production systems. Landscape and forest management practices can help ensure the continued availability of pollinators and thereby increase resilience and the productivity of forestry and agriculture. The extent of forests and other natural habitats in a landscape plays a role in determining the species composition of pollinators. Agricultural landscapes adjoining fragmented forests and natural areas benefit from pollinator services, and animal-pollinated crops therefore achieve higher fruit set. Forest management practices can have significant effects on pollinator abundance and diversity. They affect forest variables such as structure, species composition, soil dynamics, hydrology and light availability, all of which can affect pollinator species composition and diversity and plant–pollinator networks. Indigenous and local knowledge can contribute to the conservation of pollinators through traditional management practices. This working paper, which is aimed at forest practitioners, landscape planners and land-use decision-makers, reviews published literature on the impacts of forest and landscape management practices on pollinators. It also addresses the implications of climate change, collates 36 case studies, and makes recommendation on measures for maintaining pollinator diversity and abundance in forests and landscapes
Download or read book Combined Discrete and Continual Approaches in Biological Modelling written by Alexander E. Filippov and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-06-30 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Basic laws of nature are rather simple, but observed biological structures and their dynamic behaviors are unbelievably complicated. This book is devoted to a study of this “strange” relationship by applying mathematical modeling to various structures and phenomena in biology, such as surface patterns, bioadhesion, locomotion, predator-prey behavior, seed dispersal, etc. and revealing a kind of self-organization in these phenomena. In spite of diversity of biological systems considered, two main questions are (1) what does self-organization in biology mean mathematically and (2) how one can apply this knowledge to generate new knowledge about behavior of particular biological system? We believe that this kind of “biomimetics” in computer will lead to better understanding of biological phenomena and possibly towards development of technical implications based on our modeling.
Download or read book The Ecology and Evolution of Ant Plant Interactions written by Victor Rico-Gray and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-07-15 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher description
Download or read book The Cerrados of Brazil written by Paulo S. and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-05 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The massive grasslands of Brazil -- known as the cerrados -- which cover roughly a quarter of its land surface and are among the most threatened regions in South America, have received little media attention. This book brings together leading researchers on the area to produce the first detailed account in English of the natural history and ecology of the cerrado/savanna ecosystem. Given their extent and threatened status, the richness of their flora and fauna, and the lack of familiarity with their unique ecology at the international level, the cerrados are badly in need of this important and timely work.
Download or read book Seed Ecology written by M.W. Fenner and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the regeneration of plants from seed under field conditions. It attempts to give a reasonably balanced overview of the many aspects of this broad topic. The first chapter introduces some general ideas about reproduction in plants. Subsequent chapters deal with the early stages in the life of a plant, from ovule to established seedling, in a more or less chronological order. The final chapter shows how the data on regeneration requirements of different species can be used to explain a number of important characteristics of whole plant communities. The study of the ecological aspects of reproduction by seed touches on a range of issues of current interest in biology. A discussion of seed size and number involves a consideration of the concepts of resource allocation, life cycles and strategies. The in teractions between plants and animals seen in pollination, seed dispersal and predation provide excellent material for the study of coevolution. Investigations on regeneration from seed have greatly our understanding of the causes and maintenance of species added to diversity. The reader will find that virtually all the experiments and field observations described in this book are conceptually very simple. Many of them merely required numerous careful measurements.
Download or read book How Life Increases Biodiversity written by David Seaborg and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-09-09 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that organisms and their interactions create and maximize biodiversity. The evidence for this autocatalytic hypothesis has been collated and integrated into this provocative argument. Natural selection favors the increase of biodiversity. Organisms can be causative agents contributing to major macroevolutionary transitions. Species tend to have a net positive effect on biodiversity. All species are ecosystem engineers. Mutualism and commensalism are common and fundamental, and these coevolved interspecific interactions frequently generate enormous increases in biodiversity. Competition generally does not decrease biodiversity, and often leads to evolutionary innovation. Plants are ecosystem engineers that have made Earth more favorable to life and increased diversity in many ways. Herbivores and predators increase the diversity of the species they consume, and are necessary for ecosystem stability. Decomposers are essential to ecosystem health. All these examples illustrate the focus of this book – that organisms and their interactions stimulate biodiversity, and ecosystems maximize it. Key Features • Describes a hypothesis that life itself generates higher biodiversity • Suggests a highly modified version of the established paradigm in population biology and evolution • Asserts that all species are ecosystem engineers with a net positive effect on biodiversity and their ecosystems • Suggests that mutualism and commensalism are the rule • Presents a novel view likely to elicit deeper discussions of biodiversity Related Titles Dewdney, A. K. Stochastic Communities: A Mathematical Theory of Biodiversity (ISBN 978-1-138-19702-2) Curry, G. B. and C. J. Humphries, eds. Biodiversity Databases: Techniques, Politics, and Applications (ISBN 978-0-367-38916-1) Pullaiah, T, ed. Global Biodiversity. 4 Volume Set (ISBN 978-1-77188-751-9)
Download or read book Tropical Trees and Forests written by F. Halle and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Biology of Populus and Its Implications for Management and Conservation written by National Research Council Canada and published by NRC Research Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Poplar is increasingly recognized as an excellent model tree for the study of tree growth and its underlying physiology and genetics. By studying trees of the genus Populus (poplars, cottonwoods, aspens), which in their native ecosystems play a major role in the re-colonization of sites after disturbances, new insights have been gained into plantation culture and the development of improved cultivars. Of the 20 chapters in this publication, editored by an international group of researchers, one section deals with systematics, genetics, genetic manipulation and biotic interactions of Populus, while the other deals with stress response and the physiology of growth and productivity" --
Download or read book Pollinators and Pollination written by Jeff Ollerton and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2021-01-18 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world’s leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.
Download or read book The Nature of Plant Communities written by J. Bastow Wilson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a comprehensive review of the role of species interactions in the process of plant community assembly.
Download or read book Ecology and the Environment written by Russell K. Monson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-10-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, plant biology is considered from the perspective of plants and their surrounding environment, including both biotic and abiotic interactions. The intended audience is undergraduate students in the middle or final phases of their programs of study. Topics are developed to provide a rudimentary understanding of how plant-environment interactions span multiple spatiotemporal scales, and how this rudimentary knowledge can be applied to understand the causes of ecosystem vulnerabilities in the face of global climate change and expansion of natural resource use by human societies. In all chapters connections are made from smaller to larger scales of ecological organization, providing a foundation for understanding plant ecology. Where relevant, environmental threats to ecological systems are identified and future research needs are discussed. As future generations take on the responsibility for managing ecosystem goods and services, one of the most effective resources that can be passed on is accumulated knowledge of how organisms, populations, species, communities and ecosystems function and interact across scales of organization. This book is intended to provide some of that knowledge, and hopefully provide those generations with the ability to avoid some of the catastrophic environmental mistakes that prior generations have made.
Download or read book Principles of Dispersal in Higher Plants written by L. van der Pijl and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviewers from diverse branches of botany have exerted pressure to have chapters dealing with their field extended. If only to cover his incompetence, the author could not accede to these requests. Nor was it possible to respond to Eastern European urgings to extend the classificatory terminology, especially in ChapterX. He is grateful for indications of factual shortcomings in the chosen field, especially for those by Dr. RUDOLF SCHMID (Ann Arbor), who provided exten sive comment. L. VAN DER PIlL The Hague, spring 1972 Preface to the First Edition The work offered here is a companion volume to the work by K. FAEGRI and 1. VAN DER PIJL, Principles of Pollination Ecology, whim. deals with the preced ing phase of reproduction in plants. In the present work too, the emphasis is on principles and ecology. It is neither an enumeration of mechanisms, nor a compilation of cases. RIDLEY'S monumental work The Dispersal of Plants Throughout the World comprises 700 large pages of small print, and research has proceeded since then. Though this work is more than just a compilation and contains much insight and thoughts on principles in addition to reviews, its completeness hinders its use as a text book. As a reference work, it is unsurpassed and the writer made frequent use of it. The writer paid special attention to functional backgrounds for the use of taxonomists working with "characters" and to biosystematics at the macro-level.