Article
Entomology
Erica Kistner-Thomas, Sunil Kumar, Larry Jech, Derek A. Woller
Summary: Grasshoppers pose a substantial threat to North American rangelands, with potential for significant economic damages. Current grasshopper forecasting efforts in the western United States are solely based on previous year's data. This study in Wyoming found that October precipitation and past grasshopper density were among the best predictors for future grasshopper population density, and environmental factors play a significant role in forecasting efforts.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Mojtaba Dolatkordestani, Mansour Taghvaei, Andrea Mastinu
Summary: The application of superabsorbents and seed coatings can enhance the growth and physiological responses of Calotropisprocera L. (milkweed) under water deficit conditions. Superabsorbent polymers in growth media improve growth indices and chlorophyll content, while reducing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and proline. Seed coatings improve growth indices, antioxidant enzyme activity, and chlorophyll content. Vermicompost-coated seeds show the most adaptive responses to water stress.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuriy Pichugin, Arne Traulsen
Summary: Multiple modes of asexual reproduction are observed in microbial organisms, and the transition between these modes, such as from unicellularity to multicellularity, can directly affect population growth rates. Mass conservation can limit the number of possible reproduction modes, while the interplay between cell shape and growth kinetics explains the characteristics of cell size and shape, as well as the evolution of reproductive strategies in multicellular species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Semona Issa, Ane Simonsen, Veerle L. B. Jaspers, Sigurd Einum
Summary: The study found that, depending on environmental conditions, the rates of sexual reproduction in D. magna may respond to metal exposure at lower concentrations than those impacting population growth during the asexual phase.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David J. Civitello, Rachel B. Hartman
Summary: Parasites can be influenced by resource competition among hosts, with competitors disrupting growth and parasite production in a size-dependent manner. These effects can be accurately predicted by bioenergetics theory.
Article
Ecology
Tonya Haigh, Michael Hayes, Jolene Smyth, Linda Prokopy, Charles Francis, Mark Burbach
Summary: Having a drought plan can improve livestock producers' information use and decision-making abilities, regardless of operation size. Encouraging the use of drought contingency planning can enhance ranchers' adaptive capacity.
RANGELAND ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily L. Williams, Chris Funk, Shraddhanand Shukla
Summary: The Southwestern U.S. has been experiencing a megadrought for the past two decades, resulting in vegetation stress and poor forage conditions. This study investigates how human-induced climate change has affected air temperatures, evaporative demand, and vegetative productivity in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. The findings reveal that increased temperatures have led to significant increases in evaporative demand, which have negatively impacted vegetation productivity, particularly in mid-precipitation areas in New Mexico.
Article
Entomology
Michal Reut, Mariusz Chrabaszcz, Hanna Moniuszko
Summary: The study found that acorn weevils exhibit preferences when competing for resources, with different species preferring acorns of different sizes and choosing to reproduce at different stages of fruit growth. Observations indicate that this preference behavior helps to reduce competition between different species.
Article
Ecology
Harry B. M. Wells, Ramiro D. Crego, Jackson Ekadeli, Mathew Namoni, Duncan M. Kimuyu, Wilfred O. Odadi, Lauren M. Porensky, Andrew J. Dougill, Lindsay C. Stringer, Truman P. Young
Summary: High stocking rates of cattle have negative effects on wild mesoherbivore habitat use and cattle foraging efficiency, while reducing stocking rates to moderate levels can benefit zebra habitat use and cattle foraging efficiency.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Niels M. Schmidt, Floris M. van Beest, Angelique Dupuch, Lars H. Hansen, Jean-Pierre Desforges, Douglas W. Morris
Summary: Habitat selection in collared lemmings is density-dependent and influenced by variability in snow conditions. Larger nests, often used for breeding, are more susceptible to predation.
Article
Agronomy
Sergi Garcia-Barreda, Gabriel Sanguesa-Barreda, Jaime Madrigal-Gonzalez, Francisco Seijo, Ester Gonzalez de Andres, J. Julio Camarero
Summary: The influence of climate conditions, particularly a positive water balance, plays a major role as a proximate cause of fruit production in seasonally dry Mediterranean forests. The resource-matching hypothesis predicts a positive relationship between reproduction and growth, while other hypotheses imply allocation trade-offs between reproduction and growth.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Matthew J. Rinella
Summary: Shrubs seeded during rangeland restoration often struggle to establish due to competition from grasses and weeds. Controlling neighbors can significantly increase shrub density, but even with controlled neighbors, shrubs may still fail to establish.
RANGELAND ECOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fateme Rigi, Morteza Saberi, Mahdieh Ebrahimi
Summary: This study investigated the effects of drought on Festuca ovina L. and found that the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) such as Azotobacter vinelandii and Pantoea agglomerans+Pseudomonas putida can increase the plant's tolerance to drought stress.
JOURNAL OF ARID LAND
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Akash Tariq, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Zhihao Zhang, Corina Graciano, Fanjiang Zeng, Olusanya Abiodun Olatunji, Abd Ullah, Kaiwen Pan
Summary: Efficient use of soil resources, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can enhance plant resistance and resilience against drought in arid and semi-arid lands. Intercropping legume and non-legumes can improve phosphorus mineralization uptake and plant nutrient status. However, it is still unclear how intercropping systems using desert plant species impact soil-plant phosphorus fractions and their effects on nitrogen and water uptake capacity. This study investigated the impact of intercropping Alhagi sparsifolia and Karelinia caspia on soil-plant phosphorus fractions and soil-plant nutrients. The results suggested that intercropping improved microbe nitrogen-use efficiency, but had limited effects on phosphorus-use efficiency.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
J. Martinez-Valderrama, J. Ibanez, M. A. Ibanez, F. J. Alcala, M. E. Sanjuan, A. Ruiz, G. del Barrio
Summary: This study evaluated the sensitivity of Spanish dehesas to increasing drought frequency and intensity driven by climate change, finding that their vulnerability to worsening droughts may be low.
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
(2021)