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The Strength Of Seeds And Their Destruction By Granivorous Insects, Jonathan G. Lundgren, Kurt A. Rosentrater
The Strength Of Seeds And Their Destruction By Granivorous Insects, Jonathan G. Lundgren, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The influence of seed structure and strength on their destruction by granivores is central to understanding the dynamics of granivore-plant interactions. For up to nine seed species, the effects of seed size (cm3), mass (mg), density (mg/cm3) and coat strength (MPa) on the damage inflicted by three post-dispersal granivores (Harpalus pensylvanicus, Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis, and Gryllus pennsylvanicus) were evaluated. Seed destruction rates by G. pennsylvanicus were statistically unrelated to the size and toughness of the seeds. Seed densities significantly affected their destruction by A. sanctaecrucis and H. pensylvanicus, as did seed size, mass, and strength in H. pensylvanicus under choice conditions. …
Biodiversity And Ecosystem Functioning: Importance Of Species Evenness In An Old Field, Brian J. Wilsey, Catherine Potvin
Biodiversity And Ecosystem Functioning: Importance Of Species Evenness In An Old Field, Brian J. Wilsey, Catherine Potvin
Brian J. Wilsey
Changes in land use, habitat fragmentation, nutrient enrichment, and environmental stress often lead to reduced plant diversity in ecosystems. However, it remains controversial whether these reductions in diversity will affect energy flow and nutrient cycling. Diversity has two components: species richness, or the number of plant species in a given area, and species evenness, or how well distributed abundance or biomass is among species within a community. We experimentally varied species evenness and the identity of the dominant plant species in an old field of Quebec to test whether plant productivity would increase with increasing levels of evenness, and whether …