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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Investigating The Role Of Polyploidy In The Response Of Chamerion Angustifolium To Increased Soil Nitrogen Availability And Insect Herbivory, Alex Bales
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Human activities have more than doubled the input rate of nitrogen to terrestrial ecosystems. Increased soil nitrogen availability is associated with increased plant productivity, changes in plant resource allocation strategies, and changes in interactions between plants and their associated insect herbivores. For example, nitrogen-rich conditions can alter the physiological and chemical properties of plants in ways that increase their ability to deter herbivore attack (resistance) and maintain fitness following herbivore attack (tolerance). The ecological tolerance of plants to such abiotic and biotic environments is thought to be influenced by autopolyploidy, a commonly occurring phenomenon in plants in which individuals have …
Observations Of Hippopotamus H. Amphibius In The Little Scarcies River Of Sierra Leone And Arguments For Their Conservation Based On Roles They Play In Riverine Grasslands And Nutrient Loading, Lindsey R. Perry
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
A small population of Hippopotamus amphibius remains in Sierra Leone and conservation efforts may be needed to support the Hippos and their indirect benefits to fisheries and grassland production. The hippo is a known ecosystem engineer, and a potentially important contributor of nutrients to the river systems they inhabit supporting the food web and local fisheries. In this study I observed hippos in the Little Scarcies River and uplands of the Outamba-Kilimi National Park to estimate their numbers and ultimately their potential input of nutrients into the river. Hippos forage at night in grasslands neighboring rivers, removing up to 3.62 …