In recent decades, pastoral abandonment has produced profound ecological changes in the Alps. In particular, the reduction in grazing has led to extensive shrub encroachment of semi-natural grasslands, which may represent a threat to open habitat biodiversity. To reverse shrub encroachment, we assessed short-term effects of two different pastoral practices on vegetation and dung beetles (Coleop...

Increasing abundance of tall, canopy-forming shrubs is one of the primary changes expected in the Arctic tundra biome with recent climate warming, but virtually all evidence for shrub increase comes from North America. Here we demonstrate a novel technique for assessing changes in the extent of tall shrublands in northwest Siberian tundra since the 1960s, using satellite imagery dating to the e...

Scientists and students from five countries combined research and education in an investigation of bioclimatic zonation along a Canadian Arctic transect, from Amund Ringnes Island and Ellesmere Island in the north to the Daring Lake research camp at the southern edge of the tundra in Nunavut. We addressed three important needs in Arctic science: 1) to integrate education and research, 2) to pro...

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995–96, thus completing the park’s large predator guild. In the fall of 2010, approximately 15 years after wolf reintroduction, we sampled ten genera/species of berry-producing shrubs within 97 aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands in the park’s northern ungulate winter range. Regression analysis indicated shrub heights...

Poor nutritional quality and increased content of secondary compounds can reduce consumption of Mediterranean shrubs by herbivores. In 2 sequential trials, we examined the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and number of shrub species offered on daily intake of Mediterranean shrubs by 12 sheep and 12 goats. The PEG (25 g) was fed to experimental animals with barley. In trial 1 (6 shrubs), goat...

Species-specific allometric equations that provide estimates of biomass from measured plant attributes are currently unavailable for shrubs common to South Florida pine rocklands, where fire plays an important part in shaping the structure and function of ecosystems. We developed equations to estimate total aboveground biomass and fine fuel of 10 common hardwood species in the shrub layer of pi...

1 The effect of physical ecosystem engineering – structurally mediated modification of the abiotic environment by organisms – on species richness and composition probably depends on the area of observation and environmental context. 2 We develop specific hypotheses to evaluate how such effects will vary with spatial scale and environmental variability, and test these hypotheses by examining the...

We examined patterns of shrub species diversity relative to landscape-scale variability in environmental factors within two watersheds on the coastal flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains, California. Shrub species richness and dominance was sampled at a hierarchy of spatial units using a highpowered telescope from remote vantage points. Explanatory variables included field estimates of total canop...

Tinospora cordifolia is a deciduous climbing shrub described as ‘the one who protects the body against diseases’. It is one of the most versatile rejuvenating shrub also known as ’Giloya’ in Indian vernacular having many therapeutic applications. The pharmaceutical significance of this plant is mainly because of the leaves, barks and roots contain various bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, ...

Large, late-winter ptarmigan migrations heavily impact the shoot, plant, and patch architecture of shrubs that remain above the snow surface. Ptarmigan browsing on arctic shrubs was assessed in the vicinity of Toolik Lake, on the north side of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Data were collected in early May 2007, at maximum snow depth, after the bulk of the ptarmigan migration had passed through th...