Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure in the course of litter decomposition may have a direct effect on decomposition rates via changing states of photodegradation or decomposer constitution in litter while UV-B exposure during growth periods may alter chemical compositions and physical properties of plants. Consequently, these changes will indirectly affect subsequent litter decomposition processes in...

the objective of this study was to evaluate genetic and phenotypic parameters for some reproductive traits of black bengal does. genetic parameters were estimated by residual maximum likelihood procedure, fitting an animal model ignoring maternal genetic or permanent environmental effects. the least-squares means of litter size at birth (lsb), litter size at weaning (lsw), litter weight at birt...

Question: What are the physical and chemical effects of plant litter on annual grassland community composition, aboveground net primary production (ANPP), and density? Location: California annual grassland. Methods: We manipulated litter and light levels independently and in concert. Litter removal and litter addition treatments tested both the physical and chemical impacts of litter’s presence...

Ballistic target interception requires high accuracy in order to achieve kinetic hit-to-kill performance. Since the task becomes more challenging when the target performs complex maneuvers, highly accurate state estimators are indispensable for successful ballistic target interception. This research focuses on developing filter motion models which can reproduce a wide variety of target motions ...

The interception of moving targets is a complex activity that involves a dynamic interplay of several perceptual and motor processes and therefore involves a rich interaction among several brain areas. Although the behavioral aspects of interception have been studied for the past three decades, it is only during the past decade that neural studies have been focused on this problem. In addition ...

The effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition on litter decomposition are poorly understood in Tibetan alpine meadows. Leaf litter was collected from plots within a factorial N × P addition experiment and allowed to decompose over 708 days in an unfertilized plot to determine the effects of N and/or P addition on litter decomposition. Results showed that nutrient addition significantl...

We studied the effects of tree species on leaf litter decomposition and forest floor dynamics in a common garden experiment of 14 tree species (Abies alba, Acer platanoides, Acer pseudoplatanus, Betula pendula, Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica, Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus robur, Quercus rubra, and Tilia cordata) in southwestern Pola...

Decomposition of Quercus myrtifolia leaf litter in a Florida scrub oak community was followed for 3 years in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, we examined the effects CO2 and herbivore damage on litter quality and subsequent decomposition. Undamaged, chewed and mined litter generated under ambient and elevated (ambient1 350 ppm V) CO2 was allowed to decompose under ambient cond...

Poultry litter applications to land have been based on crop N requirements, resulting in application of P in excess of plant requirements, which may cause degradation of water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The effect of litter source (the Delmarva Peninsula and Moorefield, West Virginia) and composting of poultry litter on N mineralization and availability of P in two soil types (san...

The role of litter in nutrient cycling in a Typha angustifolia dominated brackish tidal marsh was studied with a field experiment. In replicated plots, litter was either removed, replaced with plastic strips (pseudolitter), increased threefold, or left unaltered. One set of plots received fortnightly surface applications of ammonium phosphate solution at an annual rate of 65 g/m2 of N and 72 g/...