Our previous analysis of antiplasmodial properties exhibited by dodecanoyl-based oligo-acyl-lysyls (OAKs) has outlined basic attributes implicated in potent inhibition of parasite growth and underlined the critical role of excess hydrophobicity in hemotoxicity. To dissociate hemolysis from antiplasmodial effect, we screened >50 OAKs for in vitro growth inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum strain...

1. This paper explores the idea that functional heterogeneity (variability of a system property affecting ecological processes) is only a fraction of the available structural heterogeneity (variability of a property measured without reference to ecological effects) caused by non-random propagule dispersal. We report the effect of acorn dispersal by jays on the light environment experienced by H...

(1) Our campus squirrel population provides ample opportunities to explore squirrel feeding preferences or scatterhoarding behaviors. Many of the findings summarized in a series of papers by Steele and Smallwood (e.g., “What are squirrels hiding? Natural History 10: 40-44. 1994. and other findings reported in their articles) offer challenging field experiment ideas. For example, given that spec...

Eastern deciduous forests are populated with a variety of hardwood species, with composition at large scales determined by a complex interplay of temperature, moisture, and disturbance. An understanding of seed production is important in the context of forest regeneration and wildlife management. We analyzed time series data obtained from the literature to investigate (1) the effects of life-hi...

Black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.) and scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.)—two major components (44% of total stand basal area) of upland oak forests—are suffering severe decline and mortality in the Ozark Highlands, Missouri. However, factors influencing their survival (mortality) are not well understood. In this study we quantified how stand and tree-level predisposing factors are associat...

The detection of pest infestation is an important aspect of forest management. In the case of the oak splendour beetle (Agrilus biguttatus) infestation, the affected oaks (Quercus sp.) show high levels of defoliation and altered canopy reflection signature. These critical features can be identified in high-resolution colour infrared (CIR) images of the tree crown and branches level captured by ...

Using a historical reconstruction, we discovered a potential trophic cascade involving cougar (Puma concolor), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) in the Yosemite Valley of Yosemite National Park in California. Our objective was to determine whether large deer populations in the absence of a top-level carnivore were suppressing tree regeneration. As hum...

This paper presents an optimal control model to analyze reforestations with two different species, including commercial values, carbon sequestration and biodiversity or scenic values. We first solve the model qualitatively with general functions and then develop it assuming quadratic functions. We discuss the implications of partial or total internalization of environmental values and show that...

The leaf economics spectrum has given us a fundamental understanding of the species variations in leaf variables. Across plant species, tight correlations among leaf mass per area (LMA), mass-based nitrogen (N m) and photosynthetic rate (A m) and leaf lifespan have been well known as trade-offs in leaf carbon economy. However, the regional or biome-level correlations may not be necessary to cor...

Introduced plants tend to experience less herbivory than natives, although herbivore loads vary widely. Herbivores may switch hosts onto an introduced plant for at least two reasons. They may recognize the novel plant as a potential host based on similarity of the plant's traits to the traits of one of its native hosts, a similarity that may or may not exhibit phylogenetic signal. Alternatively...