Plant introductions and subsequent community shifts are known to affect nutrient cycling, but most such studies have focused on nutrient enrichment effects. The nature of plant-driven nutrient depletions and the mechanisms by which these might occur are relatively poorly understood. In this study we demonstrate that the proliferation of the commonly introduced coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, inte...

The process of nutrient transfer through an ecosystem is an important determinant of production, food-chain length, and species diversity. The general view is that the rate and efficiency of nutrient transfer up the food chain is constrained by herbivore-specific capacity to secure N-rich compounds for survival and production. Using feeding trials with artificial food, we show, however, that ph...

Root plasticity, a trait that can respond to selective pressure, may help plants forage for nutrients in heterogeneous soils. Agricultural breeding programs have artificially selected for increased yield under comparatively homogeneous soil conditions, potentially decreasing the capacity for plasticity in crop plants like barley (Hordeum vulgare). However, the effects of domestication on the ev...

Ecological stoichiometry and resource competition theory both predict that nutrient rates and ratios can alter infectious disease dynamics. Pathogens such as viruses hijack nutrient rich host metabolites to complete multiple steps of their epidemiological cycle. As the synthesis of these molecules requires nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), environmental supply rates, and ratios of N and P to hos...

In this study, the alleviation effect of exogenous calcium (Ca) against cadmium (Cd) toxicity to growth, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant properties, and absorption of nutrients was explored in nutrient solution-cultured garlic seedlings. The results indicated that Cd significantly inhibited the growth of garlic seedlings as well as reduced the chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic...

Roots are important to plants for a wide variety of processes, including nutrient and water uptake, anchoring and mechanical support, storage functions, and as the major interface between the plant and various biotic and abiotic factors in the soil environment. Understanding the development and architecture of roots holds potential for the exploitation and manipulation of root characteristics t...

this study was conducted to evaluate different nutrient solutions effects on agria potato mini-tubers production under aeroponic system. the experiment was conducted in the laboratory and greenhouse of ardabil sabalan behparvar company in 2013. four recommended nutrient solutions including: lommen and struik (1992), kang and han (2005), otazu (2010) and hoagland and arnon (1950) were used in a ...

The elemental composition of strawberry plants (Fragaria ananassa cv. Macarena) inoculated with the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense REC3, and non-inoculated controls, was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) analysis. This allowed simultaneous semi-quantification of different elements in a small, solid sample. Plants were in...

The use of renewable resources and inputs is one of the fundamental principles of sustainable agriculture that enables maximum crop productivity and minimal environmental risk. Nutrient management may be achieved by the involvement of organic sources, bio-fertilizers, and micro-nutrients. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers to achieve high yield and to compensate for lack of nutrients an...

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are 18-30 nt non-coding regulatory elements found in diverse organisms, which were initially identified as small double-stranded RNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans. With the development of new and improved technologies, sRNAs have also been identified and characterized in plant systems. Among them, micro RNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are found to be very impor...