Decreased plant diversity is expected to reduce ecosystem function. Although many studies have examined eff ects of plant species on trophic interactions, information regarding eff ects of native or non-native plant diversity on performance of individuals of higher trophic levels is limited. We reared larval American toad Anaxyrus americanus tadpoles in outdoor mesocosms containing litter of 1,...

Many plant species have the capacity to regenerate asexually by resprouting from stem and leaf fragments. In the pan-tropical shrub genus Piper, this tendency is thought to be higher in shade-tolerant than light-demanding species, and to represent a trade-off with annual seed production. Here we use molecular markers to identify clones in five Piper species varying in light requirements. We tes...

This paper introduces the commonality between diversity in the biological world and diversity in artifact design. It proposes a computational model of design development based on the analogy with the phenomena and principles of developmental biology. The model is feature based and is capable of varying design in logic, geometry, attribute and phase. Examples demonstrate this biological analogy ...